Diabetic neuropathy is known to be a variant of diabetes that affects about one in two people that suffer from the condition. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or are genetically predisposed to it, it’s crucial to keep an eye out for the symptoms.
Diabetic neuropathy causes nerve damage that can commonly occur in a diabetic patient and happens when a patient suffers from high blood sugar. Many parts of your body could be affected by diabetic neuropathy; however, it’s more common to occur in the legs and feet of a patient since a lot of blood and pressure is found there.
Before scheduling an online physiotherapy consultation in Brisbane, here are a few things to know about diabetic neuropathy:
The Various Types Of Diabetic Neuropathy
There are various ways for a person to suffer from diabetic neuropathy. In fact, there are currently four known main variants of the condition. You should understand that it’s also possible for more than one type to occur as it could affect multiple parts of your body simultaneously.
Here is a breakdown of each type:
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Peripheral Neuropathy
- Also known as Distal Symmetric Peripheral Neuropathy, this type of diabetic neuropathy is considered to be the most common among the variants. It’s known to affect the feet and legs of a patient. There is also a possibility that it can affect the arms and hands at later stages. Patients with this variant experience numbness to affected regions, as well as various negative experiences from tingling and burning to something more serious like ulcers and infections to the feet.
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Autonomic Neuropath
- This variant of neuropathy involves the nervous system. Specifically, it affects the nerves among your heart, bladder, stomach, intestines, sex organs, and even the eyes. Once these regions of your body are affected, you could experience anything of the following: bladder and/or bowel problems, loss of appetite, trouble adjusting eyes from light to dark, and even lack of sexual response.
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Proximal Neuropathy
- Also known as Diabetic Polyradiculopathy and Diabetic Amyotrophy, this variant affects a patient’s lower regions, such as their thighs, hips, buttocks, and legs. In rarer occurrences, it can also affect the abdomen and chest, often on one side of the body before moving to the other. You might be suffering from this variant if you’re undergoing severe pain in the hips, thighs, and/or buttocks. Patients also often report difficulty in sitting and standing up since their thigh muscles are subject to weakening and shrinkage.
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Focal Neuropathy
- Also referred to as Mononeuropathy, focal neuropathy has two types where either one affects a specific nerve in the cranial or the peripheral region. Suffering from this variant will lead to trouble with eyesight such as double vision and difficulty in focusing. You can also suffer from pain behind one of your eyes as well as Bell’s palsy where one side of your face is paralyzed. It’s also fairly common to have numbness in your fingers.
If you ever catch yourself suffering from any of these symptoms, the next best thing that you should do is to contact a doctor, especially when the symptom is enduring of any over-the-counter medicine.
Conclusion
Always watch out for your body, even little cuts and sores could be something that might lead to more severe occurrences. You should also be aware that having annual checkups is a must considering that you could never know what might happen to you if you left your body unchecked.
Anytime Physio is a Brisbane physiotherapy clinic. We are committed to helping alleviate your body pains, working with your personal needs to help create a training regimen that you can handle. Schedule a consultation with us today to find out more!
