Living with peripheral neuropathy means protecting feet that cannot reliably feel injury, managing balance in the dark, treating nerve pain that keeps you awake, and addressing whatever is driving it so it progresses more slowly. Slowing progression by treating whatever is driving it remains the most valuable long-term intervention available.
Living with peripheral neuropathy means protecting feet that cannot reliably feel injury, managing balance in the dark, treating nerve pain that keeps you awake, and addressing whatever is driving it so it progresses more slowly. Slowing progression by treating whatever is driving it remains the most valuable long-term intervention available.
Where sensation is reduced, the usual feedback that prevents injury is gone. Inspect both feet daily including between the toes and the soles, using a mirror or asking someone if that is difficult. Check inside shoes before putting them on. Test bath water with an elbow rather than a foot. Never walk barefoot outdoors. Well-fitted footwear with a roomy toe box serves both protection and stability. Report new redness, warmth or skin breakdown promptly rather than watching it.
Reduced position sense from the feet means vision has been quietly compensating, so balance deteriorates markedly when visual input is removed. Night lighting on the route to the bathroom prevents a disproportionate number of falls. Clear trip hazards, secure rugs, add grab rails where useful. Physical therapy for balance is genuinely effective here rather than a formality, and a walking aid used deliberately is better than a fall, even if it feels like a concession.
Nerve pain frequently worsens at night and can be genuinely sleep-destroying, which then amplifies everything else. Medications used specifically for nerve pain help substantially for many people; ordinary painkillers generally do not. Loose bedding, a bed cradle to keep sheets off the feet, and cool room temperature all help some people. Keep working on whatever is driving the neuropathy, since slowing progression is the most valuable long-term intervention available.
Clinical Neurology Specialists has been physician-owned since 1998, when Leo Germin, M.D., FAANEM founded it. Five board-certified neurologists and four advanced practice providers see patients at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices, each with its own AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory.
Clinical Neurology Specialists is an adult outpatient neurology practice for patients 18 and older. The practice performs no surgery and operates no imaging suite, infusion suite or interventional pain programme, and provides no emergency or inpatient care.
Physician-reviewed. Reviewed by the physicians of Clinical Neurology Specialists — board-certified neurologists, AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratories, physician-owned since 1998. Reviewed 1 August 2026. This article is general education for adults 18 and older and is not a substitute for a consultation.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.