14 Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy

2. The Side Effect of Certain Medication

Some medicines can damage the nerves that send signals between your brain, spinal cord, and the rest of your body. When this happens, you may develop peripheral neuropathy. It can cause numbness, tingling, or weakness that often starts in your hands or feet.

Several types of drugs can cause this problem. These include medicines used for cancer treatment (chemotherapy drugs), infection control (antibiotics and antiviral drugs), seizure control (antiepileptic drugs), heart rhythm or blood pressure management (antiarrhythmic and vasodilator drugs), and autoimmune conditions (immunosuppressant drugs). Even too much vitamin B6 or exposure to some toxic substances found in certain medicines can contribute to nerve injury.

These drugs may injure the nerve fibers or the protective covering that helps signals travel efficiently. As a result, you might notice pain that feels like burning, shooting, or shock-like sensations.

3. Hereditary Neuropathies

Hereditary neuropathies occur when you inherit genetic changes that affect your peripheral nerves. These nerves carry signals between your brain, spinal cord, and the rest of your body. When the genes responsible for forming or protecting these nerves are changed, nerve signals can slow down or stop, which leads to weakness, numbness, or tingling.

One well-known hereditary neuropathy is hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). In this condition, your nerves are unusually sensitive to pressure or injury. Simple activities like leaning on your elbow or crossing your legs for too long can cause temporary numbness, tingling, or even weakness.

Another common hereditary neuropathy is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. It typically causes weakness in your lower legs and feet first, which can make walking harder. Over time, muscles in your hands and arms may also weaken. The condition progresses slowly and varies among individuals.

These disorders usually begin in childhood or early adulthood, though some people develop symptoms later. The severity depends on which gene is affected and how much nerve function is lost.

4. Inflammatory Infection

Inflammatory infections can cause peripheral neuropathy when your immune system reacts to a virus or bacteria and mistakenly harms your nerves. This can happen after infections like shingles, Lyme disease, or HIV. The inflammation that occurs may compress or injure nerve tissue, which disrupts how signals travel between your brain and the rest of your body.

You might notice pain, tingling, or weakness developing in your hands or feet. In some cases, symptoms appear suddenly and spread quickly, while in others they progress slowly over weeks. The pattern depends on the type and severity of the infection.

Doctors often look for signs of inflammation in your blood or spinal fluid to confirm the cause. Treating the infection early can help limit nerve damage. For bacterial infections, antibiotics may be used. For viral infections, antiviral drugs or supportive care may help control symptoms.

5. Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases can cause peripheral neuropathy when your immune system attacks your own nerves by mistake. This damage disrupts signals that travel between your brain, spinal cord, and the rest of your body. These conditions may develop slowly or progress quickly, depending on how strongly your immune system reacts.

Common autoimmune disorders linked to neuropathy include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjögren syndrome, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Each affects nerve tissue in different ways. For example, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joint inflammation that presses on nearby nerves, while Guillain-Barré syndrome can damage the protective covering around nerves, which leads to weakness and numbness.

Symptoms often begin with tingling or burning in your hands or feet and may spread upward over time. You might also have muscle weakness, balance problems, or trouble feeling temperature changes. Because these signs overlap with other causes of neuropathy, doctors usually order blood tests, imaging, or nerve studies to confirm the diagnosis.

6. Kidney Disease

Kidney disease can play a big role in the development of peripheral neuropathy. When your kidneys fail to filter waste properly, toxins can build up in your blood. These waste products may damage your nerves over time, which leads to pain, tingling, or numbness in your hands and feet.

You are more likely to develop kidney-related nerve damage if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart failure. In fact, long-term diabetes often affects both your kidneys and your peripheral nerves. The longer these conditions go uncontrolled, the more risk there is for nerve injury.

Common signs of kidney disease include swelling in your ankles, fatigue, dry or itchy skin, and changes in urination. When this condition becomes chronic, it increases your chance of peripheral neuropathy because your nerves rely on a steady supply of nutrients and a healthy blood environment.

7. Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

You can develop peripheral neuropathy after long or repeated contact with certain toxic substances. These chemicals may damage the nerves that send signals between your brain, spinal cord, and body. The injuries can build up slowly over time, even when exposure levels seem small.

Common problem chemicals include organic solvents found in paints, cleaning agents, adhesives, and some industrial products. Breathing or touching these substances often may harm both sensory and motor nerves. Workers in manufacturing, printing, or construction may have a higher risk.

Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic can also cause nerve damage. These metals interfere with how your nerves use energy and communicate with muscles. Symptoms often start as tingling or numbness in your hands or feet and may spread upward.

Pesticides and industrial compounds add to the list. Some compounds used in farming or factories affect the protective covering of nerves. Even low, long-term exposure can change nerve signaling and reduce coordination.

8. Chronic Alcoholism

When you drink heavily over many years, alcohol can harm your nerves and reduce their ability to send signals. This damage, called alcoholic neuropathy, often develops slowly and affects both sides of your body. You might first notice numbness or tingling in your feet or hands.

Alcohol injures nerves in two main ways. It directly poisons the nerve cells, and it also affects your nutrition. Many people who drink too much often have low levels of vitamins like thiamine and folate, which are vital for healthy nerve function. Over time, this combination of alcohol toxicity and poor nutrition weakens and damages nerve fibers. Common symptoms include weakness, pain, cramps, and trouble walking. Some people also experience bladder problems, digestive issues, or dizziness when standing up.

9. Tumors

Tumors can cause peripheral neuropathy when they grow near or within the nerves that connect your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. These growths may press on the nerves or invade them directly, which disrupt the normal flow of electrical signals. The pressure or infiltration can lead to pain, numbness, or muscle weakness in affected areas.

In some cases, cancer cells spread from another part of the body and damage nerves. This can happen with lymphomas, a type of blood cancer that sometimes invades nerve tissue. When tumor cells infiltrate the protective layers or blood vessels of a nerve, they can block nutrients and oxygen. Over time, the affected nerve may lose function.

Cancer therapies can also cause treatment-related neuropathy. Chemotherapy drugs, radiation, or immune-based treatments sometimes harm healthy nerve fibers. These effects can appear during treatment or even months afterward.

10. Idiopathic Neuropathy

Idiopathic neuropathy happens when you develop nerve damage, but doctors cannot find a clear cause. The term “idiopathic” means “unknown cause.” It often affects older adults and usually develops slowly over time. You may notice numbness, tingling, or weakness in your feet or hands that gradually worsens.

Even though the cause is not known, the symptoms resemble those of other types of peripheral neuropathy. You might feel burning or prickling sensations, have balance problems, or lose feeling in certain areas. The lack of a clear reason can make treatment focus more on managing symptoms than curing the condition.

Doctors often perform tests to rule out common causes such as diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, alcohol use, or thyroid disease. When these tests come back normal, doctors label the neuropathy idiopathic.

11. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops when the median nerve in your wrist becomes compressed within a narrow passage called the carpal tunnel. This nerve controls feeling and movement in parts of your hand. When pressure builds up, you may notice tingling, numbness, or weakness in your thumb, index, and middle fingers.

You may feel symptoms most at night or after repetitive hand movements. Over time, your grip may weaken, and small tasks like buttoning clothes can become harder. These changes usually develop slowly but can worsen if the pressure is not relieved.

Many everyday factors can increase your chance of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Repetitive hand use, such as typing, assembly work, or using vibrating tools, can strain the wrist. Conditions like pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, or thyroid problems can also contribute by causing swelling or tissue changes in the wrist. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a specific type of peripheral neuropathy because it involves nerve compression in one area.

12. Physical Injury

Physical injury directly causes peripheral neuropathy. When you cut, crush, or stretch a nerve, it can stop working normally. This damage blocks or changes the signals traveling between your brain and the affected area, which can lead to pain, numbness, or weakness.

You might develop neuropathy after accidents, falls, or repetitive movements at work or during sports. Even small injuries from repeated pressure on a nerve over time can cause lasting problems. For example, sitting in the same position for too long or using tools that vibrate may slowly harm peripheral nerves.

Surgery or broken bones can also damage nearby nerves. Some nerve injuries heal on their own, but others can take months or years to recover. Severe damage may require procedures like nerve repair or physical therapy to help restore movement and sensation.

Common injury-related neuropathies include carpal tunnel syndrome and brachial plexus injuries. In carpal tunnel syndrome, pressure on the wrist nerve leads to tingling or weakness in your hand. In brachial plexus injuries, damage near the shoulder affects feeling and movement in the arm.

13. Generalized Diseases

Generalized diseases affect your entire body, not just one organ. When these conditions harm your nerves, you may experience numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness in your hands and feet. These symptoms happen because the disease process interferes with how nerves send signals between your brain and the rest of your body.

Diabetes often causes peripheral neuropathy. Long-term high blood sugar levels can damage the small blood vessels that feed your nerves. Autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis can also damage nerves. Your immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues, including nerve fibers or the protective coating around them.

Chronic kidney disease can cause neuropathy when waste products build up in your blood. These toxins can be harmful to nerves. People with liver disease may face a similar problem as toxins that would normally be filtered out affect nerve function. Thyroid disorders can also play a role. An underactive thyroid can cause fluid retention and swelling around nerves, which may increase pressure and disrupt normal nerve signaling.

14. Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamin deficiencies can damage nerves and lead to peripheral neuropathy. When your body lacks certain nutrients, your nerves may stop working properly, which causes numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hands and feet. The risk increases when these shortages last for a long time or occur with other health conditions.

The vitamins most often linked to neuropathy are B1 (thiamine), B6 (pyridoxine), B12, folate, vitamin E, and copper. Each plays a different role in keeping your nerves healthy. For example, vitamin B12 helps protect the covering of nerve fibers, while vitamin B1 supports nerve signal transmission.

Poor diet, long-term alcohol use, or disorders that limit nutrient absorption can all cause deficiencies. In some cases, certain treatments or medications that affect nutrition may also contribute.

Common signs include burning or tingling in the feet, weakness, or coordination problems. You may also notice balance issues or pain that feels sharp or electric and often appear slowly but can worsen if the deficiency is not corrected.