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Overview

Diabetes can be an utterly troublesome illness. Nerve damage is a risk with diabetes. The term “neuropathy” denotes any disease that causes nerve cells to be damaged. It is an injury that causes tons of pain for the people suffering from it.

Diabetic neuropathy is a severe and widespread consequence of type 1 and 2 diabetes. It can manifest itself in several ways and generally takes a long time to develop, sometimes taking decades. All of its symptoms get linked to blood sugar levels which stay elevated for an extended period. Touch, sensation, and movement are all affected by these cells.

To avoid it, control your blood sugar with the help of your doctor. There are other treatment options available too. However, it is crucial to know what diabetic neuropathy is before you understand its treatment. Read ahead to get an idea.

What is Diabetic Neuropathy?

Diabetes has often gotten linked to a slew of health issues. One of the most prevalent and frustrating diabetes symptoms is diabetic neuropathy. It is nerve damage caused by diabetes, and it’s utterly uncomfortable and torturesome.

For up to 50% of diabetic individuals, it has always been this way. Diabetic neuropathy develops when the body’s nerves get damaged by excessive levels of sugar or fat in the blood. All of this results in some of the body’s essential activities getting hampered.

Nerves are bundles of tissues that convey impulses from your brain to the rest of your body. They play a crucial role in how our bodies function. Sending signals for movement, sensing or feeling things, regulating biological processes like thinking and digestion, and controlling automatic and voluntary actions like breathing are all examples of these functions.

Diabetic neuropathy can disrupt virtually any nerve in the body, encompassing a ton of signs and symptoms that lead to severe complications by worsening over time. Individuals are often symptomatic before undergoing a clinical assessment that reveals every problem.

What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Neuropathy?

The kind you have and which nerves get impacted will determine your symptoms. Symptoms often appear gradually. Possibly, you might not even realize anything is way off the mark until significant nerve damage occurs. Here are some prevalent symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

1. Loss of feeling or pain in your feet or hands
2. Hypersensitivity to touch or a loss of sensation of contact
3. Muscular atrophy
4. Increased heart rate
5. intense or significantly reduced sweating
6. Burning sensations in the feet, especially during the night

What Are the Different Types of Diabetic Neuropathy?

When you have Diabetic Neuropathy, you must understand how this illness works. It has at least four divisions, which get described next:

• Autonomic Neuropathy: Your body’s autonomic nervous system controls processes you do not have conscious control over. Your eyes, heart, stomach, bladder, intestines, and sex organs are all under its control. If your physician diagnoses you with this kind of diabetic neuropathy, you may have several symptoms. These may be nausea, diarrhea, bloating, and constipation. Other than that, you may also suffer from adapting from light to dark, abnormalities in your eyes, digestion problems, and decreased sexual reactions.
• Focal Neuropathy: When a single nerve or a collection of nerves gets damaged, it is known as focal neuropathy. All of this causes the afflicted area to feel extremely weak and achy. Pain in the head, leg, or torso occurs suddenly, however, only seldom. Aching behind the eyes, blurred or double vision, and facial paralysis are also possible symptoms.
• Peripheral Symmetric Neuropathy: One of the most prevalent types of diabetic neuropathy is peripheral neuropathy. It generally starts with the feet and legs, although it can also affect the arms, belly, and spine in rare situations. You may not notice any pain in your foot if you have this form of neuropathy. Diabetes patients frequently have impaired blood circulation, making wound healing more challenging. Numbness, tingling, muscular spasms, and weakness are all possible symptoms.
• Proximal Neuropathy: The most uncommon kind of neuropathy is proximal neuropathy. Nerves in the thighs, hips, buttocks, legs, abdominal region and chest are frequently affected. This illness affects people over the age of 50 who have type 2 diabetes that is well-controlled. Severe stomach, hip, and thigh pains are possible side effects.

What Are the Causes of Diabetic Neuropathy?

There is no established explanation for each type of neuropathy. Uncontrolled elevated blood sugar, according to researchers, destroys nerves over time and disrupts their capacity to deliver messages, resulting in diabetic neuropathy. The walls of the tiny blood arteries (capillaries) that transport oxygen and nutrients to the nerves also get weakened by high blood sugar. Neuropathy can affect anyone with diabetes. However, you are more prone to developing nerve injury if you have certain risk factors. Poor blood sugar management, a history of diabetes, renal disease, overweight, and smoking are all possible causes.

What is the Treatment For Diabetic Neuropathy?

Diabetes-induced nerve damage is irreversible. It is because the body cannot heal damaged nerve tissues. Researchers, on the other hand, are looking into ways to repair diabetic nerve damage. While neuropathy cannot get reversed, it can get managed by reducing blood sugar and addressing nerve discomfort. This treatment for neuropathy aims to decrease the disease’s course, relieve pain, minimize difficulties, and restore function.

Pain Management

Diabetes-related nerve pain can further get treated with prescription medicines. Even if you are not depressed, antidepressants can help with nerve pain to help further diabetic neuropathy treatment. Several seizure treatments can get taken with pain relievers. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are two over-the-counter drugs. Other than that, numerous drugs are effective in alleviating symptoms. It is crucial to discuss the available medications with your doctor and any possible side effects.

Balanced Diet

Patients must eat a well-balanced diet. To acquire both of these, you will need to work closely with your doctor. They may advise you to follow a diet rich in fruits, low-fat dairy, vegetables, and whole grains to gradually lower your blood sugar and fat levels into a healthy range. Moreover, your diet should include a sufficient amount of poultry, nuts, fish, and beans, as well as a reduced amount of red meat.

Aside from that, if you have digestive problems due to your neuropathy, your doctor may advise you to eat smaller meals more frequently and reduce the quantity of fat and fiber in your diet. You must adhere to these guidelines while keeping a healthy body weight. Undoubtedly, a well-balanced diet is not just necessary for your recovery.

Exercise is A Must!

It is crucial to stick to a healthy fitness routine. According to the type of neuropathy you have, even 30 minutes of exercise five times a week would be sufficient. Aerobic exercises, such as jogging or swimming, strength training exercises, and functional training are examples of these workouts. They alleviate pain caused by neuropathic symptoms or improve nerve transmission and body part function. If you do not want to do anything too strenuous, stick to usual workouts like walking 3-4 times a week. It can help control blood sugar levels and minimize aches caused by neuropathy.

Final Thoughts

One can treat diabetic neuropathy merely by taking proper care of oneself. Even though it appears challenging at first, you will be on your recovery path and feeling a lot better in no time.