Do you know that up to 50% of individuals with diabetes have some type of diabetic neuropathy? Are you a diabetic patient? Then, it is common to feel numbness in your feet at times. Though there is nothing unusual in this, it can seriously impact your quality of life. Almost half of individuals with diabetes lose feeling in their feet. If you also are facing such situations, it’s time to get effective diabetic foot ulcer treatments in India.
Besides possibly being alarming, numbness can be both painful and even cause accidental falls if you lose balance. Having high blood sugar or diabetes can put you at greater risk of having diabetic neuropathy. It’s a condition that damages the nerves of the feet. High blood sugar disrupts the capacity of specific nerves to send signals.
Diabetes even damages the tiny blood vessels that supply blood to the nerves. Diabetic Neuropathy can be alarming, and hence, recognising the early signs is necessary. So, here in this blog, we will concentrate on the early signs of diabetic neuropathy in your feet.
The Definition of Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage that can impact individuals with diabetes. This condition can affect the following nerves.
- Sensory nerves, which help us feel touch, temperature, and pain
- Motor nerves, which pass the signals for you to move the muscles
- Autonomic nerves, which carry the signals for tasks like digestion, sweating, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Diabetic neuropathy most often impacts the motor and sensory nerves in your feet and legs. This condition is also known as peripheral neuropathy. Visiting a podiatrist in Kolkata is a must if you’re facing any diabetic neuropathy.
The Types of Diabetic Neuropathy
There are four significant categories of diabetic neuropathy.
- Peripheral Neuropathy: Also known as symmetric peripheral neuropathy, this condition is the most common. Peripheral neuropathy impacts the legs and feet first, followed by the arms and hands.
- Proximal Neuropathy: This type of neuropathy impacts the nerves in the hips, thighs, legs, or buttocks.
- Autonomic Neuropathy: The autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate, sweating, the digestive system, and sex organs.
- Focal neuropathy: Focal neuropathy or mononeuropathy refers to damage to specific single nerves in the legs, arms, torso, or face.
The Early Signs of Diabetic Neuropathyin Feet
You can have one or even more than one type of neuropathy. The symptoms rely on the types you have and the affected nerves. Up to 1 in 2 people with diabetic neuropathy do not possess any symptoms. You may not notice anything wrong until you develop notable nerve damage. The signs of diabetic neuropathy are the following.
- Numbness & Loss of Sensation in the Feet
The first significant sign of peripheral neuropathy is extreme numbness in the feet. Diabetes is a condition that can affect the nerves’ capacity to send signals. This can create a prickling or tingling sensation and numbness in the feet. Even diabetic individuals often can not feel any pain or temperature change in their feet. Consult a reputable podiatrist in Kolkata if you are facing any such symptoms.
- Sharp Pain or Burning Sensation in the Feet
Do you have diabetes? Have you ever faced sharp, tingling pain in your feet? Beware, as it can be a sign of diabetic neuropathy. You may feel a sensation of needles, pins, or something crawling on the skin. Some people may experience stabbing, burning, or shooting pains, especially at night. This pain may spread upwards into the leg.
- Excessive Sensitivity to Touch
Are your feet becoming extremely sensitive to touch? Do you feel pain in your feet even after a light touch? Then, it can be a sign of diabetic neuropathy. This condition may create difficulty in sensing temperature alterations and pain.
- Muscle Weakness & Cramps
We already have cited earlier that diabetes can ruin the blood vessels that supply blood to the nerves. This can reduce the capacity of the muscles and create weakness in the legs, ankles, and feet. Individuals with this condition can face problems with regular standing or walking. Muscle twitching or cramps are also very typical in this situation.
- Foot Drop
Foot drop is another notable symptom of motor neuropathy. Foot Drop is when a person with diabetes has difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. Foot drop also creates problems in maintaining balance and coordination, especially in the dark.
- Serious Foot Ailments
More or less, now we all know that diabetic patients are prone to some specific foot ailments. Swollen feet, bone or joint damage, ulcers, and infection are some common symptoms.
When to Visit a Podiatrist
Call your healthcare provider or a podiatrist in Kolkata for an appointment if you have any of the following.
- A sore or cut on your feet that has an infection and hence won’t heal
- Extreme weakness, tingling, burning, or pain in your feet or hands that interfere with day-to-day activities.
How Can Custom Insoles Benefit Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is a condition that causes nerve damage. Wearing the appropriate footwear can help lessen the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. But how? Custom insoles prescribed by podiatrists can distribute the pressure evenly and prevent high-pressure points that may cause ulcers. Apart from that, custom insoles also enhance foot alignment and mobility and lessen pain or discomfort.
The Closing Thoughts
These are some common yet prominent symptoms of diabetic neuropathy in feet. If you develop this situation, function closely with the podiatrists and follow their suggestions for slowing its progression. With the proper care and custom insoles, you can lessen the damage to your nerves and avoid complications.
We at Curafoot are here to offer you the proper guidance and treatments associated with any foot condition. Contact India’s #1 foot clinic, Curafoot, and get expert care for issues like diabetic neuropathy. Hurry up and book your consultation today.
