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 (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

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

Diagnosis and Tests

Evaluation and Tests (Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy)
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) Also in Spanish
Nerve Blocks (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) 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) Also in Spanish
Nerve Problems (Peripheral Neuropathy) and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Peripheral Neuropathy and Agent Orange (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Specifics

Autonomic Neuropathy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Burning Feet (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Cauda Equina Syndrome (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
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
Pinched Nerve (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Ulnar Nerve Entrapment at the Elbow (Cubital Tunnel Syndrome) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Genetics

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

Videos and Tutorials

Nerve conduction (Medical 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 Articles References 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) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

American Chronic Pain Association
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 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Common peroneal nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Distal median nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Femoral nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Metabolic neuropathies (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Mononeuritis multiplex (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Neuropathy secondary to drugs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Peripheral neuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Radial nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Sensorimotor polyneuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Tibial nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Ulnar nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish