Neuropathy Doctor in Sarasota: Which Specialist Treats Nerve Pain, Numbness, and Tingling?

By Dr. Rusty Lavender, D.C. — upper cervical chiropractor, Lavender Family Chiropractic, Sarasota, FL. Reviewed and updated November 2026.

For the full picture of how we evaluate nerve symptoms at our Sarasota office, see our guide to neuropathy treatment in Sarasota.

In short: “Neuropathy doctor” covers several different physicians. In Sarasota, numbness, tingling, and burning are evaluated by a neurologist with nerve conduction studies, by your primary care physician or endocrinologist for diabetes and vitamin causes, by a podiatrist for the feet, by pain management for medication, and by an upper cervical chiropractor when the symptoms follow a nerve-root pattern from the neck, affect the hands and arms, or persist with normal nerve tests. Florida chiropractors do not hold specialty designations, and we do not describe ourselves that way. This page explains who does what, the one distinction that decides which door you need, and where Lavender Family Chiropractic fits. Call (941) 243-3729.

Why the search for a neuropathy doctor is confusing

Neuropathy is common, under-diagnosed, and often without a found cause. The population-based Rotterdam Study, published in Neurology in 2016, screened 1,310 middle-aged and older adults with questionnaires, examination, and nerve conduction studies and found polyneuropathy in at least 4 percent, rising with age; almost half of the cases were newly diagnosed at the study visit, and 46 percent were idiopathic, meaning no cause was found. A 2022 update in the same journal on 4,114 participants found that more than half of those with chronic polyneuropathy had never received the diagnosis through regular care, with diabetes (34 percent) and vitamin deficiencies (15 percent) the most common known risk factors, and projected a 25 percent rise over the next 20 years as the population ages. Sarasota’s demographics make that projection a present-tense fact here.

The word “neuropathy” also hides a distinction that decides everything about who should see you. Peripheral polyneuropathy is damage to the long nerves themselves, usually starting in both feet, driven by diabetes, vitamin deficiency, alcohol, chemotherapy, or unknown causes. Radiculopathy is irritation of a nerve root where it leaves the spine, producing numbness or tingling in a specific strip of skin, often one-sided, often in the arm or hand when the neck is the source. The two feel similar to the patient. They are treated by different people. Cervical radiculopathy is not rare: a population-based study in Brain covering 561 cases over 15 years found the C7 and C6 roots most often involved, spondylosis or disc behind about 68 percent of cases, and a history of exertion or trauma before onset in only 15 percent, meaning most people cannot point to an injury and assume the tingling is “neuropathy.”

Who treats neuropathy in Sarasota

Neurologist. The physician who confirms neuropathy with nerve conduction studies and EMG, distinguishes polyneuropathy from radiculopathy, orders the blood work for treatable causes (glucose, B12, thyroid, protein electrophoresis), and considers skin biopsy for small-fiber neuropathy when standard tests are normal. A 2023 position statement of the Italian Society of Neurology in Neurological Sciences sets out that small-fiber assessment should combine at least two of heart-rate variability and sympathetic skin response, laser-evoked potentials, skin biopsy, or corneal confocal microscopy, which is a reminder that a “normal EMG” has not examined the small fibers at all.

Primary care physician or endocrinologist. Where diabetic neuropathy is prevented and managed, through glucose control, and where B12 and other deficiencies are corrected.

Podiatrist. For foot care, ulcer prevention, and footwear when neuropathy has reduced sensation in the feet.

Pain management physician. For the medications used in neuropathic pain and for nerve blocks.

Upper cervical chiropractor. For the neck. When tingling or numbness follows a nerve-root pattern into the shoulder, arm, or hand, when it is one-sided, when it changes with head position, or when nerve conduction tests come back normal and the symptoms persist, the question becomes whether the neck is the source. Nerve roots leave the cervical spine through openings whose size changes with alignment, and the same nerve can be compressed at two points at once, the neck and the wrist, which surgeons call double crush; a 2024 study in Spine of 79 such patients found that cervical radiculopathy and carpal or Guyon’s canal compression commonly coexist and that treating only one site leaves symptoms behind. We measure the alignment of the atlas and axis with 3D imaging and correct the upper neck without twisting. Our guide to carpal tunnel and the neck covers the double-crush pattern in detail.

How the options compare

How to tell which one you need first

Neurologist first if the numbness is in both feet, is climbing upward, comes with weakness or trouble walking, or you have diabetes. Peripheral polyneuropathy is a medical diagnosis and some causes are reversible if found early.

Primary care if you have diabetes or have not had B12, thyroid, and glucose checked.

Add an upper cervical evaluation if the tingling is one-sided or in the hands and arms rather than the feet; if it follows a strip of skin rather than a stocking pattern; if it changes when you turn or tilt your head; if your nerve conduction study was normal and the symptoms persist; if you also have neck pain, headaches, or dizziness; or if a car accident or fall preceded it. Our guides to a pinched nerve in the neck and to small-fiber neuropathy with normal EMGs cover the two patterns we see most.

What an upper cervical neuropathy evaluation at Lavender Family Chiropractic involves

We start with your neurology report and nerve conduction results; they tell us whether the long nerves are damaged, and if they are, your neurologist leads. Then a history that maps exactly where the tingling is and what changes it, a neurological examination including reflexes, strength, and sensation by nerve root, paraspinal infrared thermography, and, when the examination points to the upper neck, 3D CBCT imaging of the atlas and axis. If the upper neck is involved, a low-force Knee Chest correction with no twisting of the neck. Results vary by person; we measure before and after. If your symptoms are true peripheral polyneuropathy, we tell you that plainly and send you back to your neurologist, because that is not what we treat.

Serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice

Our office is at 5899 Whitfield Avenue, Suite 107, Sarasota, FL 34243, at University Parkway and Whitfield Avenue. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and Friday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Venice and Lakewood Ranch patients can also read our Venice and Lakewood Ranch neuropathy page.

Common questions about finding a neuropathy doctor in Sarasota

Which doctor treats neuropathy in Sarasota? A neurologist for nerve testing and diagnosis; your primary care physician or endocrinologist for diabetes and deficiencies; a podiatrist for the feet; pain management for medication; and an upper cervical chiropractor when the pattern points to a nerve root in the neck rather than the long nerves.

Is a chiropractor a neuropathy specialist? No. Florida chiropractors do not hold specialty designations, and we do not describe ourselves that way. We evaluate and correct the top of the neck; peripheral polyneuropathy is a medical diagnosis your neurologist makes and manages.

How do I know if my tingling is from my neck or my nerves? Neck-origin symptoms tend to be one-sided, in the arm or hand, follow a strip of skin, and change with head position. Peripheral polyneuropathy tends to start in both feet, symmetrically, in a stocking pattern. Nerve conduction testing settles it; the symptom pattern only raises the question.

My nerve tests were normal. What now? Normal nerve conduction studies rule out large-fiber damage. They do not measure small fibers or the neck. Both are worth evaluating when symptoms persist.

Can neuropathy be treated by a chiropractor? True peripheral polyneuropathy is not what we treat. Nerve-root symptoms from the neck are, and the two are routinely confused by patients, which is why the first step is sorting out which one you have.

How quickly can I be seen? We hold time for same-day and next-day new patient visits. See our same-day chiropractor in Sarasota page or call.

Find out whether your neck is part of your nerve symptoms

Call (941) 243-3729 or book online. Lavender Family Chiropractic in Sarasota, Florida offers a thorough upper cervical evaluation to find out whether we can help.