Peripheral Nerve Disorders

Also called: Neuritis, Peripheral neuritis, Peripheral neuropathy

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Summary

Your peripheral nerves are the ones outside your brain and spinal cord. Like static on a telephone line, peripheral nerve disorders distort or interrupt the messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

There are more than 100 kinds of peripheral nerve disorders. They can affect one nerve or many nerves. Some are the result of other diseases, like diabetic nerve problems. Others, like Guillain-Barre syndrome, happen after a virus infection. Still others are from nerve compression, like carpal tunnel syndrome or thoracic outlet syndrome. In some cases, like complex regional pain syndrome and brachial plexus injuries, the problem begins after an injury. Some people are born with peripheral nerve disorders.

Symptoms often start gradually, and then get worse. They include

Numbness
Pain
Burning or tingling
Muscle weakness
Sensitivity to touch

Treatment aims to treat any underlying problem, reduce pain and control symptoms.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

Peripheral Neuropathy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Peripheral Neuropathy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Peripheral Neuropathy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary

Symptoms

Peripheral Neuropathy: Symptoms and Signs (Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy)

Diagnosis and Tests

Evaluation and Tests (Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy)
Numbness and Tingling in the Arm and Hand (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
Specialized Nerve Tests: EMG, NCV and SSEP (North American Spine Society)

Treatments and Therapies

Anti-Seizure Medications: Relief from Nerve Pain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Anticonvulsant Drugs for Nerve Pain, Bipolar Disorder and Fibromyalgia (Consumers Union of U.S.) - PDF Also in Spanish
Nerve Blocks (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology) Also in Spanish

Living With

Quality of Life Scale: A Measure of Function for People with Pain (American Chronic Pain Association) - PDF

Related Issues

Hypothyroidism: Can It Cause Peripheral Neuropathy? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Nerve Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF
Neuropathic Pain (American Chronic Pain Association)
Peripheral Neuropathy and Agent Orange (Department of Veterans Affairs)
Preparing for your Doctor Visit (Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy)

Specifics

Autonomic Neuropathy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Burning Feet (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Dysautonomia (Autonomic Dysfunction) (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Giant Axonal Neuropathy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Hereditary Neuropathies (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Isaac's Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Paresthesia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Peripheral Neuropathy (New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) Also in Spanish
Pinched Nerve (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Pinched Nerve (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Ulnar Nerve Entrapment at the Elbow (Cubital Tunnel Syndrome) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: adult polyglucosan body disease (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Andermann syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: autosomal recessive axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital cataracts, facial dysmorphism, and neuropathy (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital insensitivity to pain (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: erythromelalgia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: familial dysautonomia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: giant axonal neuropathy (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IE (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type II (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type V (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory neuropathy type IA (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hypomyelination and congenital cataract (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Refsum disease (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: small fiber neuropathy (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 11 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 15 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 7 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 8 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Tangier disease (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: transthyretin amyloidosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: triple A syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Troyer syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Infantile Refsum Disease (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Videos and Tutorials

Nerve conduction - Encyclopedia Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Peripheral Nerve Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Peripheral Nervous System Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

What Are the Parts of the Nervous System? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Find an Expert

American Chronic Pain Association
Find a Neurologist (American Academy of Neurology)
Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Axillary nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish
Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy Also in Spanish
Common peroneal nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish
Distal median nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish
Femoral nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia Also in Spanish
Metabolic neuropathies Also in Spanish
Mononeuritis multiplex Also in Spanish
Neuralgia Also in Spanish
Neuropathy secondary to drugs Also in Spanish
Peripheral neuropathy Also in Spanish
Radial nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish
Sensorimotor polyneuropathy Also in Spanish
Tibial nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish
Ulnar nerve dysfunction Also in Spanish