Diabetic foot neuropathy is the damage to your peripheral nerves that heralds all foot complications. The peripheral nerves play an important role in sending information to the brain via the spinal cord.
Diabetic neuropathy is proportional to the number of years of diabetes.The highest rate of peripheral neuropathy is among people who have diabetes for more than 20-25 years. If the blood sugar is poorly controlled neuropathy may strike early.
The nerves to the feet are the longest and are affected first in the toes.(distal sensory neuropathy)
Motor neuropathy will cause toe deformities and autonomic neuropathy will cause dryness of feet due to reduced sweating.
Symptoms of diabetic foot neuropathy
The first symptom is numbness, paraesthesia,tingling, weakness burning sensation and unusual shooting pain in the feet.. However, the symptoms become worse with time and patients would notice these symptoms more at night .
People with neuropathy need to take proper care, especially the feet. Nerve damage occurs over several years and hence the symptoms are often minor at the early stages
The best way to prevent diabetic foot neuropathy is to keep blood sugar levels under control. It protects the nerves throughout the body.
Diagnosis of diabetic foot neuropathy
The doctors diagnose diabetic foot neuropathy clinically on the basis of symptoms. The doctor may check the blood pressure, muscle strength, heart rate, reflexes, vibration, temperature, light touch and more.
Experts recommend comprehensive foot examination every year to check diabetic foot neuropathy more so when the neuropathy if severe.
The doctor may examine by pricking with a nylon monofilament or testing the vibration perception threshold (VPT) using Biothesiometer which gives a rough estimate of nerve damage. People who have reduced sensation are at the risk of developing foot ulcers.
As a part of the diagnosis, some doctors may perform other tests that include - electromyography, heart rate variability, ultrasound etc.
Treatment
Primary intervention is controlling the sugars by consulting a diabetic doctor.
Once the patients present with symptoms, it's usually a symptomatic treatment . No specific drug is available to control the nerve damage or to reverse it .
The doctors usually prescribe oral medications and topical creams to relieve mild symptoms of diabetic nerve pain. If the pain or nerve damage is severe, the treatment may include - electrical nerve stimulation, laser or light therapy, magnetic therapy etc.
Madurai Foot Care Center is one of the best diabetic foot Care centers in India devoted to the treatment of diabetic foot complications. With an aim to provide world-class care for diabetics at a reasonable cost, we dedicate ourselves to improve our technology and processes continuously.
Schedule an appointment with Dr.Saravana Kumar. G to prevent diabetic foot complications!
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