A number of conditions, such as diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and certain infections, can resemble symptoms of neuropathy, which can lead to misdiagnoses. When a nerve root in the spinal cord is pinched, it's called radiculopathy. This affects the spinal vertebrae, tendons and intervertebral discs. Radiculopathy is often confused with Diabetic and Neuropathy Treatment in Tallevast FL because both conditions cause similar symptoms, such as pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling.
The difference between radiculopathy and neuropathy is that radiculopathy is caused by a pinched nerve in the spinal cord, while neuropathy is caused by damage to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system. Both multiple sclerosis and peripheral neuropathy can cause tingling, pain, or decreased sensation in the hands, arms, feet, or legs, but the patterns and timing are different. While restless leg syndrome and peripheral neuropathy may have some overlapping symptoms, they are different conditions that require different treatments and care. If you're not sure what causes your leg discomfort, contact your healthcare provider or a Banner Health specialist.
Getting the right help can improve your quality of life and reduce pain. Lumbar puncture to evaluate cerebrospinal fluid is important for evaluating inflammatory neuropathies, such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and Lewis-Sumner syndrome, and should include at least cell counts, glucose and proteins. Inherited forms usually affect the transthyretin protein (TTR) 3 gene, which is a thyroid transporter and causes severe progressive axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy, often associated with entrapment neuropathies, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and cataracts. In contrast, most neuropathies are chronic, meaning that symptoms develop slowly over time and last for a long time. Surgical nerve decompression may be beneficial, but entrapment neuropathies usually improve on their own, especially peroneal neuropathies.
The forms of diabetic neuropathy most likely to mimic arm entrapment neuropathy are mononeuropathy and multiple mononeuropathy. It may look like entrapment neuropathy, but symptoms and signs should be limited to certain myotomas and dermatomas. These conditions are important, as they do not respond to interventions designed to alleviate entrapment neuropathies and, if not recognized, appropriate evaluation and treatment will be delayed, and inadequate treatment may result in worse outcomes (figure). Nerve conduction studies will show prolonged distal motor latencies in nerves not associated with distal entrapment, such as the tibial and peroneal, as well as typical features of entrapment neuropathies, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy in the elbow, and peroneal neuropathy in the fibula head.
Muscle biopsy can help with both myopathic and neuropathic diseases, and is necessary to diagnose inclusion body myositis. Diabetes also predisposes to the onset of compressive mononeuropathies at entrapment sites, which must be recognized, since it affects wound healing, reduces surgical success in relieving symptoms and increases the likelihood of recurrence. In addition to a careful history and a detailed physical examination (Figures 2 and 2), several tests are available that can help differentiate upper limb entrapment neuropathies from potential mimics. The most common entrapment neuropathies of the arm include carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy in the ulnar tunnel or Guyón's canal, ulnar neuropathy after a humeral fracture (“late ulnar palsy”), the radial nerve in the spiral groove and due to humeral fractures, and the superficial radial nerve in the wrist.
Ultrasound of peripheral nerves and muscles is a developing field that can provide useful information on entrapment neuropathies, as well as inform about other possibilities. Occasionally, other peripheral nerve and muscle disorders (table 1) may look like entrapment neuropathies. It usually causes cranial neuropathies and radiculopathies, but it can also occur with multiple mononeuropathy.
