Understanding Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the Feet

Diabetes is a growing problem around the world, thanks in part to the spread of a Westernized diet that emphasizes quick, palatable, nutrition-poor fast food and junk food. In the United States, about 40.1 million people have diabetes.

One of the serious complications of untreated or poorly managed diabetes is peripheral neuropathy. Chronically elevated blood glucose levels damage the nerves in the hands and feet, a condition known as peripheral neuropathy. 

Feet are usually the first to suffer damage, and the consequences could be dire: Every 3.5 minutes in the United States, somebody with diabetes has a foot amputated due to nerve damage and subsequent complications. 

At Advanced Medical Care, we want to help you understand neuropathy so you can protect your feet and keep pain free. Our team of caring providers can provide treatments that improve your circulation. We also may recommend FDA-approved Qutenza® to alleviate diabetic neuropathy pain.

High blood glucose damages nerves

Ideally, glucose from food gets transported by insulin into your cells, where it’s converted to energy. When you have diabetes, your body can’t process all of the dietary glucose you take in. 

With diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or you take in so much glucose that your body becomes resistant to insulin. So, instead of fueling your cells, the glucose stays in your blood vessels.

Glucose in your bloodstream damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them more susceptible to plaque accumulation and atherosclerosis. The glucose also damages the tiny vessels — called capillaries — that service your nerves, especially the nerves in your feet.

Those nerves require a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients, which come from your bloodstream. But damaged capillaries can’t deliver these essentials to your nerves. 

Over time, the nerves become damaged. They don’t function as they should and send mixed signals or no signals to your brain, resulting in symptoms such as:

• Numbness
• Tingling or burning sensations
• Chronic pain

If you have other risk factors that also damage your blood vessels, such as being overweight or being a smoker, nerve damage might be even greater. 

30 minutes brings 3 months of relief

Our experts often recommend FDA-approved Qutenza® for long-term relief of diabetic neuropathy of the feet. One 30-minute treatment in our office can give you up to three months of pain relief. 

Qutenza is a topical prescription treatment that your doctor administers. It contains 8% capsaicin, a compound derived from hot chili peppers. Qutenza works by reducing the amount of substance P — the chemical that transmits pain signals to your brain — in your nerves. 

Once your pain is under control, you can get back to your life. And you can start improving your health, too — when your feet are pain free, you can walk and exercise to improve your circulation, your insulin resistance, and your nerve health. 

Controlling pain is the first step

Once you have your pain under control, you need to address the issues that caused your neuropathy and your diabetes in the first place. In fact, being pain free might put you at risk for further complications, such as non-healing ulcers or wounds that you don’t feel until they become infected or gangrenous.

That’s why we also recommend lifestyle changes that help to control your blood sugar and keep your limbs — especially your feet — as healthy as possible. We recommend a whole-foods diet, cutting out sugar (including most fruit and all fruit juice), getting plenty of exercise, and losing excess weight.

You should also clean, dry, and examine your feet thoroughly every day. Because treatment controls your pain, you may not feel small wounds or ulcers. If you find one, be sure you get the diabetic foot care you need from your podiatrist. We also recommend regular diabetic foot care appointments. 

As part of your wellness journey, we may suggest intravenous (IV) therapy that improves your cardiovascular health and your circulation. When your blood vessels are healthy and your cardiovascular system pumps plenty of nourishing blood into your legs and feet, your nerve health may improve, too. 

Don’t ignore the pain of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Get relief and improve your nerve and overall health by contacting Advanced Medical Care in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, for nerve-pain relief today.