Dr. Ron Bingham practices at EMG Clinics of Tennessee and at Neuropathy Clinics of Tennessee at 3035 N. Highland in Jackson. He has six EMG satellite clinics in West Tennessee and north Mississippi.
For more information, call 800-224-1807 or visit www.
neuropathyclinics.com.
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Patients find relief from neuropathy: a numbness, pain in feet and hands
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“Many patients tell us we gave them their feet back,” says Dr. Ron Bingham, who started Neuropathy Clinics in 2004.
Neuropathy is nerve disease in the legs, feet or toes and sometimes the hands, he explained. It causes numbness, burning and tingling. Though discomfort is the main symptom, neuropathy also can cause weakness and clumsiness. “It can be very painful and limit a person’s mobility.”
As a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, Dr. Bingham has been testing for muscle and nerve disease, including neuropathy, for about 20 years. “Some 20 million people have neuropathy, and many are frustrated because of a lack of available help. Word on the street was that you could not do much for neuropathy. But, that’s not true. Four years ago, I decided to start helping patients and treat their neuropathy.”
Dr. Bingham tests for various types of nerve and muscle damage through his EMG Clinics of Tennessee. He treats his neuropathy patients through the Neuropathy Clinics of Tennessee.
Neuropathy is nerve damage that results from poor blood circulation in the nerves of the feet, legs or hands. “Peripheral neuropathy is most commonly caused by diabetes and chemotherapy,” he says.
“Simply explained, the neuropathy affects the wires in a patient’s legs. The wires can be so damaged, that the signal can’t get to the brain to tell them where their feet are.”
Patients who come to him for treatment are first evaluated to make sure they have neuropathy. This includes a patient history, physical, nerve and muscle testing and lab work. Sometimes, special x-rays are taken.
Minor symptoms may be alleviated through proper diet, weight loss and exercise, he said. For more serious symptoms, he can prescribe vitamins and certain medications. “Patient education is important,” Dr. Bingham says. “We have several medications that can work if they are administered correctly.”
Sometimes, he prescribes physical therapy in a patient’s own community to help improve a patient’s strength and activity level.
Another treatment, which is still considered investigational, is infrared light treatment, he adds. “This painless treatment seems to work by increasing blood flow in the areas where it is applied by increasing the size of tiny blood vessels. When the sick nerves get more blood flow or nutrients, they may heal and function more normally.”
Patients travel to Jackson from as far away as Nashville or eastern Arkansas to get treatment for their neuropathy.
“We can’t promise,” he says, “but we are able to help most people.”