Jim had completely lost feeling in his left foot when he came to Shift Health Center in Traverse City, Mich., searching for relief. Within three months, he regained more than half of the feeling in his foot. Now, he feels like he has his life back.
Scenarios like these are not uncommon among Shift Health Center patients who have suffered from peripheral neuropathy, a debilitating condition that causes pain, extreme sensitivity or even numbness in the hands, feet, arms or legs. These patients often expect to undergo surgery or take medications to gain relief. For some, fear of surgery or the time spent in recovery afterward keeps them from pursuing treatment until it’s necessary.
“Every day we get to witness miracles as people’s quality of life improves,” said Kyle Konas, DC, founder of Shift Health Center, which operates a peripheral neuropathy program that enables people to undergo treatment onsite and at home, depending on their needs.
“At the end of the day, peripheral neuropathy isn’t about the symptoms that patient’s experiencing. It’s not about the numbness or the tingling or the pain or the lack of sleep. It’s about how these symptoms keep them from living the life they want to lead,” Konas said.
While peripheral neuropathy most often affects adults in their 70s and 80s, it’s not uncommon for Konas to see patients in their 50s. “It’s tough seeing people who have worked hard their whole lives and have this retirement dream set up, and then they don’t have their health,” he said. “It’s not how they envision living out their years.”
At Shift Health Center, practitioners take a therapy-first approach to treating neuropathy. Konas describes the practice’s treatment model as a healing framework. Known as the Shift Solution, this framework encompasses Specialization, Helpline and support, Inflammation reduction, Function and Tissue regeneration.
“Ultimately, we want to see their function return so they can live out their dreams,” Konas said. “That’s why we do what we do.”
In February 2023, Doug began treatment for neuropathy and chiropractic care at Shift. He uses equipment for at-home therapy and undergoes weekly therapy at the clinic.
“My whole body has improved,” Doug said. “I move and feel so much better than before. Even my knees are better!”
Doug volunteers to take care of a road in the Traverse City area, but found he needed help keeping up with this volunteer task in recent years due to the pain he experienced.
“This year, I was able to do my road duty by myself in three hours — and I had the energy to do other things at home that afternoon,” he said.
New patients may schedule an appointment online and even view a neuropathy masterclass, conducted by physicians at the clinic, on the Shift Health Center website. When patients arrive for an appointment, the Shift Health Center team performs a thorough exam to determine the root causes of the patient’s pain. Then physicians assess the extent of the nerve damage and the severity of the patient’s symptoms. From there, the team determines an appropriate treatment path.
The primary goals of treatment are to restore nerve function and reduce inflammation. “The treatments are pretty simple, but they make a big impact,” Konas said. “We use a variety of treatment modalities ranging from low-level light therapy to electric nerve stimulation to lifestyle changes, including dietary modifications.”
If you’re experiencing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, help is available locally. Schedule a nerve severity screening today.
* Name changed for privacy.