– Neuropathy Program · Franklin, TN
Burning, tingling, or numb feet? Dr. JennaLou Hollnagel-Kauffman tracks down where your nerves are misfiring and builds a plan to get you out of pain and back to your life. Small-town feel, big-city treatment options, right in historic downtown Franklin.
UNDERSTANDING NEUROPATHY
Your peripheral nerves work like wiring. They carry signals from your brain down to your feet and back again. When that wiring is damaged, the signals get scrambled. Some people feel pins and needles or a burning that flares at night. Others slowly lose feeling, which is how a small blister becomes a wound nobody noticed.
Neuropathy affects millions of Americans, and diabetes is the leading cause. As many as half of people with diabetes develop it. But diabetes isn’t the only cause, and pain relief alone won’t restore a nerve that’s still being damaged.
Dr. JennaLou is a board-certified podiatrist, foot and ankle surgeon, and wound care specialist who also holds a board certification in peripheral neuropathy. She trained as a fellow under Dr. A. Lee Dellon, a pioneer of peripheral nerve decompression surgery, and has focused on neuropathy for more than five years, building her own treatment program along the way. She’ll tell you she’s the one with two first names and two last names, so most patients just call her Dr. JennaLou.
“My passion is puzzles. I like connecting all the dots, and I believe everybody’s body is just one big circuit. We have to figure out where that circuit isn’t firing and try to correct it.”
DR. JENNALOU HOLLNAGEL-KAUFFMAN, DPM
SYSTEMIC VS. STRUCTURAL VS. ENVIRONMENTAL
More than 100 types of neuropathy have been identified, but most fall into three groups. Knowing which one you’re dealing with (and many people have more than one) shapes how we treat it.
The problem runs through your whole body and shows up in your nerves.
Usually felt in both feet, starting at the toes and moving upward.
A nerve is pinched at a tight spot along its path, like a kinked cord.
Often felt in specific zones, and sometimes worse in one leg.
Something from outside the body has damaged the nerve.
Usually begins after a known exposure, often in both feet.
HOW TREATMENT WORKS
Every plan starts with a one-on-one evaluation. Dr. JennaLou reviews your labs and medications and tests your sensation and reflexes. She also taps along each nerve’s path to check for a Tinel’s sign, a tingling response that can point to a trapped nerve. When more detail is needed, she may order nerve testing.
The three groups above often overlap. Diabetes, for example, can cause nerves to swell, which makes them more likely to get squeezed in narrow passages. That’s why some patients need one pathway and others benefit from both.
PATHWAY 1
Dr. JennaLou has formulated a comprehensive neuropathy program that has improved her patients’ quality of life. This program uses multiple pain-free modalities to decrease nerve inflammation and promote nerve regeneration.
Everybody’s body is different, so you’re monitored throughout the course of treatment, and Dr. JennaLou adjusts your plan as needed.
PATHWAY 2
When a nerve is physically trapped, it needs more room, and that’s what decompression surgery provides.
Several nerves in the lower leg and foot pass through tight tunnels of bone and connective tissue. If a nerve is swollen or its tunnel is narrow, pressure builds and blood flow to the nerve drops. During decompression, Dr. JennaLou releases the tissue pressing on the nerve so it has space again. The procedure is typically performed on an outpatient basis, and it’s one she learned directly from Dr. Dellon during her fellowship.
The best candidates usually have a positive Tinel's sign over one of these sites. That sign tends to appear while compression is still reversible, so timing matters.
Published studies on lower extremity nerve decompression report reduced pain, improved sensation, and fewer foot ulcers in the treated leg. Recovery takes time, and feeling often returns gradually over months as the nerve heals.
FAQ
Have a question that isn’t covered here? Call the office at 615-996-2050.
Can neuropathy in the feet be reversed?
Sometimes. It depends on the cause and how long the nerve has been damaged. Neuropathy tied to a vitamin deficiency or a compressed nerve can improve once that problem is corrected. Long-standing damage is harder to undo, but treatment can still ease pain and help protect your feet. The earlier you’re evaluated, the more options you have.
What happens at my first neuropathy appointment?
You’ll sit down one-on-one with Dr. JennaLou and have her full attention. Bring recent lab work and a list of your medications. She’ll review both with you, examine your feet and legs, talk through your goals, and explain which pathway fits before any treatment starts.
How do I know if I’m a candidate for nerve decompression surgery?
The strongest indicator is a positive Tinel’s sign, meaning a light tap over a known compression site sends tingling into the foot. Dr. JennaLou checks for this during your exam and weighs it with your history and any nerve testing before recommending surgery.
Do I need to have diabetes to be treated for neuropathy?
No. Diabetes is the most common cause, but we also treat neuropathy linked to chemotherapy, nerve compression, vitamin deficiencies, alcohol, and cases with no known cause, called idiopathic neuropathy.
Why see a podiatrist for neuropathy?
Neuropathy usually starts in the feet, and that’s where its most serious complications show up: unnoticed wounds, infections, and falls. A foot and ankle surgeon can diagnose the nerve problem, operate when needed, and manage wound care if the skin has already broken down.
Where can I get neuropathy treatment near Franklin, TN?
Dr. JennaLou sees patients at 600 Church Street in downtown Franklin and at 300 Stonecrest Blvd, Suite 450, in Smyrna. Call 615-996-2050 to schedule an evaluation.
PATIENT STORIES
After nerve decompression, some of Dr. JennaLou’s patients have come back to the office in tears because, for the first time in years, their feet didn’t hurt. Hear their stories in their own words.
