Diabetic Neuropathy

Overview

Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur if you have diabetes. High blood sugar (glucose) can injure nerves throughout your body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in your legs and feet. Depending on the affected nerves, symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can range from pain and numbness in your legs and feet to problems with your digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and heart. Some people have mild symptoms. But for others, diabetic neuropathy can be quite painful and disabling.

Peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy. It affects the feet and legs first, followed by the hands and arms. Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are often worse at night, and may include:

• Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes
• Tingling or burning sensation
• Sharp pains or cramps
• Increased sensitivity to touch - for some people, even the weight of a bedsheet can be painful
• Muscle weakness
• Loss of reflexes, especially in the ankle
• Loss of balance and coordination
• Serious foot problems, such as ulcers, infections, and bone and joint pain

Why does diabetic nerve pain need a specific approach?

Neuropathic pain behaves differently from mechanical pain. It comes from the nerves themselves rather than from a strained muscle or an irritated joint, which is why it often burns, tingles, or shoots, and why ordinary painkillers that work well for a sprain or a backache frequently disappoint. Managing it well means choosing treatments suited to nerve pain specifically and reviewing them over time, rather than simply increasing doses of medication that was never designed for this type of pain.

Just as important is the underlying driver: blood sugar. Keeping glucose within the range agreed with your physician is central to slowing further nerve damage. Our family medicine service can follow your diabetes over time and coordinate with your treating physician or endocrinologist, so that pain relief and glucose control move forward together instead of being handled separately.

Our approach at Active Health Clinic

At Active Health Clinic Beirut, diabetic neuropathic pain is addressed on two fronts. Our family medicine service provides ongoing management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, with coordination with specialists when needed. For the pain itself, our chronic pain management team assesses each patient and builds a personalized, multidisciplinary plan to reduce pain and preserve daily function.

How we help

Within that multidisciplinary plan, several services can play a role depending on your assessment:

• Medication review: our medical team reviews what you currently take for pain and, where appropriate, discusses adjustments with your treating physician so that treatment stays suited to nerve pain.
• Graded physical activity and balance work: because neuropathy can affect balance and coordination, our physiotherapy and rehabilitation team can build a progressive program that helps maintain strength, steadiness, and confidence in walking.
• Foot-care awareness: we take time to explain daily foot checks and footwear habits, because reduced sensation means small problems can grow silently.
• Lifestyle and nutrition support: our nutrition and food therapy service can support the dietary side of diabetes management, which in turn supports glucose control.

Daily self-care that protects your feet

When sensation in the feet is reduced, small injuries can go unnoticed and become serious. A few simple habits can help protect you:

• Inspect your feet every day, including between the toes, for cuts, blisters, redness, or swelling. Use a mirror or ask for help if needed.
• Wear well fitting, closed shoes and clean, dry socks. Check inside your shoes for pebbles or rough seams before putting them on.
• Avoid walking barefoot, even at home or on the beach.
• Wash and dry your feet daily, and moisturize dry skin, but not between the toes.
• Report any wound, ulcer, ingrown nail, or change in color or temperature to your doctor early, rather than waiting to see if it heals on its own.