Have Diabetes And Feet Numb? It May Be Peripheral Neuropathy

If you have diabetes and your feet feel numb, you may have peripheral neuropathy. The first thing you should do is to see your doctor for treatment. While you are waiting for your appointment, below is some information about this so you can understand better of what is going on with your feet.

Peripheral Neuropathy

If you do not control your diabetes and have high blood sugar, it can cause never damage in your feet. Once the nerves are damaged, you will have symptoms like loss of sensation, numbness, and may even feel pain in your feet, as well as your hands and legs. Over time, you may find it difficult to walk if you do not get this treated.

You may get a sore on your food and not even realize it because your feet are numb. The sore can quickly become infected and could lead to amputation. If it goes untreated the infection will spread through your bloodstream and it can cause death.

Treatment

When you see your doctor for this problem they may first try to treat it with medications. For example, they will prescribe pain relievers if you are feeling severe pain. These pain relievers are much stronger than what you can purchase over the counter. Topical treatment is used if you have sores on your feet. If the sores are infected, the doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics, as well as an antibiotic ointment that is placed directly on the sore.

Chiropractor

If the above does not help you, the doctor may suggest that you see a chiropractor who can treat this problem in different ways. One thing they may use is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TEN). This is a small unit that delivers an electric current to the nerves. Electrodes are placed on the painful area and the current travels through the electrodes. How long and how often this is used depends on your treatment plan.

The chiropractor will use techniques that improve the blood circulation in the sore areas. This brings oxygen to the damaged nerves, which will result in less pain.

The chiropractor may use an Electronic Signal Treatment (EST) to do Electroanalgesia Therapy. With this, a electro-medical wave generator sends signals that block the nerve fibers to alleviate pain.

Your doctor can go over these treatment options with you in more detail, as well as other treatment they may offer, so you can understand them better.