Get relief from peripheral neuropathy without drugs

Nerve damage caused by peripheral neuropathy can make it harder to perform your daily activities. It can get in the way of your social life. And it can cause safety concerns.

But you're not alone. Up to 10% of the world's population has peripheral neuropathy, which causes symptoms like muscle weakness, sensitivity to touch, burning pain, and tingling or numbness in the feet or hands.

You may feel frustrated or defeated because peripheral neuropathy has no cure. But science shows that different types of therapies can reduce nerve pain. Here's what Mayo Clinic experts want you to know about therapies to treat peripheral neuropathy.

Physical or occupational therapies

Physical and occupational therapy can boost your confidence and help prevent falls and accidents.

• Physical therapy. Exercise can improve strength and balance. And it also may help reduce nerve pain. Your physical therapist may show you strength training, stretching, balance exercises, and exercises with weights or resistance bands.
• Occupational therapy. Exercises can help you regain function in your hands so that you can do your daily activities. Your occupational therapist may teach you self-care and safety tips, and show you how to use adaptive equipment.

Alternative therapies

Alternative, or complementary, therapies can be used with other treatments like medicines.

• Acupuncture. Studies show that acupuncture reduces nerve pain caused by diabetes and chemotherapy.
• Acupressure or reflexology. Several studies suggest that acupressure, applying pressure to specific areas of the body, may reduce cancer nerve pain. Reflexology, which targets pressure points in the feet or hands, may offer similar benefits.
• Alpha-lipoic acids. Some evidence shows that alpha-lipoic acids can reduce nerve pain caused by diabetes. In a study, people who took 600 milligrams a day for 40 days reported a better quality of life.
• Amino acids. There's evidence that amino acids, like acetyl-L-carnitine, may help reduce nerve pain caused by diabetes or chemotherapy.
• Massage therapy. Limited research suggests that massage therapy may help with nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. Some studies show that massage may help reduce muscle spasms, nerve pain and anxiety. Ask your healthcare team which type of massage is safest for you.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (talk therapy). A mental health counselor helps you identify negative thinking so you can cope in a more positive way. The counselor can teach you ways to relax and manage stress.
• Mind-body therapies that may help reduce peripheral nerve pain include hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation, aromatherapy, music therapy and relaxation techniques.

Other therapies and procedures

Together, you and your healthcare team will choose the therapy that's best for you. Options may include:

• Scrambler therapy. Electrical impulses send nonpain messages to the brain. These messages replace, or "scramble," the pain messages sent by the nerves. Studies show that this therapy helps with pain caused by chronic neuropathy or cancer.
• Spinal cord stimulation. Devices put into the body send low-level electrical impulses that can block pain signals from reaching the brain. In 2 studies, about half of the people reported reduced leg and foot pain from diabetes 5 years after they started therapy.
• Peripheral nerve stimulation. A small lead wire, as thick as a human hair, is guided to a peripheral nerve using ultrasound. The other end is connected to a small device that can be adjusted to deliver the stimulation. This therapy is proven to help reduce peripheral neuropathy.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). A gentle electrical current flows through electrodes attached to the skin at the site of the pain or near the nerve. It may help severe forms of nerve pain.
• Plasma exchange or intravenous immunoglobulin. These therapies reduce inflammation to help treat neuropathy with weakness, numbness or imbalance in conditions like Guillain-Barre syndrome. Both therapies are delivered through an intravenous (IV) line in your arm.
• Surgery. Surgery may be an option if a tumor is pressing on a nerve.