RELIEF With

Neuropathy Treatment Therapy

Just like other types of doctors, we were taught at chiropractic school that not much can be done for peripheral neuropathy. We learned that the nerve damage in your hands and feet due to things like diabetes, chemotherapy, or alcoholism were permanent and progressive. However, in recent years doctors started to notice something interesting when they were using class 4 laser therapy to treat other conditions. If they were treating someone for plantar fasciitis, for example, they found that in many cases the patient’s neuropathy symptoms would also improve! This lead to several studies focusing on the use of laser therapy (aka photobiomodulation) to treat neuropathy, with very promising results. 

At King Chiropractic & Laser, we had already been using class 4 laser therapy since 2015 to treat all kinds of musculoskeletal conditions. In 2022, we decided to upgrade to a higher-powered laser. When the rep from Summus Medical Laser started telling us about using the laser to treat neuropathy, we were understandably skeptical at first. However, after reading the research and talking to other doctors around the country who had been using Summus’s neuropathy protocol with great success, we decided to take the leap!

Over the past few years we have treated hundreds of people with peripheral neuropathy and it has become one of the most rewarding parts of our practice. Seeing people actually reverse their neuropathy and be able to sleep better, walk better, and enjoy life again has been amazing!

Currently, King Chiropractic & Laser is one of only a handful of offices in New England that have been trained through Summus Medical Laser to provide this unique treatment for peripheral neuropathy. We often have patients drive from other states to receive laser therapy.

If you have any more questions, please book a free phone consultation with Dr.King by calling 978- 710-5163 or using our online booking.

Peripheral neuropathy presents a little differently in every patient, so not everyone is going to have all of these symptoms, but if you have a few of these symptoms, you most likely have some form of peripheral neuropathy:

• Numbness or tingling in both feet (or hands)
• Cold hands or feet
• Stinging or zapping pains in the feet (or hands)
• Burning sensation or hypersensitivity- some people say even the bedsheets touching their feet is painful
• Stiffness in the feet or toes
• Discoloration of the skin- sometimes a purplish tinge in the toes, sometimes a brownish discoloration in the legs and feet (poor circulation)
• Dry, flaky skin and yellowed nails (also poor circulation)
• Poor balance
• Symptoms are usually pretty symmetrical between the left and right sides
• Symptoms typically start furthest from the center of the body and work inward (for example, you might start to notice numbness in the toes that gradually spreads up the feet into the legs)

Over 20 million people suffer from peripheral neuropathy in the U.S. alone. If left untreated, neuropathy can become very debilitating and can lead to:

• Inability to walk
• Inability to drive
• Increased risk of falling and fractures
• Infections and deformities of feet
• Amputations
• Difficulty using hands to write, do buttons, tie shoes, etc.

Traditional medical treatments for neuropathy focus on managing the symptoms by using medications. These medications do not fix the underlying cause of the neuropathy, and they can also cause annoying side effects and risk of dependency.

At King Chiropractic & Laser we prefer to go right to the root of the problem- loss of circulation to the tiny nerves in the hands/feet causing them to become damaged and stop functioning. With our powerful Summus Horizon Class 4 laser, we are able to increase the blood and oxygen going to the nerves. Over time, the nerves actually heal and start functioning normally again.

There are many causes of neuropathy so it is important to consult with an expert first before deciding if this treatment is right for you. Call our office at 978-710-5163 today to set up a Free Phone Consultation with Dr. King, who has had extra training specifically in treating peripheral neuropathy. You can also schedule a Free Phone Consultation online.

How Does Diabetes Cause Neuropathy?

Diabetes is by far the most common cause of neuropathy. More than half of diabetics will eventually experience some degree of neuropathy. Even people with “pre-diabetes” can start to develop neuropathy. But how does high blood sugar damage the nerves?

Having high blood sugar damages your blood vessels in a few different ways. The excess sugar itself is very inflammatory. It is like having little shards of glass floating around in the blood vessels, damaging the inner lining. Most people with diabetes also have high cholesterol and triglycerides. Inflamed blood vessels tend to trap cholesterol and form plaques, or “atherosclerosis”. This makes the blood vessels harder and narrower. When the arteries are affected, this can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. When the tiny capillaries are affected, it can lead to nerve damage and blindness.

The tiny nerves at the ends of the hands and feet tend to be affected first with diabetic neuropathy. When capillaries that feed nerves are damaged, the nerves no longer get the nutrients and oxygen that they need. Essentially, they are starved. Over time, they stop functioning normally and you begin to feel numbness, tingling, and pain. This is a progressive problem and will get worse over time if left untreated.

Most of the time, the tiny nerves are just damaged and can be revived if proper circulation is restored. That is why it is so important to identify neuropathy as soon as possible and to treat the root cause of the problem- poor circulation. Medications may ease the symptoms of neuropathy, but to truly fix the problem and prevent life-long damage you need to ensure proper blood flow. Laser therapy is the best way to accomplish this.