How Does Peripheral Neuropathy Affect Daily Life?

If you have been newly diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, one of the first things you might be worried about is how this condition will impact your current day-to-day routine. As a progressive disease, what living with diabetic neuropathy will look like for you will change as your symptoms become more profound over time. This means learning how to live with peripheral neuropathy is an absolute must for both the patient and their support system.

With this in mind, we wanted to share some of our top tips for living with diabetic neuropathy, exploring how the disease impacts day-to-day activities and what you can do to reduce the severity of your symptoms. Read on to learn helpful tips for how to live your best life after being diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy.

How bad can peripheral neuropathy get

As a neurological condition that causes numbness, tingling, and chronic pain to the affected areas, peripheral neuropathy symptoms can range in severity depending on many factors.

For someone newly diagnosed with an early stage of peripheral neuropathy, it is prevalent for the disease to have little to no impact on their current daily routine. But, as the disease progresses, symptoms can become more profound, and the patient may notice that they have less capacity to keep up with everyday tasks and activities. Three broad examples of how peripheral neuropathy affects daily life include:

• Sensory deficits

  During the early stages of peripheral neuropathy, mild numbness or tingling in the feet may constitute more of a nuisance than a debilitating affliction. But, as the disease progresses, intense pain and hypersensitivity can make putting on shoes or socks, standing upright, or applying any kind of pressure to your feet extremely difficult. These changes can significantly impact a person’s ability to maintain their existing daily routine.

• Mobility changes

  If you have been wondering, “how does peripheral neuropathy affect walking,” this section is for you. Possibly one of the most debilitating side effects of late-stage neuropathy, it is very common for people living with this disease to notice gradual changes in their ability to move on their own. Starting with minor changes, numbness in the toes can make a person feel less balanced when walking. As the disease progresses, late-stage symptoms like complete numbness in the feet can make it nearly impossible to move without additional support.

• Peripheral neuropathy and mental health

  While there is no direct connection between neuropathy and a person’s mental well-being, increased pain and difficulty moving without assistance can become incredibly frustrating. As the disease continues to worsen, it is normal for a person to become more irritable, and experience worse moods, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances. 

Living with peripheral neuropathy — what you can do to manage your symptoms

While there are many ways that diabetic neuropathy can affect a person’s daily life, it is important to note that there are various treatment options available to slow down the progression of symptoms. From adjusting your diet and exercising regularly to wearing padded non-binding diabetic socks for additional support, integrating these changes into your lifestyle is one of the best ways to maintain your current quality of life while living with neuropathy.

At Viasox, we are sympathetic to the challenges that many people living with diabetes experience throughout the day. As a leading provider of high-quality and fashionable diabetic socks worldwide, we know that our products can provide plenty of support and comfort to your feet throughout the day. Shop our entire collection of compression socks today to find the perfect pair (or two) of diabetic socks to add to your wardrobe.

For more information about our products or support with your online order, please don’t hesitate to contact our team online!