Mononeuropathy is one of the patterns of peripheral neuropathy. It affects a single nerve, i.e. only an isolated nerve is damaged. Mononeuropathy can have numerous causes and varied symptoms depending on which nerve is involved. Generally the symptoms depend on the nerve involved and the treatment depends on the underlying cause of the nerve damage.
Symptoms of a mononeuropathy will depend on the nerve involved and thus it will be dependent on the functions of the nerve. A motor nerve if involved is likely to present with symptoms like weakness or even paralysis of the muscles which were innervated by that nerve. Similarly if a sensory nerve is involved, the symptoms may vary from altered sensations like "pins-and-needle" sensations, pain (aching or burning or other type), tingling, crawling or loss of sensations like touch, pain, position sense (this causes ataxia) etc. Involvement of autonomic nerves may present with wide variety of symptoms like problems during urination (e.g. Incontinence), altered bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation), changes in blood pressure and heart rate (especially orthostatic hypotension, i.e. sudden fall in blood pressure on standing from a lying down position).
An example of a common type of mononeuropathy is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The nerve affected is the median nerve and its involvement in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome most commonly results in numbness and tingling in thumb and next two or three fingers and palm of hands. It may affect both hands and may have other associated features like pain and difficulty with fine finger movements and sometimes in more severe cases wasting of muscles under thumb and weak grip. Another similar disease is Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome causing pain in ankle and the sole of foot and paresthesia on walking. Another very common form of mononeuropathy is Radial Nerve Compression (e.g. Saturday Night Palsy) which commonly presents with wrist drop, numbness of the back of hand and wrist. Mononeuropathies affecting the muscles of eye (called ophthalmoplegias) may result in varied symptoms like double vision, drooping of one eyelid, headache or eye pain etc.





