The high blood sugar levels common with diabetes can cause damage to your peripheral nerves, leading to symptoms like tingling, burning, itching, throbbing, numbness, and pain in your hands, feet, or other parts of your body. Because November is National Diabetes Month, it’s a good time to call attention to this condition and how to manage it for better health.
Dr. Ajay Kumar and our team at New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center can determine if you have diabetic neuropathy and find ways to alleviate your symptoms and reduce the likelihood of your condition worsening so you can get on with your life. Here’s what you need to know.
When you have elevated blood glucose levels over an extended period of time, it can seriously damage the nerves in your extremities — primarily your lower legs and feet, although your hands and other parts of the body can also be affected.
It’s estimated that as many as 50% of people with diabetes have some level of diabetic neuropathy. Key symptoms in affected areas include:
If you have diabetes and also have some of these symptoms, especially in your feet or lower legs, get screened for diabetic neuropathy.
There are many different ways to address neuropathic symptoms. Here are common treatments that can alleviate pain and other symptoms associated with diabetic nerve pain.
If you struggle with high blood sugar, talk to your doctor about management options. Adjusting your diet and exercise patterns, taking oral medications, or using injectable insulin helps keep your blood glucose levels stable and within an acceptable range. While this doesn’t reverse damage already done, it can limit future damage and help minimize symptoms.
In many cases, swelling in your legs and feet contributes to nerve pain, numbness, and other symptoms. Taking over the counter anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxen may help. Talk to Dr. Kumar before beginning long-term use of any of these medications as they may cause stomach issues.
Dr. Kumar may try various topical and oral neuropathy medications to find out what works best to alleviate your symptoms. Lidocaine patches and capsaicin cream can alleviate pain and tingling or burning. Oral medications that target the nerves can also help; the most commonly prescribed medications include gabapentin and pregabalin.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy has been found effective in studies of patients with diabetic neuropathy. Dr. Kumar uses TENS to deliver a mild electrical current at the source of your nerve pain to block or confuse signals being sent to your brain and relieve your perception of pain.
Do you have diabetes and symptoms of neuropathy? We can help. Please schedule an appointment with the team at New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center. We have convenient locations in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Matamoras, Pennsylvania, and Warwick, New York.
