Peripheral Nerve Disorders

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

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
• Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• 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) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: adult polyglucosan body disease (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: autosomal recessive axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia (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: 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 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: transthyretin amyloidosis (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Troyer syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Yuan-Harel-Lupski syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Infantile Refsum Disease (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

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)

• Article: Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in type 2 diabetic patients.
• Article: Peripheral Neuropathy.
• Article: Entrapment Neuropathies of the Lower Extremity.
• Peripheral Nerve Disorders -- see more articles
• Brachial plexus -- see more articles

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