Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, most often affecting the feet and hands. It causes numbness, burning, tingling and weakness, and diabetes is the leading cause in the United States. Physical therapy can improve balance, strength and safe walking. SportsMed Physical Therapy treats neuropathy at New Jersey and Connecticut locations.
What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the peripheral nerves, the network carrying signals between the spinal cord and the rest of the body. Sensory fibers report touch, temperature and joint position, motor fibers drive muscles, and autonomic fibers regulate sweating, digestion and blood pressure. The most common pattern is length-dependent, meaning the longest nerves fail first, so symptoms start in the toes and creep upward over months or years. An estimated 20 million people in the United States have peripheral neuropathy, and prevalence rises sharply after age 65. Because the feet supply much of the position sense used for balance, neuropathy raises fall risk.
What Causes Peripheral Neuropathy?
Diabetes is by far the most common cause, accounting for roughly half of cases, and nerve damage can begin during prediabetes. Identifying the driver matters because some causes are reversible, so a physician usually orders blood work to check glucose, B12, thyroid and kidney function.
Common causes and risk factors include:
- Diabetes and prediabetes, especially with long duration or poor control
- Chemotherapy and certain other medications
- Vitamin B12 deficiency or heavy long-term alcohol use
- Autoimmune conditions such as Guillain-Barre syndrome or lupus
- Inherited neuropathies such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
What Are the Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy?
Symptoms appear in a symmetrical stocking-and-glove pattern and are often worse at night. Some people describe numbness, others pain, many both.
Typical symptoms include:
- Burning, tingling or pins-and-needles in the toes and feet
- Numbness or a sense of walking on cotton or gravel
- Sharp, stabbing or electric pain, often worse in the evening
- Unsteadiness, especially in the dark or on uneven ground
- Weak toe push-off, foot slap or tripping over small obstacles
- Cuts, blisters or sores on the feet that go unnoticed
Seek prompt medical attention if you develop rapidly progressive weakness, symptoms climbing from the feet to the legs over days, loss of bladder or bowel control, or a foot wound that is red, draining or not healing.
How Is Peripheral Neuropathy Diagnosed?
Diagnosis combines your medical history, blood work to look for treatable causes, and a neurological exam checking reflexes, strength, vibration sense with a tuning fork, and protective sensation with a monofilament. Nerve conduction studies and electromyography confirm the pattern and severity when the picture is unclear. Physical therapists add functional testing: balance, walking speed, timed sit-to-stand, ankle strength and footwear inspection. These results identify who is at high risk of falling.
How Physical Therapy Treats Peripheral Neuropathy
Physical therapy does not repair damaged nerves, but it targets the consequences that limit daily life: poor balance, weak ankles, altered walking, deconditioning and pain sensitivity. Because the feet send less reliable information to the brain, therapy trains the body to rely more on vision and the inner ear, and builds the reaction speed to recover from a stumble.
Care at SportsMed centers on gait and balance training, often combined with vestibular and neurological rehabilitation when dizziness is present. Programs include standing balance work, step and reach training, ankle and hip strengthening, stair and curb practice, and footwear guidance. For patients who cannot travel easily, in-home physical therapy delivers the same program at home. HomeCare is delivered from our Brick, Englewood, Franklin Lakes and Jersey City McGinley Square clinics.
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Related conditions we treat include diabetic neuropathy, lumbar radiculopathy and vestibular disorders.
How Long Does Recovery Take?
Most people complete a supervised block of six to twelve weeks, and measurable balance and strength gains often appear within four to six weeks. Nerve symptoms themselves change slowly. When the cause is treatable, such as B12 deficiency or newly controlled blood sugar, sensation may improve over six to eighteen months. Progress is quicker with well-managed blood sugar, a home program done most days, and supportive footwear. Smoking, uncontrolled diabetes and inactivity slow it.
Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment Near You in New Jersey and Connecticut
SportsMed operates clinics across New Jersey and Connecticut, serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic and Union Counties in NJ plus Fairfield and New Haven Counties in CT. Union County patients receive balance and neuropathy care in Linden, Elizabeth, Union, Plainfield and Mountainside. In Passaic County we see patients in Passaic, Paterson, Wayne and at both Clifton clinics on Main Avenue and Valley Road. Ocean County residents visit Brick and Toms River, and we also serve Newark and Edison. Find your nearest office in our location directory.
Frequently Asked Questions About Peripheral Neuropathy
Q: Can physical therapy reverse nerve damage?
A: Physical therapy does not regrow damaged nerves. What it can do is meaningful: improve balance, strengthen the legs, retrain walking, lower fall risk and increase activity tolerance. Many patients report less pain sensitivity and more confidence on stairs and uneven ground.
Q: Why is my neuropathy worse at night?
A: Fewer distractions, cooler skin temperature and circulation changes while lying still all tend to amplify nerve pain in the evening. Gentle evening activity, light bedding over the feet, and medications prescribed by your physician can help. Report worsening night pain to your doctor.
Q: Is exercise safe if I cannot feel my feet?
A: Yes, with precautions. Choose supportive, well-fitted shoes, inspect your feet daily for redness or blisters, and avoid barefoot exercise. Your therapist selects activities that limit shear on the skin and monitors any wounds. Cycling and supported standing work suit many patients.
Q: Does neuropathy always come from diabetes?
A: No. Diabetes causes roughly half of cases, but B12 deficiency, chemotherapy, thyroid and kidney disease, alcohol use, autoimmune conditions and inherited neuropathies also cause it. Because some causes are treatable, blood work from your physician is an important step alongside therapy.
Q: How many therapy visits will I need?
A: Most patients attend one to three times a week for six to twelve weeks, then continue an independent home program. Visit counts depend on fall risk, other medical conditions and insurance coverage. Your therapist reassesses regularly and adjusts frequency based on measured progress.
Q: Is there a SportsMed clinic near me for neuropathy care?
A: Yes. We treat neuropathy across Ocean, Passaic and Union Counties, including Brick, Toms River, Clifton, Passaic, Paterson, Wayne, Elizabeth, Linden, Union, Plainfield and Mountainside, with more clinics throughout northern New Jersey and Connecticut. In-home visits are available when travel is difficult.
If numb or burning feet have made you slower, less steady or more afraid of falling, a targeted program can change that. A SportsMed therapist will measure your balance and strength, then build a plan around your history.
Book an appointment at any of our NJ and CT clinics.Reviewed by the SportsMed Physical Therapy clinical team. Last updated: August 2026.