Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a complex condition that can cause many different symptoms. This is because the damage can be to any part of the peripheral nervous system, which includes sensory nerves, motor nerves and the autonomic nervous system. Often more than one type of nerve is affected. Symptoms are usually mild in the beginning, but get worse over time for some people.

Learn more about:

Sensory nerves

What these nerves do These send messages from the body to the brain, carrying information about pain, temperature, touch, vibration, and where the body is in space (important for balance and coordination).
Symptoms of damage
  • not being able to feel hands or feet (numbness)
  • tingling (“pins and needles”) in hands or feet
  • pain in hands or feet – these may be burning or shooting pains, “like walking on hot sand”
  • feeling light touch as pain, especially at night
  • confusion about temperature, e.g. feeling heat as cold, or not being able to tell if something is hot or cold
  • loss of awareness of where your body is in space, making you feel clumsy, especially when walking on uneven surfaces
  • trouble keeping your balance when walking
  • loss of hearing, or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

Motor nerves

What these nerves do These carry messages from the brain to the muscles to control movement.
Symptoms of damage
  • finding it hard to do up buttons or pick up small objects
  • trouble walking up stairs or getting up out of a chair
  • muscle loss
  • weakness, e.g. not being able to open a jar
  • cramps
  • muscles twitching under skin
  • poor handwriting
  • unsteady way of walking (gait)

Autonomic nervous system

What these nerves do This carries messages between the internal organs and the brain. It controls processes that happen automatically, including blood pressure, heart rate, temperature control, digestion, and bowel and bladder functioning.
Symptoms of damage
  • constipation
  • feeling bloated
  • diarrhoea
  • dizziness when changing position from lying down to sitting up, or from sitting to standing
  • blurred vision
  • trouble getting or keeping an erect penis

Key resource

Download a PDF booklet on this topic.

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Understanding Peripheral Neuropathy

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This information was last reviewed in January 2020. View who reviewed this content.

Dr Susanna Park, IN FOCUS research program and Senior Lecturer, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW; Katrina Dick, Consumer; Rosemerry Hodgkin, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Phil Mendoza-Jones, Consumer; Jodie Nixon, Clinical Team Leader, Occupational Therapy, Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD; Rachel Tunney, Consumer; Jane Turner, Senior Exercise Physiologist, Sydney Cancer Survivorship Centre, Concord Hospital, NSW; Dr Shirley Wong, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Sunshine Hospital, Western Health, VIC.

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