Peripheral Neuropathy Program in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas sees patients with peripheral neuropathy symptoms: burning, tingling, numbness and unsteadiness in the feet and legs. Our peripheral neuropathy page lists the program with the rest of our services. This page explains what happens when you bring those symptoms here, and where chiropractic care stops.
Peripheral neuropathy has many causes
Peripheral neuropathy describes what the nerves are doing, not why. Diabetes and prediabetes are the most common cause, and diabetes is common in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid disease, kidney disease, heavy alcohol use and some medications, including chemotherapy drugs, produce the same symptoms. In a real share of cases no cause is found. A pinched nerve in the low back can also send numbness into a foot.
Finding out which one you have is a medical work-up: blood work through your physician and sometimes nerve conduction testing through a neurologist. A chiropractic examination replaces neither, and if you have never had that work-up we will tell you to get it.
What the examination looks at
Nothing starts before an exam. Dr. Bradley Keys, Doctor of Chiropractic, takes a history of how the symptoms started and how far they have spread, then checks:
Sensation in both feet: light touch, vibration, pinprick and temperature, and how far up the leg the change reaches
Reflexes at the ankle and knee, and strength in the foot, ankle and leg
Gait and balance, including how steady you are on one leg, with your eyes closed, and on an uneven surface
The skin and circulation of both feet
The low back, hips, ankles and feet for mechanical problems that sit alongside nerve symptoms or imitate them: a pinched nerve, a joint that has stopped moving, a collapsed arch, an old ankle injury that changed how you load the foot
Bring your most recent blood work and any nerve conduction results. Findings are written down so a later exam can be compared to them. Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Why balance and fall risk matter here
Your feet tell your brain where the ground is. When that signal is weak, corrections come late, and people compensate without noticing: watching their feet, walking wider, reaching for a rail. A fall on a wet dock, a steep step or the uneven sidewalks around Charlotte Amalie is serious at any age and more so for an older adult. Balance is measured at the exam rather than treated as a side issue. It can be trained, whatever the nerve symptoms do.
What care here is aimed at
The program has four parts: in-office therapy, red light therapy, electrical stimulation, and nutrition. Alongside it, the exam may point to balance and gait work or custom foot orthotics.
How long it runs depends on how severe the neuropathy is, anywhere from a few months to more than a year. In-office treatment usually starts at two or three visits a month, and treatment continues at home between visits. Dr. Keys runs the check-ins himself, monthly at first and then quarterly, depending on severity.
The aim is symptom management, steadier walking and better day-to-day function. It is not aimed at the underlying disease. We do not claim to cure, reverse or repair nerve damage. Not everyone is a candidate, and that is settled at the examination rather than on a web page. If the exam says this is a poor fit, Dr. Keys tells you so instead of starting.
Your physician stays in charge of the cause
Whoever manages the cause keeps managing it. With diabetes, your physician or endocrinologist handles your blood sugar, medications and kidneys, and glucose control is the largest factor in whether the nerves get worse. If the cause is a B12 deficiency, a thyroid problem or a medication, treating that comes first. What we do is added alongside medical care, never as a substitute for it. Keep every appointment and keep taking what is prescribed. We send our findings to your physician and ask for theirs.
When to get medical help first
Call your physician the same day, go to the nearest emergency room, or call 911 if you have:
New or sudden weakness in a leg or a foot, or a foot that drags
Numbness progressing quickly, or climbing up the legs over days rather than months
A wound, blister, crack or ulcer on the foot that is not healing, especially with diabetes and especially one you cannot feel
Redness, heat, swelling, drainage or fever, which can mean infection. Infection in a foot with reduced sensation is urgent
New loss of bowel or bladder control, or numbness in the groin or the area you sit on
Check your feet every day, with a mirror if you cannot see the soles.
Visitors, crew and cruise passengers
Reduced feeling in the feet on a wet, moving deck is a safety problem, and crew notice it first on ladders. Visitors on a short stay can enrol, not just be evaluated, because most of the program continues at home. Tell us your dates when you call.
Getting seen
Call (340) 690-4994 to book an exam. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. We are at the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, just east of Charlotte Amalie. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun. New patient forms are at forms. Tradewinds Chiropractic has more than 180 five-star Google reviews.
Questions patients ask
Where can I get neuropathy treatment in the US Virgin Islands?
Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness on St. Thomas examines peripheral neuropathy symptoms and runs a non-surgical program for them, and sees patients from St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island. Your physician handles blood work and the cause, and a neurologist handles nerve conduction testing. Care here runs alongside both. Call (340) 690-4994.
Is there a peripheral neuropathy specialist on St. Thomas?
Dr. Bradley Keys, Doctor of Chiropractic, examines neuropathy symptoms at Tradewinds Chiropractic in Estate Thomas: sensation, reflexes, strength, gait and balance, and the low back and feet for mechanical problems that can sit alongside nerve symptoms. Identifying the cause of a neuropathy is a medical work-up, so a physician and often a neurologist stay part of the picture.
Who treats burning feet in the USVI?
Start with your physician, since burning feet most often trace back to something found on blood work, such as blood sugar, B12, thyroid or kidney function. Tradewinds Chiropractic examines the same symptoms from the musculoskeletal side and works on balance, gait and any mechanical problem in the low back or the foot. Call (340) 690-4994 to be examined.
Does this replace the care I get from my doctor?
No. Whoever manages the cause of your neuropathy keeps managing it, and with diabetes that means your blood sugar, your medications and your kidneys stay with your physician or endocrinologist. What we do is added alongside medical care, not in place of it.
Can peripheral neuropathy be cured or reversed?
We do not make that claim and we would be careful with anyone who does. Care here is aimed at managing symptoms, keeping you steady on your feet and addressing mechanical problems the exam finds. Whether it suits your case is decided at the examination, and Dr. Keys will tell you if it does not.
