Peripheral neuropathy after bowel cancer treatment

Nerve damage can cause symptoms such as pins and needles, numbness, weakness, or pain in the hands and feet. For a few people this may lead to problems with balance and walking.

Treatment with the chemotherapy drug oxaliplatin| is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy in people who’ve had treatment for bowel cancer. After treatment is over, most people find their symptoms gradually improve as the nerves slowly recover. This usually takes several months. But for some people the nerves don’t completely recover and some nerve damage is long-term.

Despite this, many people find that their symptoms become less troublesome over time as they adapt and find ways of coping with the changes.

You might find it useful to read our more detailed information about peripheral neuropathy|.

Treating pain Back to top

Nerve pain can be treated in different ways. Some drugs alter nerve impulses and so help to relieve nerve pain. Drugs that can do this include: some antidepressants, anticonvulsants (drugs used to treat epilepsy) and some heart drugs. Drugs such as morphine can also sometimes be helpful.

If your pain is difficult to treat, you can ask for a referral to a pain clinic where you can get expert help from specialist doctors and nurses.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses pads, put onto the skin, that give off small electrical pulses to stimulate nerves close to the pain. This may block pain messages sent from the nerves to the brain and is unlikely to cause side effects.

Acupuncture uses very fine needles that are placed through the skin at particular points. It isn’t clear exactly how this works, but it may help to block pain messages from being sent to the brain. Some hospitals and GP surgeries offer acupuncture on the NHS. You can read more in our section about cancer and complementary therapies|.

Other support Back to top

A physiotherapist will be able to offer treatment and advice for problems with balance or walking.

If you’re having difficulty carrying out daily tasks, you can ask to be referred to an occupational therapist. They can assess your needs and recommend aids and equipment to help you.

If your symptoms continue for more than six months and cause you difficulty in walking or carrying out daily activities, you may be entitled to financial help. You can contact our cancer support specialists| for more information.

What you can do to help yourself Back to top

If your hands and/or feet are affected it’s important to protect them as much as possible. If your balance, coordination or walking is affected, it’s important to reduce your risk of accidents and falls.

Here are some general tips:

• Keep your hands/feet warm - wear gloves and warm socks in cold weather.
• Wear well-fitting shoes or boots.
• Wear gloves when working with your hands, for example when doing household chores, gardening or DIY.
• Use potholders and oven gloves to avoid burning your hands when cooking.
• Avoid walking around barefoot and check your feet regularly for any problems.
• Test the temperature of water with your elbow to make sure that it isn’t too hot before baths or showers.
• Turn the temperature control to a lower setting for hot water or have a temperature control (thermostat) fitted.
• Make sure rooms are well lit, and always put on a light if you get up during the night.
• Keep areas that you walk through, such as halls, free of clutter and make sure there aren’t things such as loose rugs that you could trip over.
• Get advice from a physiotherapist about walking aids if your balance is affected.