Neuropathy Clinical Trials

One Word, Several Different Diseases

Neuropathy just means nerve damage, and it says nothing about the cause. So the numb feet of diabetes, an immune attack on the nerve coating and a trapped nerve at the elbow all carry the same label. Meanwhile, they go to completely different studies. Notably, naming your cause is the single most useful thing you can do before calling anyone.

Most Cases Start at the Feet

The longest nerves reach the toes, so they fail first. That is why it usually begins as numbness or burning in both feet and creeps upwards. So doctors call the pattern stocking and glove, because the hands follow later. In fact, that shape is a clue to the cause on its own.

Diabetes Is the Commonest Cause by Far

Roughly half of people with long standing diabetes develop some nerve damage. So blood sugar control is the treatment as well as the prevention. Meanwhile, the studies open near here do not serve that group, and we would rather say so. However, our nerve pain page covers the studies aimed at the pain it causes.

Ask Whether Anyone Has Looked for a Cause

A real share of cases labelled unexplained turn out to have a treatable cause behind them. Vitamin B12, thyroid, kidney function and a full blood count are the usual first tests. So ask for those by name, because they are ordinary and your own doctor can order them. Also, alcohol and some medicines are common causes people are never asked about.

The Nerve Test Is Not as Bad as It Sounds

A nerve conduction study uses surface pads and small electrical pulses to time your nerves. So it is uncomfortable rather than painful, and it takes under an hour. Meanwhile, its numbers are what several studies gate on. Notably, the elbow study on this page has exact thresholds you can ask about.

Some Nerve Damage Is Preventable

Certain chemotherapy drugs damage nerves in a large share of people who receive them. So one study here tries to stop that happening at all, using cooling and pressure during the infusion. However, it has to start before your first dose, which is a very tight window. In fact, that timing is the whole reason to raise it early.

The Immune Kind Comes On Differently

CIDP is an immune attack on the coating around the nerves, and weakness leads rather than numbness. It builds over weeks or months, and it often affects both sides equally. So it is treatable in a way most nerve damage is not. Meanwhile, being told your case is simply diabetes when it is this is a real and costly mistake.

A Trapped Nerve Is Its Own Category

When one nerve is squeezed at one spot, that is a different problem entirely. The ulnar nerve at the elbow is the classic case, numbing the ring and little fingers. So an operation can fix it, which is not true of most nerve damage. Notably, having carpal tunnel as well rules you out of the study here.

Damage and the Pain It Causes Are Studied Apart

Some studies aim at the nerve damage itself, and others aim only at the pain. So it is worth knowing which you are being offered. Meanwhile, the three studies open near Charlotte are all aimed at the damage. Generally, the pain studies sit on a separate page and have separate rules.

Where Things Actually Stand Locally

Three studies are open around Charlotte, and they are three unrelated conditions. The Midlands has none, and that was checked town by town rather than assumed. So the nearest options for a Columbia patient sit at Union, Greenville and Charleston. However, a second study for the immune kind lists a Charlotte site that has not opened yet.

Nerve Damage Help Near You

Ask what is causing yours, because the answer decides which studies exist for you. Also, ask for the four ordinary blood tests, since some causes are treatable and get missed. Finally, if chemotherapy is coming, raise prevention before your first dose rather than after. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when something opens near you.