Many people with diabetes eventually develop a form of nerve damage, known as diabetic neuropathy. High blood sugar can injure nerve fibers throughout your body, but most often nerves in your legs and feet are damaged. For some people, these symptoms are mild; for others, diabetic neuropathy can be painful, disabling and even fatal.

Diabetic neuropathy is the most common serious complication of diabetes. Yet you can often prevent diabetic neuropathy or slow its progress with tight blood sugar control and a healthy lifestyle.

• A tingling, burning or prickling sensation that starts in your toes or the balls of your feet and gradually spreads upward
• Sharp, jabbing or electric shock-like pain that's worse at night
• Extreme sensitivity to the lightest touch — for some people, even the weight of a sheet can be agonizing
• Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain or changes in temperature, especially in your feet
• Loss of balance and coordination
• Muscle weakness and difficulty walking
• Serious foot problems, such as ulcers, infections, deformities, and bone and joint pain

Have you or anyone you know experienced any of these symptoms? If, so take a look at our Treatment Plans