Diabetic Pain & Treatments
If you or someone you love lives with diabetes, we know we don’t have to tell you how challenging that can be in many ways. We recognize how much strength and resilience it takes to live with a chronic disease, especially diabetes.
To that end, we wanted to spend a little time talking about some ways that we focus our comprehensive pain management on helping improve the quality of life for our patients with diabetic pain. Today we’re going to talk about how pain and diabetes are connected and the types of treatments we offer that may help.
What is Diabetic Pain?
The most common type of pain caused by diabetes is related to nerve damage. Nerve damage occurs when blood sugar levels remain unchecked in a person’s body for an extended period. Diabetic pain is also known as diabetic neuropathy and can be either autonomic or peripheral.
The most common type to cause diabetic pain is peripheral neuropathy, which tends to affect the extremities (especially legs and feet) in the form of:
Numbness or tingling
Sharp or aching pain
Increased sensitivity
Difficulty or pain with walking
Numbness or weakness
Cuts taking longer to heal
If you ignore these symptoms, the problems will persist and get worse. You can expect to see severely dry, cracked skin, calluses and ulcers over time and eventually, if left untreated, you may be faced with amputation.
Managing Diabetic Pain
Unfortunately, once a nerve is damaged, the body cannot repair that damage. There are still many things you can do to prevent further damage, however. We have Asheville doctors accepting new patients who can help you create a customized diabetic neuropathy treatment plan. Some of the options you may discuss at your appointment include:
Stay on Top of Your Diabetes: One of the most helpful strategies for preventing further nerve damage and pain is to do all you can to manage your blood glucose levels. Maintain a healthy weight, quit nicotine, lower your blood pressure, get regular exercise. Be sure to take precautions with your feet, checking them regularly for cuts or injuries and wear shoes as often as possible.
Medication: There are several pharmaceutical options available to help manage your diabetes as well as help slow the progression of diabetic neuropathy. Some of the top medications include: Pregabalin, Duloxetine, Amitriptyline, Gabapentin and Opioids. Your doctor may also recommend the use of a topical gel or cream like capsaicin or lidocaine.
Therapies: At Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas, we offer a variety of specialty services that target peripheral neuropathy including surgical intervention and reducing pressure on nerves elsewhere in the body. If you prefer an alternative medicine approach, both physical therapy and acupuncture are highly recommended. Swimming and other low-impact exercises can be helpful as well.
Comprehensive Pain Management
Whether you need help managing your diabetic pain or you’re looking for help treating your chronic low back pain (and everything in between), we’re here for you. Whatever type of chronic pain you are living with, we will take the time to properly assess it and build a personalized plan that will be monitored and adjusted regularly with care.