PN treatment without drugs
By Patricia Delzell, M.D., Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants, Inc.
Twenty million Americans are estimated to have peripheral neuropathy (PN), which occurs in one-third to one-half of people with diabetes. Potential symptoms of PN include:
• Persistent burning pain in the feet (especially at night)
• Feeling like you are “walking on hot coals”
• Losing your sense of balance
• Persistent numbness in a “stocking or glove” distribution.
Many patients who come to my office with these complaints and a diagnosis of PN have been told there is nothing that can be done. The only options are drugs—opiates and steroids.
However, for the past 18 months, Advanced MMC, has been using light therapy in the form of a Class IV infrared (IR) laser to treat the symptoms of PN. This therapy has been used around the country for more than 15 years with a high level of success for long-lasting treatment of not only the pain, but lost sensations and lost sense of balance.
These light treatments are effective because they work on the cellular level to awaken latent nerves and reset the electrical function of the nerve by repairing the sodium potassium pump. After IR laser therapy, one patient said, “I felt like my feet were waking up.” Another remarked, “I feel safer driving my car now because I can feel the pedals under my feet.” And a third, “My feet feel warm for the first time in over 10 years, and I feel stable on my feet.”
If you’ve been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and want to find out if you are a candidate for IR laser therapy, please give our office a call. We will perform a thorough assessment to make sure you have the nutritional and vitamin support to keep your nerves healthy, as well as to ensure your symptoms are indeed from PN prior to starting therapy, giving you the best outcome possible.
Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants’ new offices are at 8401 Chagrin Rd., Suite 20A, in Chagrin Falls. To learn whether you are a candidate for IR laser therapy, call 440-557-5011 to schedule an evaluation. Visit AdvancedMMC.com for more information, including blogs and videos.