Understanding Your Diabetic Hands And Legs

By Author: Sushrut Ayurved
Total Articles: 12
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Understanding your Diabetic hands and legs

Long term diabetes or uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause many health complications. One of the most common of these is peripheral neuropathy. High sugar levels damage small blood vessels and nerves and the first impact is usually seen in the extremities i.e. legs, feet and hands.

This usually manifests itself as tingly feelings in the legs or hands, pins and needles or numbness. Over time with more intensive nerve damage, the nerves can stop sending signals to the brain. This can be very dangerous as you may stop feeling sensations of heat, cold or pain. You may not realise if you are burning your hand or if you have a sore on your foot or you have cut yourself. You could get infected but would not know since you won’t feel any pain. Some people end up losing their legs because some wound was left untreated or some infection was not controlled. Therefore along with keeping a regular watch on the condition of your hands and feet, it is important to track the symptoms so as to minimize future risks.

Some of the earliest symptoms described by patients ...
... are:
Tingling
Numbness
Pins and Needles
Prickly Sensation
Stabs
Pain
Burning sensation

Apart from these be on the lookout for
Touch Sensitivity: You might have a heightened sensitivity to touch and your hands or feet might react strongly at unexpected times.

Muscle Weakness: High glucose levels can damage nerves that tell your muscles how to move. So you might find it difficult to control muscles or to hold things or carry things with your hands.

Balancing Problem: Sometimes as your body adjusts to muscle weakness you might find that your sense of balance has deteriorated. Numbness of feet or loss of coordination can also contribute to the loss of balance.

Since many of these symptoms occur over a period of time, and can easily be confused for other problems, it can be difficult to associate them with diabetes induced neuropathy. The best way to keep on top is to ensure that you keep a constant watch on the condition of your hands and feet. Examine them regularly for any signs of cuts, sores, wounds or infections. Clean them regularly with warm water but don’t allow them to stay wet as that can promote fungal infections.
Moisturize them everyday to avoid cracking due to extreme dryness. Protect your feet with proper and comfortable shoes. Wear gloves for your hands whenever necessary.

As always prevention is better than cure!