Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can include pain and numbness in the legs, feet and hands. Diabetic neuropathy symptoms can be quite painful and disabling for some. There are four main types of diabetic neuropathy, and you can suffer from one or more at the same time.
Peripheral neuropathy
This is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy, affecting the feet and legs first, followed by the hands and arms.
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can be worse at night, and may include:
- Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes
- Tingling or burning feeling
- Sharp pains or cramps
- Muscle weakness
- Extreme sensitivity to touch — for some people, even a bedsheet’s weight can be painful
- Serious foot problems, such as ulcers, infections, and bone and joint damage
Autonomic neuropathy
The system that controls blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, eyes, bladder, digestive system and sex organs is called the autonomic nervous system. Diabetes may affect nerves in any of these areas, causing symptoms including:
- A lack of awareness that blood sugar levels are low (hypoglycemia unawareness
- Drops in blood pressure when rising from sitting or lying down that may cause dizziness or fainting (orthostatic hypotension)
- Bladder or bowel problems
Slow stomach emptying (gastroparesis), causing nausea, vomiting, sensation of fullness and loss of appetite - Difficulty swallowing
- Changes in the way the eyes adjust from light to dark or far to near
- Increased or decreased sweating
- Problems with sexual response, such as vaginal dryness in women and erectile dysfunction in men
Proximal neuropathy
Nerves in the thighs, hips, buttocks or legs are often affected by this type of neuropathy. The abdominal and chest area can also be affected. Most of the time, symptoms are on one side of the body, but they may also spread to the other side. Proximal neuropathy may include:
- Severe pain in the buttock, hip or thigh
- Weak and shrinking thigh muscles
- Difficulty rising from a sitting position
- Chest or abdominal wall pain
Mononeuropathy
Damage to a single, specific nerve is referred to as mononeuropathy.
The affected nerve can be in the face, torso, arm or leg.
Mononeuropathy may lead to:
- Difficulty focusing or double vision
- Paralysis on one side of the face
- Numbness or tingling in the hand or fingers
- Weakness in the hand that may result in dropping things
- Pain in the shin or foot
- Weakness causing difficulty lifting the front part of the foot (foot drop)
- Pain in the front of the thigh
