Are you exploring the relationship between diabetes and peripheral neuropathy? Diabetic neuropathy is a serious condition that all sufferers of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes need to know about. Peripheral neuropathy is actually a form of nerve damage that occurs as a result of high blood sugar levels. It’s very typical for the condition to develop slowly over the course of many years. The important thing to know is that you aren’t trapped in a downward spiral of worsening symptoms that will escalate until you’re dealing with devastating consequences. There are many ways to manage both diabetes and peripheral neuropathy symptoms to potentially avoid life-altering complications. In fact, we offer a complete system for reversing peripheral neuropathy for patients throughout Denver, Broomfield, and Weld County here at the Apex Chiropractic clinic in Louisville, Colorado. However, it all starts with a little bit of education on what’s really at stake when peripheral neuropathy isn’t properly managed once symptoms appear.

There are some big signs to watch out for if you’re at risk for developing peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes. While symptoms of this condition among diabetes sufferers often start off subtle, there is a real potential for you to develop skin ulcers that you’re unaware of due to nerve numbness. Prolonged peripheral neuropathy can also create serious risks for slow wound healing, infections, and amputation.

These are the signs of peripheral neuropathy among diabetics shared from Healthline:

  • Sensitivity to touch.
  • Loss of sense of touch.
  • Difficulty with coordination when walking.
  • Numbness or pain in your hands or feet.
  • Burning sensation in feet.
  • Muscle weakness or wasting.
  • Bloating or fullness.
  • Nausea, indigestion, or vomiting.
  • Diarrhea or constipation.
  • Dizziness when you stand up.
  • Excessive or decreased sweating.
  • Bladder problems.
  • Vaginal dryness.
  • Erectile dysfunction.
  • Inability to sense low blood glucose.
  • Vision trouble.
  • Increased heart rate.

The presence of one of these symptoms doesn’t necessarily indicate that your diabetes has progressed to the point of developing peripheral neuropathy. However, the sudden development of a symptom that you never had before could indicate that you’re experiencing neuropathy. It’s important to speak with a healthcare provider right away whenever you experience new or changing symptoms as a diabetic.

If you’re already at the stage where peripheral neuropathy has developed, you might be wondering if there’s anything you can do to reverse this development. One of the things that many of our patients want to know when they visit us here at Apex Chiropractic in Louisville, Colorado for peripheral neuropathy is if it’s possible to actually cure your peripheral neuropathy if you can reverse your type 2 diabetes. Can diabetic neuropathy be reversed? Take a look.

How Do You Treat Peripheral Neuropathy When You Have Diabetes?

There’s a lot that people living with diabetes can do to address peripheral neuropathy. However, it’s important to establish realistic expectations when working with a chiropractor or holistic healthcare provider to treat peripheral neuropathy. First, it’s important to know that damage that has already been done to nerve tissue can only be reversed with a very comprehensive approach. The goal is to locate the cause and the damage already present so come up with a unique solution for each and every neuropathy case.

One of the goals when seeing a chiropractor to treat peripheral neuropathy is to use stimulating therapies to activate blood flow and oxygen flow at the site of neuropathy symptoms. This helps to keep the tissue in a self-healing, regenerative state using the nutrient flow delivered by blood and oxygen. This can be accomplished using adjustments, therapeutic massage, laser light therapies, metabolic programs and electric therapies (not tens units). In addition, we can help you to discover exercises that help to keep blood flowing to your nerves to keep tissue healthy. It can also be important to focus on keeping the musculoskeletal system in proper alignment by addressing any misalignments that could be causing pressure and inflammation that will worsen peripheral neuropathy. 80% of peripheral neuropathy has a spinal component involved which is only something a chiropractor can address. While these therapies can play critical roles in helping to manage your peripheral neuropathy symptoms, they shouldn’t be confused with other treatment options on the market. Apex Chiropractic only uses top-of-the-line treatment plans that do not act like a bandaid but a solution. Of course, this brings us back to the question of whether or not peripheral neuropathy can be cured if diabetes is reversed.

Will Reversing Diabetes Cure Peripheral Neuropathy?

While reversing diabetes alone can’t undo any nerve damage that has already taken place, our comprehensive approach can reverse peripheral neuropathy if we address it from all angles. The most important thing is that reversing diabetes can prevent additional nerve damage from happening while our treatment works to reverse the damage that has already taken place. When blood sugar levels are under control, less damage is done to nerves over time. This can help to keep nerve damage in an “arrested state” instead of a developing state. What’s more, the removal of risks for infection caused by progressing diabetes can make any nerve numbness that you’re experiencing less dangerous regarding risks for things like wounds and infections.

Why Anyone With Peripheral Neuropathy Should Be Motivated to Reverse Diabetes

Hearing that reversing diabetes won’t necessarily “cure” your peripheral neuropathy by itself can be discouraging if you feel that your quality of life has been reduced by this condition. However, this isn’t a reason to give up your pursuit of reversing your diabetes. A person living with diabetes still has every reason to strive to reverse their condition. In fact, the risks associated with peripheral neuropathy and diabetes only increase as a person lives with diabetes for a longer period of time.

What happens when peripheral neuropathy with diabetes isn’t managed properly? There are actually many different complications that can arise. One of the most serious complications has to do with digestive health. Unmanaged peripheral neuropathy can allow nerve damage to develop in the digestive organs. Unfortunately, this can have devastating consequences for a person’s health because it can lead to malnutrition and malabsorption. For people with diabetes, malabsorption issues are especially concerning because it often becomes harder to manage glucose levels when experiencing digestive disruptions. Some of the common signs of nerve damage within the digestive tract include nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea.

Unmanaged peripheral neuropathy can also lead to sexual dysfunction. When nerve damage reaches the sexual organs, it can negatively impact sexual health and function. Many people with peripheral neuropathy also experience urinary problems tied to nerve dysfunction that affects the bladder. There is the potential for a person to experience poor bladder control stemming from their inability to sense when the bladder is full.

Another potential complication of diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the dysfunction of the sweat glands. In some cases, this results in excessive sweating. However, some people actually experience reduced sweating. Both scenarios are dangerous because sweating is an essential body function that helps to release toxins from the body, regulate body temperature, and protect us from everything from heat exhaustion to hypothermia.

Get Help for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Near Boulder

At Apex Chiropractic, we have a deep understanding of the complicated relationship between nerve health and diabetes. In fact, we help countless patients take steps to manage their diabetes symptoms using the state-of-the-art treatment and lifestyle changes. To find out if curing your nerve damage is possible, an in-office consultation, nerve scan and exam will give us the knowledge to let you know if we can accept your case. Our staff has the experience and knowledge regarding the specific needs of diabetic patients to help you safely manage peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Let our qualified team help you create a plan for reducing the effects of peripheral neuropathy. Book a consultation by calling (720) 328-1790 or scheduling online.