It's 3 a.m. and your feet are burning again.
You've been told to live with it.
Burning that wakes you up. Toes that feel wrapped in cotton. Losing your balance in the dark. If you've been handed a prescription and told this is permanent, there is more to understand about what's happening in your nerves, and there may be more options than you've heard about.
Which of these do you notice?
Check any that apply. This isn't a diagnosis. It's a way to put words to what you've been living with.
0 checked
Call to ask about an evaluation
Educational only. A self-check can't diagnose neuropathy or rule it out.
Why the usual answer can fall short
Most neuropathy care starts, reasonably, with the pain. Medications like gabapentin, pregabalin and duloxetine work on how pain signals are sent and felt. For many people that helps.
What those medications aren't designed to do is change the condition of the nerve itself, or the blood supply and metabolic environment it depends on. That's why the burning can ease while the numbness stays, balance doesn't return, and doses creep upward over the years.
A different starting question
Instead of starting with "how do we dull the pain," the program at Carolina TotalCare starts with "why are these nerves struggling?"
The answer is different for every patient. Blood sugar, circulation, chemotherapy, nutrient deficiency, autoimmune activity and spinal compression can all damage peripheral nerves, and often more than one is involved. Treatment is built around what the evaluation finds.
Where to start
Read in order if you can. Each page answers the question the one before it raises.
- Understanding neuropathyWhat's happening in your nerves and why it starts in the feet
- Symptoms and stagesRecognizing where you are, and why timing matters
- Why medication disappointsThe difference between managing pain and supporting nerves
- Our programThe evaluation, the treatment, and who it may not help
- Patient storiesWhat patients here have described in their own words
Your doctors
Dr. Deanna K. Rose, DC
Brought the neuropathy program to Concord
Extensive neuropathy training through the American College of Physical Medicine. Currently writing a book on neuropathy.
Dr. Geoffrey A. Rose, DC
Co-founder, treating neuropathy patients
Post-doctoral study in neurology, pain management and nutrition. Nationally board certified.
In our patients' words
"After 3–4 years of numbness, I can finally feel my feet in just 4 months."
"I can now feel the shower water on my feet, and I haven't felt that in years."
"I'm back to dancing on Thursday evenings with my husband and volunteering at church again."
Individual experiences. Results vary from person to person. Read more patient stories
Start with an evaluation
Before anyone recommends treatment, the evaluation works out four things: what is driving the nerve damage, how severe it is, which nerve fibers are affected, and how much treatment those nerves are likely to need. If this program isn't a fit for you, you'll be told.