http://www.neuropathy.org/site/PageServer

What is Neuropathy?

Peripheral Neuropathy, also known as Peripheral Nerve Disease, is one of the most common diseases most people have never heard of (15-20 million Americans have peripheral nerve disease). Caused by deterioration of the peripheral nerves, neuropathy disrupts the body’s ability to communicate with its muscles, organs and tissues. Neuropathy is like the body’s wiring system going haywire, causing unusual or unpleasant irritations including tingling, burning, itchiness, crawling sensation, dizziness, clumsiness and more. If ignored, as they too often are, these neuropathy symptoms can lead to numbness at one extreme to unremitting pain at the other. However, if diagnosed and treated early, peripheral neuropathy can often be controlled. The Neuropathy Association is dedicated to raising awareness of peripheral nerve disease and finding its cure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropathy

Types

The four major forms of nerve damage are polyneuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, mononeuropathy, and mononeuritis multiplex. The most common form is peripheral polyneuropathy, which mainly affects the feet and legs.

Often the form of neuropathy is further broken down as to cause (see below), or other type, such as small fiber peripheral neuropathy, which is idiopathic.

Causes

This is what they are now trying to determine:

Types of Neuropathy

Immune Related

Diabetic & related

Tumor related

Infectious

Toxic, Drug, Nutrition Related

Hereditary

Traumatic & Compressive

Hypothyroid

Aside from diabetes (see Diabetic neuropathy), the common causes of neuropathy are herpes zoster infection, HIV-AIDS, toxins, alcoholism, chronic trauma (such as repetitive motion disorders) or acute trauma (including surgery), various neurotoxins and autoimmune conditions such as celiac disease, which can account for approximately 16% of small fiber neuropathy cases. Neuropathic pain is common in cancer as a direct result of the cancer on peripheral nerves (e.g., compression by a tumor), as a side effect of many chemotherapy drugs, and as a result of electrical injury. In many cases no apparent causes can be found, in this case the neuropathy is "idiopathic" meaning no cause is found.

chronic trauma (such as repetitive motion disorders) could equal head banging!