It can provide the support needed to stop drinking and ensure a successful recovery. When you visit a healthcare professional for a potential diagnosis of alcoholic neuropathy, they will conduct a thorough neurological examination. This might involve evaluating your reflexes, muscle strength, balance, and overall coordination, as part of the physical exam. They may also inquire about your alcohol consumption and medical history to gather more information about the nature of your symptoms.
What physical characteristics distinguish alcoholic neuropathy?
Suppose it goes untreated and continues to progress because of ongoing alcohol abuse. If you Halfway house have peripheral neuropathy, it indicates a problem with the peripheral nervous system. Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about symptoms.
Physical Therapy
- Long-term heavy alcohol use can result in a disorder called alcohol-related neuropathy.
- Outside of her professional endeavors, Megan finds joy in the company of her partner and pets.
- If they stop drinking and get the right help right once, those with moderate neuropathic symptoms and a shorter history of alcohol misuse may recover more quickly and significantly.
- Alcoholic neuropathy can result in hypersensitivity to touch and even resting pain.
People who struggle with alcoholism should try to eat a healthy and balanced diet, even if they don’t feel hungry. To find another treatment program, browse the top-rated addiction treatment facilities in each state by visiting our homepage, or by viewing the SAMHSA Treatment Services Locator. AddictionResource.net, and its parent company Recovery Guide LLC, is not a provider of substance use disorder treatment services and receives compensation from Treatment X LLC in the form of paid advertising. The helpline at AddictionResource.net is available 24/7 to discuss the treatment needs of yourself or a loved one. This helpline is answered by Treatment X LLC, an addiction treatment provider with treatment facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.
- Some common deficiencies to watch out for include vitamin B1, B6, and B12.
- This could lead to disability, chronic pain, and damage to your arms and legs.
- Ataxia is caused by alcohol-induced damage to a large volume of brain cells.
- She enjoys singing and dancing in kirtan and reading ancient Vedic literature like the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam.
- Muscle weakness and cramping, male erection dysfunction, urination dysfunction, constipation, and diarrhea are examples of motor symptoms.
What You Can Do If You’re Affected By Alcoholic Neuropathy
She enjoys singing and dancing in kirtan and reading ancient Vedic literature like the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. If she weren’t so damn good at her job, she says she would probably be an electrical engineer. Justin was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he began his clinical education at Colorado State University. He received his bachelor’s in health and exercise science with a concentration in sports medicine and eventually earned a master’s of psychology in addiction counseling. During his time as a therapist, Justin has worked in a residential addiction treatment facility, private practice, and outpatient settings.
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Reducing alcohol intake as soon as possible is the most crucial way to stop the symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy from getting worse. Severe alcoholic neuropathy can induce motor weakness because it destroys nerves. For our muscles to work, they must receive a signal from neighboring neurons.
Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCV) will then be necessary to assess, not the cause of the prospective neuropathy, but the severity of the alcohol neuropathy nerve damage. Another theory is that oxidative stress and increased free radical activity is the primary contributing factor when it comes to alcoholic neuropathy. Free radicals are unstable molecules with versatile structures, allowing them to initiate long-chain chemical reactions with a plethora of other molecules, causing cellular damage in the process. Deficiencies in these nutrients can harm overall health and prevent nerves from functioning correctly. Especially if you have been drinking heavily for many years, coping with alcohol use disorder is not easy.
