Are you having episodic or continuous numbness in various parts of body with or without weakness -loss of strength ?
This is a very common complaint that effects most of us sometime or other. Numbness has also variable interpretation for different patient population. For some it means loss of sensation when they say Numbness and whereas for a few it refers to tingling or abnormal sensation and for some this refers to loss of power/strength in a particular limb. Numbness usually refers to involvement of a nerve. The nerves are of 3 types – motor nerves, sensory nerves, and autonomic nerves.
Then nerves are also again classified as of 3 types based on their size, diameter etc. i.e. large diameter or large-fiber, medium diameter (fiber) and small diameter(fiber). These 3 nerves based on their sizes also have different functions. These nerves are usually covered by an insulation called myelin, covering inner nerve filament called axon but many nerves do not have this insulation and they are called unmyelinated. The sensory nerves sub-serves perception of touch, pain, heat, and cold or texture recognition. When these nerves do not function due to any disease they produce different sensation of tingling, numbness, burning, as if walking on cotton wool or walking on sand or inability to recognize objects by touch or the person does not feel heat and cold. Sensory nerve involvement also produces walking unsteadiness mimicking a drunkard\’s walk.
Similarly, when motor nerves are involved in any disease they produce weakness of muscles supplied by concerned nerves which some people also erroneously call numbness. Motor weakness/ drcreased strength in effected nerves also produces difficulty in turning in bed or getting up from sitting posture in bathroom or combing hair or taking overhead their vest, difficulty in opening door with keys or holding pen or using keyboard efficiently. A housewife may have difficulty in making chapati or cutting vegetables or dressing up.
Many times all the above symptoms occur because of spinal cord disorder wherein involvement of urinary bladder produce retention/urgency/precipitancy of urine.
New treatments are available for various neuropathies the name for involvement of different nerves by diseases . these neuropathies are of different types based on different causation of neuropathies as found by different investigations and main test being NerveConduction Studies NCS or NCV which may be normal in certain neuropathies. Different treatment options are available for these neuropathies. There are some very rewarding treatment for specific neuropathies should be treated on an urgent basis and they include AIDP (GBS) CIDP, mononeuritis multiplex and dysimmune neuropathies, these may also occur in Diabetics where they are likely to be missed by considering them to be Diabetic neuropathy.