Osteopathy & Massage at Remedy Health
What is Neuropathy and What Can You Do About It?
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What is it?
Neuropathy is a common but often misunderstood condition.
Neuropathy, or more specifically, peripheral neuropathy, is a term used to describe damage to the peripheral nerves. These nerves are part of a vast communication network that sends information between your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) and the rest of your body. Think of them as the electrical cables that run from a central power station to every light bulb, appliance, and device in a house. When these “cables” are damaged, the communication breaks down, leading to a variety of symptoms, most commonly in the hands and feet.
What causes it?
Neuropathy isn’t a single disease; it’s a condition with many potential causes. The most common cause in the United States is diabetes. Other causes include infections, injuries, exposure to toxins, autoimmune disorders, and inherited conditions.
Aging can naturally lead to changes in the nervous system, including a slower nerve conduction and a decline in nerve regeneration. This means that peripheral neuropathy, a condition caused by damaged nerves, is more common in older people.
The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy increases with age, with some estimates suggesting it affects as many as 8,000 out of 100,000 people over the age of 60, compared to 3,000 per 100,000 in the general adult population. In the UK, it is estimated that almost 1 in 10 people aged 55 or over are affected.
What does it feel like?
For many people, it feels like a constant battle with burning, tingling, or sharp shooting pains—especially in the hands and feet. Others describe it as numbness, pins and needles, or a feeling like walking on pebbles. These sensations can make daily life challenging: walking, sleeping, and even enjoying time with family can be disrupted. The symptoms depend on which nerves are affected.
Traditionally, treatment has been medication, which can sometimes help but often brings side effects or provides only partial relief. Depending on the cause of your neuropathy, there are some things that may help you.
MLS Laser Therapy
MLS stands for Multiwave Locked System, a form of advanced medical laser technology. Unlike older types of laser treatment, MLS uses two synchronised wavelengths of light at the same time.
One wavelength reduces inflammation and swelling.
The other wavelength stimulates cell repair and circulation.
Working together, they encourage the body’s natural healing response while reducing pain signals in the nerves.
In simple terms: MLS laser therapy helps calm irritated nerves, improves blood flow, and supports tissue repair—all without surgery, injections, or medication.
Why It Helps in Neuropathy
Neuropathy often occurs when nerves are damaged by conditions such as diabetes, chemotherapy, injury, or circulatory problems. Damaged nerves send faulty signals to the brain, creating sensations of pain, tingling, or numbness.
MLS laser therapy targets these damaged nerves in two key ways:
Reducing nerve inflammation – calming irritation that worsens pain.
Improving blood supply and oxygen delivery – helping nerves repair themselves.
Over a series of treatments, patients frequently report a reduction in pain and a return of sensation, which can help improve balance, walking, and overall quality of life.
We have had our own experiences at Remedy Health Clinic with patients experiencing improvements in their symptoms of peripheral neuropathy using MLS laser therapy. Some of them had been suffering for some time.
Nerve stretches
Nerve stretches, often called nerve gliding or nerve flossing, can help relieve nerve pain by promoting movement and reducing tension. The primary goal is to help the nerves glide smoothly through their pathways in the body.
How It Works
Releasing Tension: Nerves can get “stuck” or compressed by surrounding muscles and tissues. Nerve flossing involves gentle, specific movements that help release this tension and allow the nerve to move more freely. Think of it like a garden hose with a kink—the exercises help straighten out the hose, allowing for better flow.
Improving Circulation: The gliding movements may increase blood flow and circulation around the nerves. This can help reduce inflammation and provide nutrients to the nerve, which can aid in recovery.
Pain Relief: By reducing compression and promoting better nerve function, these exercises can help alleviate pain, tingling, and numbness. You may even experience some immediate relief after a single session, although consistent practice over several weeks is recommended for lasting benefits.
An example of a sciatic nerve glide is shown below, but there is a note of caution here, you should only do these nerve stretches, glides or flosses if you’ve been advised to by a qualified healthcare professional. If you don’t have a diagnosis or reason for your pain, you should not just start these stretches, as they may make your symptoms worse.
Get advice
As mentioned above, there are a whole host of reasons why you might be suffering from neuropathy; you should always seek medical advice for new and sudden changes in symptoms. We will happily assess you in clinic and give you our diagnosis. Still, we may need to refer you to your GP or arrange tests, scans, and second opinions if we aren’t confident in our diagnosis or believe the cause may be something that we can’t or shouldn’t treat in the clinic.
Osteopaths are trained in their four-year degree courses to screen people for anything they might suspect has a non-musculoskeletal cause. We are always on the lookout for ‘red flags’ when we’re asking questions about your symptoms. These are symptoms that lead us to believe that what you’re presenting with in the clinic may not be caused by a regular issue, such as a joint strain, inflammation, or injury, for example.
We all know that left shoulder, arm and jaw pain can be caused by a heart attack, but could also be caused by an arm, shoulder, jaw or neck problem, and this is what we’re trained to work out. But if we send you off for more tests, this doesn’t mean that there IS something serious going on, just that we want to be on the safe side and make sure that you’re getting the proper treatment and advice; that is what we’re trained to do.
If you have or think you have neuropathy, please book an appointment and let us help you recover.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELIZABETH DUFFIN (B.Ost, Bsc hons, msc )
Elizabeth graduated from the British School of Osteopathy (now the University College of Osteopathy) in 2005 and has over 19 years of experience practising in Sussex and Surrey. She treats patients of all ages and uses a hands-on, individualised approach combining manual treatment, movement testing and exercise prescription to support recovery and long-term wellbeing.
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