Novocur Pain Management Clinics

Novocur Pain Management Clinics is a paid advertiser of Sonoran Living Live

Peripheral Neuropathy - Stanford Medical Research Helps Phoenix Pain Sufferers!

Neuropathy indicates some type of damage to the nerves that carry much of our body's communication signals from one body part to another. Peripheral Neuropathy describes damage to nerves outside of the spinal cord or brain. Most often, Peripheral Neuropathy involves the long nerves that communicate sensory information from our lower legs or hands to our spinal cord and eventually up to our brain. Neuropathy may lead to altered sensory information from the feet, legs or hands, which often consists of sharp pain, burning pain, electric-like pain, or sensitivity to even light touch.

"…cutting edge treatments, such as capsaicin treatments and spinal cord stimulation."

A variety of factors may contribute to the cause of neuropathy, and may include: trauma or pressure on a nerve, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, infections, autoimmune diseases, kidney disease, tumors or exposure to poisons. One of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. In Arizona, 1 of every 9 people are afflicted by diabetes. It is estimated the 1 of every 3 children born after the year 2000 will be affected in the United States. Unfortunately, approximately 60-70% of diabetics will experience mild to severe symptoms of neuropathy.

The first order of business for the patient with neuropathy is to determine the underlying cause of the problem and address those issues appropriately with their physician. For those patients who continue to experience neuropathic pain there are new cutting edge treatments available. Historically, medications created to control seizures have shown some benefit in treating pain from neuropathy, such as gabapentin (Neurontin). As well, medications traditionally used to treat depression have shown promise in interfering with the reception of pain signals to the brain - these medications include tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline and nortriptyline) as well as drugs like duloxetine (Cymbalta).

Often, undesirable side-effects accompany many of the medications, such as nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, decreased appetite and constipation. As a result, many sufferers turn to more natural treatments, such as elimination of alcohol consumption, stopping smoking, exercising regularly, eating a low fat diet, and supplementing their diet with Vitamin B, acetyl carnitine, and/or alpha-lipoic acid. When all remedies fail, many seek the care of Pain Management Specialist, such as those at the Novocur Pain Management Clinics.

Novocur offers cutting edge treatments, such as capsaicin treatments and spinal cord stimulation. Capsaicin, studied at the Stanford Medical Center, is a naturally occurring substance found in hot peppers and can cause modest improvements in neuropathic pain for several months after application of a therapeutic concentration. Chronic peripheral neuropathy pain sufferers are tested at the Novocur Clinics for treatment with a spinal cord stimulator, which can block the reception of pain from neuropathy to the spinal cord and brain. The feeling of pain is replaced by the Spinal Cord Stimulator with a more soothing feeling of vibration or massage. Results can be effective for many years in patients who are proper candidates for this cutting edge treatment.

Those interested in treatment for peripheral neuropathy are encouraged to call the Novocur Pain Management Clinics directly at 480.855.NOVO (6686) or contact them on the web at www.Novocur.com

Novocur Pain Management Clinics is a paid advertiser of Sonoran Living Live