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Neuropathy Condition

Small Fiber Neuropathy

The neuropathy a standard EMG can miss.

Small fiber neuropathy is damage to the smallest nerve fibers — the ones that carry pain and temperature signals and help run automatic functions. It causes burning, stabbing, and hypersensitivity, often with completely normal EMG results. Your symptoms are real, and they have an explanation.

By Dr. Logan Swaim · Last updated July 8, 2026

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Understanding Small Fiber Neuropathy

What It Is & Why It Happens

Your peripheral nerves come in sizes. Large fibers carry strength, vibration, and position sense; small fibers carry pain and temperature and help regulate automatic functions like sweating. Small fiber neuropathy means the small fibers are damaged while the large ones may still be working — which is why you can have burning feet at night and still pass a strength test with flying colors.

This is also why so many small fiber patients feel dismissed. Standard EMG and nerve-conduction studies primarily measure the large, fast fibers — they can come back completely normal while the small fibers are genuinely struggling. If you've been told 'your tests are fine' while your feet burn, itch, or stab, small fiber involvement is one of the most common explanations. The symptoms were never in your head; they were in fibers the test wasn't designed to see.

There is genuinely hopeful news here: small fibers have meaningful regenerative capacity when the environment around them improves. Because small fibers depend heavily on healthy microcirculation, our program focuses on measuring and supporting exactly that — circulation, inflammatory load, and sensory function — with objective testing at the start and progress re-exams along the way. An honest assessment of how much fiber function remains always comes first.

Common Symptoms

Signs You May Be Dealing With Small Fiber Neuropathy

  • Burning pain, usually starting in the feet — often worst at night
  • Sharp, stabbing, or electric-shock sensations
  • Pins and needles or prickling that comes in waves
  • Hypersensitivity — bedsheets or light touch feel painful
  • Trouble telling hot from cold accurately
  • Itching, crawling, or 'bugs on the skin' sensations with nothing visible
  • Changes in sweating, or feet that look red or feel hot

How We Help

Our Treatment Approach

Dr. Logan Swaim, MS, DC has spent years specializing in peripheral neuropathy. Every program begins with a comprehensive nerve function assessment before any treatment is recommended.

  • Comprehensive baseline testing: 16-point sensory exam, circulation assessment, and balance testing — the functional measures small fiber problems actually show up on
  • Careful history to identify likely drivers (blood-sugar trends, autoimmune factors, nutritional gaps) and coordinate any needed medical workup
  • Red light therapy (photobiomodulation) to support the microcirculation small fibers depend on
  • Chiropractic neurological care to support the structural environment of the nervous system
  • Nutritional guidance where deficiencies commonly accelerate small fiber damage (B vitamins, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium)
  • Objective progress re-exams so improvement in sensation and circulation is measured, not guessed

Inside the clinic

Where your care happens.

Every neuropathy case at our Lakewood Ranch clinic starts with testing, not guessing. Here's a glimpse of the rooms and the people behind the program.
Dr. Logan Swaim delivers a Torque Release adjustment to an adult patient.

Precision adjustments, every visit.

Senior patients smiling together after care at The Roots.

Seniors reclaiming mobility and confidence.

Dr. Logan Swaim performs a focused adjustment at The Roots.

Precision over pressure.

A red light therapy booth inside The Roots Health Centers.

Medical-grade red light — paired with neuropathy care.

Keep Exploring

Meet the team

Related Conditions

Other Forms of Neuropathy We Treat

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Small fiber neuropathy itself is not a fatal condition and does not, by itself, shorten life expectancy. What matters is identifying and managing any underlying driver — like diabetes or an autoimmune condition — with your medical team. The condition's real toll is quality of life: sleep, comfort, and mobility. Those are exactly the things a structured care plan works to improve.
EMG and nerve-conduction studies primarily assess large nerve fibers. Small fibers — the ones that carry pain and temperature — aren't well captured by those tests, so a normal result doesn't rule out small fiber neuropathy. Skin biopsy is the conventional gold standard for confirming it; functional testing like precise sensory mapping and circulation assessment shows how the fibers are actually performing.
Small fibers are among the nerve types with real regenerative capacity — research on skin biopsies shows fiber density can improve when underlying drivers are addressed and the nerve environment gets healthier. How much recovery is possible depends on how much fiber function remains and what's driving the damage, which is what an honest baseline evaluation establishes.
Small fibers carry pain and temperature; large fibers carry strength, vibration, and position sense. Small fiber damage feels like burning, stabbing, and hypersensitivity. Large fiber damage shows up as numbness, weakness, and balance problems. Many people have a mix of both — which is why testing both systems matters before choosing care.
Diabetes and prediabetes are the most common identified causes — small fibers are especially sensitive to blood-sugar swings. Autoimmune conditions, certain infections, and nutritional deficiencies also contribute. In a large share of cases no single cause is found, which is frustrating but doesn't change the practical goal: improve the environment the fibers live in and measure whether function responds.
Our $49 evaluation includes a 16-point sensory exam that maps precisely where pain and temperature sensation are altered, a circulation assessment (small fibers depend on microcirculation), a balance test, and a one-on-one consultation. You leave with an objective picture of your nerve function and a plain-English explanation of your options — whether or not that includes care with us.

Verified Google Reviews

What Neuropathy Patients Say

Real patients, verifiable on Google
I’m enjoying my treatments at roots , I wish I would have found them sooner . They have helped me so much . I have neuropathy and before I started going I could barely walk and was in so much pain. Now after a little over 4 weeks my pain is barely there and walking is so much better! Also getting adjustments from Dr Logan and it’s improved how I feel physically, and has helped my sleep and more. There are so many different areas they can help you in , give them a call I highly recommend them.

kimberly L.

Neuropathy Treatment
Everyone at Roots is super warm and inviting! There is a calming atmosphere and calming aroma the second you walk in. They are all about educating their patients! I have been going for about 3 months and I am feeling about 90% better! No more nerve pain as well as better sleep. Highly recommend!

Sabrina T.

Neuropathy Treatment
Nice to get to the root of my foot pain.

Kelly W.

Neuropathy Treatment
Dr. Logan Swaim, MS, DC

Who You'll See

Care led by a doctor who wrote the book on neuropathy

Dr. Logan Swaim, MS, DC co-directs The Roots Health Centers in Lakewood Ranch and is the author of The Truth About Reversing Neuropathy Now. Every neuropathy case at the clinic starts with his team's full evaluation — circulation, sensory response, and balance — before any care is recommended.

Meet Dr. Swaim →
Cover of The Truth About Reversing Neuropathy Now by Dr. Logan W. Swaim

Written by Our Clinical Director

The Truth About Reversing Neuropathy Now

Dr. Logan Swaim, MS, DC wrote the book on what actually helps neuropathy — why nerves degenerate, what “you'll have to live with it” misses, and the drug-free approach we use at the clinic every day.

Read about the book →

Next Step

Hear Dr. Logan explain your condition — before you commit to anything.

Our free neuropathy seminars cover the science behind nerve damage, what a comprehensive assessment looks like, and which patients are candidates for our program. No sales pitch. No obligation.

Visit The Roots Neuropathy

One clinic. One focused neuropathy program.

Dr. Logan SwaimDr. Laura SwaimDr. Grayson Fox

Dr. Logan Swaim, Dr. Laura Swaim & Dr. Grayson Fox

Meet the full team
4.9from 655+ Google reviews

The Roots Neuropathy

a program of The Roots Health Centers

8209 Natures Way, Unit 115

Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202

(941) 877-1507
Mon
9–1 · 2–6:30
Tue
11–2 · 3–6:30
Wed
9–2
Thu
9–1 · 2–6:30
Fri
9–2
Sat–Sun
Closed

Ready to understand what's driving your neuropathy?

Schedule a comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Logan Swaim, MS, DC and get a clear picture of what's actually happening — and what can be done about it.

*Includes consultation, 16-point sensory exam, circulation assessment & balance testing