Wednesday 24 April 2013

Did you know that foot burning may be due to diabetic neuropathy?

Burning feet!

When you hear the term burning feet, the image that jumps to mind is ‘feet on fire’. Well, you won’t be too far wrong. People who suffer from burning feet actually feel their foot getting warm and in severe cases, the feet feel as though they are burning up.

Burning feet is usually associated with neuropathy due to diabetes. There are a number of other reasons why people could suffer from burning feet. Some of them include Lyme disease, alcohol abuse, AIDS, thyroid problems, kidney disease, vitamin deficiencies, hypertension etc. One of the most common reasons for burning feet is neuropathy caused by diabetes.

Diabetic neuropathy induced burning feet

If diabetic neuropathy has been diagnozed as the primary cause of burning feet, the diabetes which is the cause of the burning feet has to be treated. When a person suffers from diabetes, he/she should be careful with their sugar levels and keep their diabetes under control. If not controlled, diabetes could leave to nerve damage or neuropathy. The many symptoms associated with neuropathy are numbness, pins and needles, burning sensation etc.

The first object of the doctor’s treatment will be to bring the diabetes under control to stop further nerve damage. Numbness and burning feet are just the first stages of nerve damage. If left untreated, it could lead to permanent nerve damage.

Reasons why diabetics are more prone to neuropathy

Though high sugar levels can be the cause of diabetic neuropathy, other factors can hasten it. These factors include substance abuse, kidney disease, vitamin deficiency, hypothyroidism etc. Any of these could increase the chances of a diabetic getting neuropathy. So, it is important for diabetics to not only take care of the sugar levels but also take holistic care of their bodies.

Symptomatic treatment of burning feet

There are quite a few over the counter oral medication and topical creams to help deal with burning feet. But if you are a diabetic and your burning feet is due to diabetic neuropathy, it would be better to seek the advice of a doctor before taking any medication. The doctor will be able to prescribe medication for your burning feet which will not interfere with your ongoing treatment of diabetes. These medications should help relieve the pain of burning feet.

Holistic treatment of burning feet

Burning feet are the symptoms of a more dangerous cause like diabetes. So to treat burning feet, the underlying cause which is diabetes should be treated. One of the first things a person should do if they suffer from burning feet, is to get themselves checked for diabetes. If diabetes is ruled out, other tests can be done to ascertain the underlying problem. If the cause is diabetes, then see a doctor to find out how high your sugar levels are and what kind of treatment is needed.

If your sugar levels are not very high, your doctor may put you on a diet regimen to control the diabetes. If your diabetes is more advanced you may have to start taking medication for it. Whether you have burning feet or not, if you are a diabetic, you should visit a podiatrist regularly because diabetics are prone to a number of foot problems. Diabetics can get numbness of the feet which means that if your feet get injured, you may not realize it. There are many products to help people with diabetic neuropathy protect their feet. 

By taking certain protective measures, you can safeguard your feet against the side effects of diabetic neuropathy.

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