4 Types of Nerve Damage

1. Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy. It affects nerves in your feet and legs. It also may affect your hands and arms.

Symptoms may include:

Numbness

Reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes

Tingling

Burning

Shooting pain (that may be worse at night)

Extreme sensitivity to touch (even the weight of a bed sheet is painful)

Weak muscles

Loss of reflexes

Serious foot problems (e.g., ulcers, infections, deformities, and bone and joint damage)

2. Autonomic Neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy is the second most common type of diabetic neuropathy. It affects nerves in your internal organs.

Symptoms may include:

Don’t know you have low blood sugar

Frequent urinary tract infections

Loss of bladder control

Trouble emptying your bladder

Diarrhea

Constipation

Nausea

Vomiting

Sensation of fullness

Loss of appetite

Difficulty swallowing

Erectile dysfunction in men

Vaginal dryness and other sexual difficulties in women

Increased or decreased sweating

Dizziness

Drops in blood pressure when getting up or lying down

Problems staying warm or keeping cool

Trouble adjusting your eyes to dark or light

Increased heart rate even when you’re resting

3. Focal Neuropathy

Focal neuropathy is the third most common form of diabetic retinopathy. It affects single nerves, most often in your hand, head, torso, and leg.

Symptoms may include:

Double vision

Difficulty focusing your eyes

Paralysis on one side of your face

Pain in your shin or foot

Pain in the front of your thigh

Carpal tunnel syndrome:

Numbness or tingling in your fingers or hands

Weakness in your hand that may cause you to drop things

4. Proximal Neuropathy

Proximal neuropathy is a rare form of diabetic retinopathy. It affects nerves in your hips, thighs, and buttocks. It usually affects only one side of your body.

Symptoms may include:

Severe pain in the buttock, hip or thigh

Weak and shrinking thigh muscles

Difficulty getting up or sitting down

Pain in your chest or stomach

This type of neuropathy can be very painful and debilitating.

Preventing and Managing Diabetic Neuropathy

It is essential to manage your blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent or delay the onset of any form of diabetic neuropathy. Remember the two ways to prevent type 2 diabetes.

If you have diabetes, your chances of developing nerve damage go up as you get older. Your chances also go up the longer you have diabetes. That’s why it’s important to manage your diabetes to prevent health problems like diabetic neuropathy.