What causes this nerve damage?
Most commonly, it is diabetics that suffer from this type of nerve pain and it is a major complication of the disease. It is the higher than normal sugar levels that creates the damage.
However, there are many other reasons some of which are listed below (alphabetically). It is an acquired disease.
- Alcoholism
- Amyloidosis (metabolic disorder)
- Autoimmune disorders
- Bell’s Palsy
- Cancer
- Cancer treatments
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Charcot Marie-Tooth disease
- Chemotherapy Treatment (See Chemo-Induced Side effects for other side effects)) See Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
- Chronic kidney failure
- Compression neuropathy – pressure on an area
- Connective tissue disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sarcoidosis)
- Diabetes mellitus
- Foods that are toxic
- Herniated disc
- Infectious disease (e.g., Lyme disease, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, leprosy)
- Liver failure
- Many medications (such as Lyrica, Cymbalta, Duloxetine hydrochloride, Pregabalin, and more. See Neuropathy as a Side Effect)
- Radiation Treatment
- Radiculopathy
- Surgeries that damage a nerve
- Trauma
- Vitamin deficiencies (e.g., pernicious anemia, etc.)
- Zinc induced copper deficiency (denture adhesive creams)
Sadly, this misfiring of the nerves can get so bad that people are unable to walk or pick things up. It can even get to the point where they would rather have a limb amputated then continue with this nerve pain.