Peripheral neuropathy is an excruciating condition that affects numerous people every year in the USA. It occurs when damage or disease has occurred in the nerves that carry messages from the brain and spinal cord to the whole body.
Peripheral nerves come from the spinal cord and flow out along lines in the body referred to as dermatomes. When one of these nerves becomes injured, it can affect one or more dermatomes, causing pain to then propagate out to specific areas of the body.
This style of nerve damage can interrupt communication between the brain and other portion of the body. It also can impair muscle movement, suppress normal feeling in the arms and legs, and cause pain which can sometimes be severe.