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Neuropathy: Numbness only, no pain

Neuropathy | Last Active: May 27 4:47pm | Replies (504)

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@emo

I have mostly numbness, not traditional "pain." I was diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy--we believe it's both sensory and autonomic. (Small fiber nerves affect sensation, pressure, and temperature, and also control autonomic processes like digestion.)

Small fiber neuropathy isn't supposed to cause actual muscle weakness, but it can impair balance because of well, the numbness, and sometimes I have the sensation of weakness because of the numbness. I used to also get tingling, but it's improved that now my baseline pain is what I call "the absence of sensation."

I'm glad you found some relief with acupunture with the electro-stimulation. It sounds kind of scary, but I tried it once and it really wasn't. I didn't get relief from that specifically, but I did feel better with acupuncture. That, gentle yoga, minimizing gluten (there's some research to suggest there may be a link between gluten sensitivity and idiopathic small fiber neuropathy, but not everyone benefits), and physical therapy focused on graded motor imagery (GMI).

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Replies to "I have mostly numbness, not traditional "pain." I was diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy--we believe it's..."

Thanks for sharing your istory. You've clearly informed yourself about your condition, and clearly there is some mystery about it. As I said, I have been fortunate not to have any pain or problems regarding this condition. I started having balance problems about 2 or 3 years ago.
I had heard some positive news about acupuncture helping peripheral neuropathy, so I decided to give it a try. The acupuncturist I worked with felt e-stimulation might help. I felt the e-stimulation used on both legs, and although I felt my legs shaking it was not enough to cause any real pain. To my surprise, after the first session there was a noticeable improvement in my balance. I would estimate I went from 50% balance capability to at least 75-80%. Unfortunately, there was no improvement on subsequent visits, but also no regression. I have continued going every 2 to 3 weeks and haven't noticed any discernable change. I don't know what will happen if I stop the treatment, but so far my insurance covers me for 20 visits a year, so I keep going.