Take the right steps
Prevent neuropathy
“At night, it feels like my feet are on fire. Is this from diabetes?”
A burning sensation in your feet could be due to nerve damage from diabetes called peripheral neuropathy. About 50 per cent of people with diabetes (PWDs) develop nerve damage, and peripheral neuropathy is the most common kind, affecting toes, feet, legs, hands and arms.
What’s happening
Over time, the nerves of PWDs can become damaged and misfire, causing pain.
Eventually those nerves die off, which results in a loss of feeling. You may notice your feet are numb, yet hurt at the same time. Although dead nerves cause numbness, remaining damaged nerves cause pain.
High blood sugar is to blame for some of the nerve inflammation and damage. The risk factors for atherosclerosis (build-up in arteries) – such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which cause blood vessel blockages – can make the nerve damage worse, too. The longer you’ve had diabetes, the more likely you’ll experience neuropathy.
Symptoms
Neuropathy typically shows up first in the toes and feet. You may notice tingling (pins and needles), a burning sensation or shooting pain. These discomforts typically come and go, seem worse at night, and affect one or both sides of the body.
Over time, you may lose all sensation, such as to touch, heat, cold and pain. Some people have nerve damage but don’t notice any symptoms.
Identification and treatment
Your doctor can do simple tests, such as testing ankle reflexes and an ability to sense vibrations and hot and cold objects.
There aren’t any meds that can prevent or reverse neuropathy, although exercise improves blood flow to the feet and hands.
Smoking and alcohol abuse up your risk of diabetic neuropathy and infected sores. Prescription drugs such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and pregabalin (Lyrica) can help reduce – but not eliminate – pain.