Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is It?Is It a Symptoms of Diabetes?Treatments & ManagementWhen to Seek Medical CareFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is It?
Is It a Symptoms of Diabetes?
Treatments & Management
When to Seek Medical Care
Frequently Asked Questions
Tingling in the hands and feet—a condition known asperipheral neuropathy—is a complication that can develop in people with diabetes. Usually, this condition develops over time as a result of high or uncontrolled blood sugar levels.
In this article, you will learn what other conditions can lead to peripheral neuropathy and how to find relief if you develop tingling in your hands and feet from diabetes.
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What Is Tingling in the Hands and Feet?
Tingling in the hands and/or feet, often described as a feeling of pins and needles or a burning sensation, is referred to as peripheral neuropathy. Although this can be acomplication of diabetes, it can also result from other injuries or diseases.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Physical Injuries and Infection
All kinds of physical injuries can lead to mechanical damage to your nerves or nervous system. Broken bones can also impact the nerves beyond the point of injury.
Some common sources of injuries that could lead to peripheral neuropathy include:
Several infections can also cause peripheral nerve damage, including:
Vascular or Blood Disorders
A complex system of veins and arteries is responsible for bringing oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to all of the tissues in your body and returning depleted blood to the heart and lungs. When there is a disruption in this system and tissues or nerves are left without vital nutrients and oxygen, damage can happen fairly quickly.
Diabetes, smoking, and a narrowing of the blood vessels from high blood pressure or cholesterol are allvascular issuesthat can lead to peripheral neuropathy.
Autoimmune Diseases
Inflammation can damage tissue all over your body, and systemic—or body-wide—inflammation is common in people with autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases can also result in the body attacking its own tissues, including nerve fibers.
Autoimmune diseases that could cause you to develop peripheral neuropathy include:
What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
Metabolic Disorders
Nerve damage is a consequence of several types of metabolic imbalances and diseases, including:
Medications or Treatments for Other Conditions
Just as toxic substances and alcohol can lead to nerve damage, some medications or medical treatments can do the same. In particular, cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, carry a high risk of nerve damage and the development of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can even develop years after stopping these treatments.
Is Neuropathy a Symptom of Diabetes?
Neuropathy isn’t necessarily a symptom of diabetes. Instead, it’s a late-stage complication of the disease.Diabetic neuropathydevelops over time as high blood sugar and fats in your blood cause nerve damage. Up to half of all people with diabetes develop some form of neuropathy.
People who have diabetes along with the following conditions are most likely to develop diabetic neuropathy:
Controlling your blood sugar levels and working to resolve these risk factors can help reduce your chances of developing diabetic neuropathy.
What Are the Symptoms of Uncontrolled Diabetes?
Treatments and Management of Neuropathy
Most people who develop peripheral neuropathy from diabetes will have only mild numbness. While this numbness can be scary, most people with diabetic neuropathy retain enough sensation to help avoid serious injuries.
Controlling your blood sugar is the first step in treating diabetic neuropathy. With betterdiabetes management, you may notice a reduction in your neuropathy symptoms after about a year. Protecting yourself from neuropathy-related injuries, such as stepping on sharp objects, is also important. Wearing shoes—even around the house—can help.
If these measures don’t bring you any relief, your healthcare provider may offer you the following prescriptionmedications to reduce your neuropathy painand improve your overall quality of life:
Some nonpharmaceutical treatmentsthat may help reduce pain from peripheral neuropathy include:
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
In some cases, nerve damage from diabetes can extend to areas beyond your hands and feet. Some additional issues that can arise from diabetic nerve damage include:
These conditions develop when the nerves that different body processes need to function become ineffective. Talk to your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms beyond typical neuropathic pain.
Summary
While tingling or numbness in the hands and feet may be a symptom of many conditions, it can be a complication of diabetes, known as peripheral diabetic neuropathy. People with diabetes who don’t control their blood sugar are at risk of developing such complications.
If you have diabetes, talk to your healthcare provider about steps you can take to avoid developing diabetic neuropathy or other problems related to your diabetes.
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
A Word From Verywell
Diabetes can put you at risk for all kinds of complications, including tingling and numbness in your hands and feet. Controlling your blood sugar is the first step in preventing this complication. If you do develop peripheral neuropathy along with diabetes, talk to your healthcare provider about possible treatments and ways to avoid injury and infection.
Frequently Asked QuestionsHigh blood sugar in uncontrolled diabetes can lead to nerve damage that causes numbness, pain, and tingling.Learn MoreWhat Is Diabetic Neuropathy?Yes. Diabetic neuropathy is a complication of uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include numbness, tingling, burning, or pain in the hands and feet.Learn MoreDiabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms, and Outlook
High blood sugar in uncontrolled diabetes can lead to nerve damage that causes numbness, pain, and tingling.Learn MoreWhat Is Diabetic Neuropathy?
High blood sugar in uncontrolled diabetes can lead to nerve damage that causes numbness, pain, and tingling.
Learn MoreWhat Is Diabetic Neuropathy?
Yes. Diabetic neuropathy is a complication of uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include numbness, tingling, burning, or pain in the hands and feet.Learn MoreDiabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms, and Outlook
Yes. Diabetic neuropathy is a complication of uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include numbness, tingling, burning, or pain in the hands and feet.
Learn MoreDiabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms, and Outlook
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health.Peripheral neuropathy fact sheet.National Institutes of Health.What is diabetic neuropathy?Bodman MA, Varacallo M.Peripheral diabetic neuropathy. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Effectiveness of treatments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health.Peripheral neuropathy fact sheet.National Institutes of Health.What is diabetic neuropathy?Bodman MA, Varacallo M.Peripheral diabetic neuropathy. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Effectiveness of treatments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institutes of Health.Peripheral neuropathy fact sheet.National Institutes of Health.What is diabetic neuropathy?Bodman MA, Varacallo M.Peripheral diabetic neuropathy. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Effectiveness of treatments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
National Institutes of Health.Peripheral neuropathy fact sheet.
National Institutes of Health.What is diabetic neuropathy?
Bodman MA, Varacallo M.Peripheral diabetic neuropathy. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Effectiveness of treatments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
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