The Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Neuropathy

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is already a painful condition. But the inflammation that this joint disease causes can lead to other issues, too. A large portion of people with RA develop a complication that affects their nerves, leading to tingling, numbness, and pain in the extremities. 

This nerve problem is called neuropathy. 

Fortunately, if you develop this condition as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis, we can help. Dr. Jonathan Carlson specializes in neuropathy. Visit our Hawai’i Pain and Spine office on the Windward side of O’ahu in Kailua, and Dr. Carlson can determine if you have rheumatoid neuropathy. If so, he works with you on a treatment plan to ease your symptoms. 

Understanding peripheral neuropathy

Your nerves detect pain signals as a way to protect you. When you touch something overly hot, for example, the nerves send signals to your brain alerting you so you can pull your hand away.

Sometimes, though, the nerves don’t function the way they should. With rheumatoid arthritis, the resulting inflammation can press on your nerves. About half of people with RA will experience a nerve problem, called peripheral neuropathy, that affects their extremities.

The compression on your nerves causes symptoms like:

• Stiffness
• Stabbing pain
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Burning sensations
• Weakness

In people with rheumatoid arthritis, these symptoms most commonly affect the hands and feet. Carpal tunnel is a particularly common neuropathic issue for people with rheumatoid arthritis, impacting roughly 10% of people with RA. 

Finding relief from your symptoms

Dr. Carlson recommends a two-pronged approach to managing rheumatoid neuropathy. First, work closely with your primary care provider to manage your RA as best as possible. They will likely prescribe medication like disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). 

Taking the medication at the prescribed cadence helps to keep inflammation in your joints down as much as possible. Minimizing inflammation reduces how much surrounding tissue presses on your nerves. This directly impacts your neuropathic symptoms.

Dr. Carlson also deploys a second prong of treatment to ease your discomfort. He customizes a neuropathy treatment plan for you. This usually means a blend of lifestyle changes to help minimize inflammation in your body, paired with targeted treatments.

At our office, Dr. Carlson has a number of innovative treatments he can use to address neuropathy, including:

• Laser therapy
• Neuromodulation
• Regenerative medicine
• Spinal cord stimulation

If you’ve been experiencing tingling, numbness, or pain in your limbs, hands, or feet, call our office today. Dr. Carlson and our team can help you find out if it’s rheumatoid neuropathy and, if so, how to get relief.