Health Encyclopedia

Sensorimotor polyneuropathy

Definition

Sensorimotor polyneuropathy is a decrease in movement or ability to feel (sensation).

Alternative Names

Polyneuropathy - sensorimotor

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Polyneuropathy means disease of nerves. Sensorimotor polyneuropathy is damage to nerves other than the brain or spinal cord. Such nerve damage is called peripheral neuropathy.

Sensorimotor polyneuropathy is a body-wide (systemic) process that damages nerve cells, nerve fibers (axons), and nerve coverings (myelin sheath). Damage to the covering of the nerve cell causes nerve signals to slow down. Damage to the nerve fiber or entire nerve cell can make the nerve stop working.

Nerve damage can be caused by:

Conditions that put pressure on nerves
Decreased blood flow
Diseases that destroy the glue (connective tissue) that holds cells and tissues together
Swelling (inflammation)

Possible causes of sensorimotor polyneuropathy include:

Alcoholic neuropathy
Chronic inflammatory neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy
Drug-related neuropathy
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Vitamin deficiency (vitamin B12 and others)

Symptoms

Decreased feeling in any area of the body
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty using the arms or hands
Difficulty using the legs or feet
Difficulty walking
Numbness, loss of feeling in the arms or legs
Pain, burning, tingling, or abnormal feeling in any area of the body
Weakness of the face, arms, or legs, or any area of the body

Symptoms may develop slowly over weeks to years and usually occur on both sides of the body.

Signs and tests

An exam may show:

Little or no reflexes
Muscle atrophy
Muscle twitch (fasciculations)
Muscle weakness
Paralysis
Problems with movement and feeling (sensation)

Tests may include:

A test of electrical activity in muscles (EMG)
Blood tests
Nerve conduction tests
X-rays

Treatment

The goals of treatment include:

Finding the cause
Controlling the symptoms
Promoting a patient's self-care and independence

Treatment may include:

Changing medications (such as some treatments for HIV) if they are causing the problem
Controlling blood sugar levels
Not drinking alcohol
Taking daily nutritional supplements

PROMOTING SELF-CARE AND INDEPENDENCE

Exercises and retraining
Job (vocational) therapy
Occupational therapy
Orthopedic treatments
Physical therapy
Wheelchairs, braces, or splints

CONTROL OF SYMPTOMS

Safety is an important consideration for people with neuropathy. Lack of muscle control and decreased sensation may increase the risk of falls or other injuries.

If you have movement difficulties, consider the following safety measures:

Leave lights on.
Remove obstacles (such as loose rugs that may slip on the floor).
Test water temperature before bathing.
Use railings.
Wear protective shoes (such as those with closed toes and low heels).

Other tips include:

Check your feet (or other affected area) often for bruises, open skin areas, or other injuries, which you may not notice and can become infected.
Check the inside of shoes often for grit or rough spots that may injure your feet.
Visit a foot doctor (podiatrist) to reduce the risk of injury to your feet.
Avoid leaning on your elbows, crossing your knees, or being in other positions that put prolonged pressure on certain body areas.

Medications used to treat this condition:

Over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers to control pain (neuralgia)
Anticonvulsants (phenytoin, carbamazepine, neurontin) or tricyclic antidepressants to reduce stabbing pain

Avoid pain medication whenever possible, or use it only when necessary. Keeping your body in the proper position or keeping bed linens off a tender body part may help control pain.

Expectations (prognosis)

You can fully recover from peripheral neuropathy if your health care provider can find the cause and successfully treat it, and if the damage does not affect the entire nerve cell.

The amount of disability varies. Some people have no disability, while others have a partial or complete loss of movement, function, or feeling. Nerve pain may be uncomfortable and may last for a long time.

Occasionally sensorimotor polyneuropathy causes severe, life-threatening symptoms.

Complications

Deformity
Difficulty swallowing
Partial or total loss of movement or control over movement
Partial or total loss of feeling
Recurrent or unnoticed injury to any part of the body

Calling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if you have loss of movement or feeling in a part of your body. Early diagnosis and treatment increase the chance of controlling the symptoms.

Review Date:2/13/2008
Reviewed By:Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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