Watch Out: How Can You Tell If Your Nerves Are Damaged?

Ever wonder what controls your breath, your movements, your digestion — even your pain? It’s all thanks to one incredible system: your nerves. Found all over the body, these fiber-like systems serve as bridges between the body’s peripheral and central nervous systems. The nerves help ensure signals are sent and received smoothly between them so your body can respond appropriately to internal and external changes.¹

The sad reality is, some people take nerve health for granted to the point that they sometimes overlook early warning signs of peripheral or central nerve damage.

When these nerves become severely damaged, it may not just trigger pain but potentially affect daily function too. Before it’s too late, learn how to spot signs of peripheral and central nerve injuries to address them right away and reduce the risk of extensive nerve pain.
 

How Can You Tell if Your Nerves Are Damaged?

Sometimes the body sends signals that something’s off — like pain or weakness (ngalay), numbness (manhid), or even tingling (tusok-tusok) in the hands and/or feet.² These can be early signs of nerve trouble.

Apart from these three main peripheral nerve injury signs and symptoms, there are other indicators of nerve damage or injury that you can feel in various body parts, depending on the type of neuropathy affecting you:³

• Motor or peripheral neuropathy:⁴ This can affect nerves in the hands or feet responsible for functions like walking, talking, sitting, grasping things, or controlling muscles.⁵ Signs of this type of neuropathy include:
  • Muscle weakness and/or paralysis⁶
  • Muscle atrophy or thinning of muscle mass⁷
  • Muscle twitching and cramps⁸
  • Lack of coordination
  • Tendency to fall
  • Extreme sensitivity to touch⁴
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome⁹
  • Myofascial pain syndrome¹⁰
• Sensory neuropathy: This can target nerves in the hands or feet responsible for sending signals for touch, temperature, and pain. Known warning signs include:
  • Sensitivity
  • Burning or sharp pain
  • Lack of spatial awareness⁵ that may lead to loss of balance or coordination
  • Pins and needles
  • Numbness
  • Reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes
  • Tendency to experience pain due to something that should not trigger discomfort⁸
• Autonomic neuropathy: This is linked to damage to the autonomic nerves that are critical in functions like digestion, vision, urination, heart rate, and blood pressure. It can lead to symptoms like:⁴
  • Feeling sick, and cases of bloating or belching
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety
  • Heat intolerance
  • Diarrhea or constipation at night
  • Tachycardia or rapid heartbeat
  • Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating
  • Failure to sweat properly
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control
  • Dysphagia or difficulty swallowing
  • Low blood pressure levels that cause lightheadedness or dizziness upon standing up8
  • Night blindness and/or difficulty focusing with the eyes
  • Sexual problems like erectile dysfunction
  • Abnormally fast, slow, or irregular heart rate
     

What Should You Do Next After Spotting These Symptoms?

For starters, you can consult a doctor who can help you understand why you are dealing with such symptoms and possibly diagnose conditions that are responsible for them. Some methods that may help determine the presence and extent of nerve injuries include electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound.¹¹

Aside from these tests, doctors can also suggest lifestyle changes that can be implemented to help maintain ideal nerve health and prevent further injuries. Examples include:¹¹

• Exercising: Adding physical rehabilitation exercises into daily routines can help tone weak muscles.¹² More importantly, such exercises also assist in relaxing muscles that impact or trap the nerves and trigger pain and/or tingling sensations.¹³

  A 2022 study also revealed that physical exercise-based rehabilitation helped with nerve regeneration, pain relief, and inflammation reduction in injured nerves.¹¹

• Avoiding or quitting smoking: Sadly, smoking is a known risk factor for various types of neuropathy.¹⁴ When someone smokes, their blood vessels narrow to the point that oxygenated blood cannot pass. This greatly affects blood circulation and greatly increases the risk of nerve numbness and pain.¹⁵

• Controlling blood sugar levels: Findings showed that high blood sugar levels can lead to inflammation in the body. In turn, this may set the stage for insulin resistance, a known risk factor for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.¹⁶

  People with diabetes are prone to a condition called diabetic neuropathy which is typically felt in their legs, hands, and feet. This type of nerve pain can happen due to high blood sugar levels, especially those that are unmonitored. Because of this, many medical professionals recommend that diabetics frequently monitor their blood sugar levels.¹⁷
   

Don’t Forget Supplements That Are Good for Nerve Health

Awareness of early warning signs like ngalay, manhid, tusok-tusok, and many others can make a big difference. The sooner nerve issues are detected, the better your chances of managing them effectively and avoiding long-term complications.

Ask your doctor today about a supplement like Vitamin B1+B6+B12 (Pharex® B-Complex) that has 100 mg of vitamin B1 as Thiamine HCl, 5 mg of vitamin B6 as Pyridoxine, and 50 mcg of vitamin B12 as cyanocobalamin.

Together with proper diet and exercise, this supplement helps ensure that you get optimal amounts of B vitamins for daily nerve health and nutrition, and assists in preventing and addressing deficiencies of these all-important nutrients.¹⁸

Suggested use of Vitamin B1+B6+B12 (Pharex® B-Complex) is one (1) to two (2) tablets daily, or as recommended by your doctor. This supplement is available in drugstores nationwide and online via Lazada and Shopee at a suggested retail price (SRP) of Php5.45 per tablet.

If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.