Peripheral neuropathy refers to damage to the peripheral nervous system, which carries all messages to the brain. Peripheral nerves, when damaged, cannot carry, or carry distorted messages, to the brain from the extremities.

Symptoms may include numbness, itching, burning, paralysis, not sweating normally, impaired sexual function, blood pressure fluctuation and even organ failure. Each peripheral nerve has a significant function assigned to it and the problem crops up when these nerves are damaged.

Research shows that there are more than 100 types of peripheral neuropathies. Motor nerves control the muscular actions like walking and talking. Sensory nerves help recognize a gentle touch or a cut, and autonomic nerves control involuntary actions like breathing, heart beat and food digestion. Neuropathy may affect all three classifications, but in most cases it affects only one or two. Doctors make use of terms such as predominantly motor neuropathy or predominantly sensory neuropathy to express the patient