HEALTH

One in ten over-55s suffers from debilitating numbness, pins and needles and pain in their hands and feet, known as peripheral neuropathy. But new treatments are now available – and some, quite literally, are electric…

by PATSY WESTCOTT

illustration STEFANIA INFANTE

Can you imagine going through life feeling as if you’re walking on polystyrene, cobblestones or glass, or having such sensitive hands that you can’t touch anything in the fridge without getting painful electric shock sensations?

These are some of the symptoms suffered by those with peripheral neuropathy, or PN. It’s thought one in ten people aged 55-plus has the condition to some degree – yet despite being so common, it’s underdiagnosed, under researched, and there are few effective drugs.

However, scientists behind a new study on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are aiming to change that. Half of all diabetics suffer from neuropathy, usually in the feet. Professor Alun Davies and Dr Sasha Smith at Imperial College London are currently testing a treatment known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), delivered by a machine already available online or on the high street.

So how does it work? People with PN have damage to the peripheral nerves that carry messages to the brain from the rest of the body. ‘The device sends small electrical impulses up the legs which cause muscle contractions,’ says Dr Smith, clinical trial manager of the pilot study at Charing Cross Hospital and Basildon Hospital. A previous small study showed that NMES improved the ability of nerves to send and receive messages in people with DPN.