Neuropathy affects about 8 percent of people over age 55. Your nervous system consists of two parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The nerves of your peripheral nervous system transmit messages between your central nervous system, your brain, spinal cord and the rest of your body.
These nerves regulate a large range of functions throughout the body, including voluntary muscle movement (motor nerves), involuntary organ activity (autonomic nerves), and the perception of stimuli (sensory nerves).
Peripheral neuropathy, which is often simply referred to as “neuropathy,” is a condition that occurs when your peripheral nerves become damaged or disrupted. It is estimated that neuropathy affects about 2.4 percent of the general population, and about 8 percent of people older than age 55.
However, this estimate doesn’t include people affected by a neuropathy resulting from physical trauma to the nerves.
When an individual experiences damage or injury to their peripheral nerves, the essential communications between the central nervous system, the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body can be interrupted, leading to complications such as neuropathy. There are several types of neuropathy and numerous possible causes for the condition, however, most share similar symptoms like pain and discomfort. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.