What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?
For anyone living with diabetes, the potential risk of developing diabetic neuropathy is a common concern. As a condition that can fluctuate in severity depending on a variety of different factors:
- To identify possible risk factors.
- To reduce your risk of developing severe symptoms.
- And the importance of wearing high-quality diabetic socks.
What Is Peripheral Neuropathy? This question is crucial for anyone dealing with diabetes and its complications. If you've ever wondered what causes peripheral neuropathy, what triggers its symptoms, and what the best possible treatment is, this resource is for you. We aim to provide comprehensive insights into diabetic peripheral neuropathy, helping you understand and manage this condition effectively.
What is diabetic peripheral neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy (also commonly referred to as diabetic peripheral neuropathy) is a type of nerve injury that is common in people living with diabetes. Often affecting the distal extremities like the toes, feet, fingers, and hands, diabetic neuropathy can cause unpleasant symptoms that can impact a person's ability to participate in day-to-day activities.
When combined with other common symptoms of diabetes, like edema and swelling, diabetic peripheral neuropathy can have a profoundly negative impact on a person's overall health and wellness if not adequately addressed.
How does diabetes cause peripheral neuropathy?
To better understand what causes diabetic neuropathy, we must first understand how diabetes impacts the health and function of other body areas. As an endocrine disorder, diabetes affects the function of the hormone insulin. Created in the pancreas, insulin is the hormone primarily responsible for lowering our blood sugar levels after we eat. In normal conditions, insulin is released from the pancreas after a meal and is able to bind to our cells to increase sugar intake, effectively reducing the amount of excess sugar in our bloodstream.
In people with diabetes, either the amount of insulin created or its ability to bind to our cells is impeded, resulting in increased difficulty in regulating our blood sugar levels. When this occurs, our blood sugar levels can remain high for prolonged periods, significantly damaging the other essential organs in our bodies.
Our neurological system is an incredibly complex and intricate collection of nerves that stretches around our entire body. Designed to be highly sensitive to small electrical impulses and charges, the cells that make up our nervous system are vulnerable to damage when exposed to chronically high blood sugar levels, capable of permanently injuring our nerve cells. This is why people living with diabetes are at an elevated risk of developing neuropathy.
With more than 70% of people diagnosed with diabetes experiencing some form of neuropathy as a result of the disease, it is clear that diabetic neuropathy is a serious problem. Capable of being prevented and better managed through blood sugar level monitoring and lifestyle changes, we hope that increased education and access to resources explaining what causes diabetic neuropathy will help to reduce the burden of this disease.
Risk factors for peripheral neuropathy
While no two people experience diabetes in the same way, some common risk factors can lead to the worsening of a person's diabetic neuropathy symptoms. When it comes to what triggers neuropathy, some of the most prevalent risk factors include:
- Poor blood sugar monitoring and control: For anyone living with diabetes, controlling their blood sugar levels is essential in reducing the severity of all the disease's associated symptoms. The same goes for the severity of diabetic neuropathy! A person with poorly controlled blood sugar levels is more likely to experience more profound neuropathy than those who can keep their blood sugar levels in healthy ranges.
- Kidney disease: As the body's filtration system, we need our kidneys to work at their best to filter out toxins and waste our other cells create. Easily damaged by high blood sugar levels, poor kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins that can increase the amount of peripheral nerve damage.
- Smoking tobacco: Smoking is known to cause constriction and hardening of our essential arteries throughout the body. As a result, smoking causes a reduction in blood flow to the peripheral limbs, which contributes to worsening nerve damage.
- Diabetes disease history: The longer a person is living with diabetes, the higher their risk for developing diabetic neuropathy. Prolonged exposure to high blood sugar levels is the primary risk factor for developing significant nerve damage and neuropathy symptoms.
Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy
As a common source of concern for people living with diabetes, wondering what neuropathy feels like is a natural part of learning more about the disease. Ranging in severity from person to person, some of the most common symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include:
- A tingling or burning sensation in the feet and lower extremities
- Numbness and an increased ability to feel touch and temperature changes in the affected areas
- Spontaneous sharp pains or cramps
- Increased sensitivity to pressure (some may find that wearing socks or using a bed sheet may cause significant discomfort)
- Chronically cold and discolored feet
- The development of serious conditions like foot sores and infections
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is advised that you book an appointment with your primary care provider. At your appointment, they will be able to work with you to determine how to treat your diabetic neuropathy symptoms.
How to treat diabetic neuropathy
When it comes to learning how to treat diabetic neuropathy, some of the best treatment options aim to prevent the progression of the disease.
Just like all other symptoms of diabetes, increased monitoring and daily assessment of your blood sugar levels is the most effective way to treat and prevent peripheral neuropathy. In addition to staying on top of your blood sugar levels, integrating foot care practices into your daily routine can help prevent serious injury and infection. Examples of what helps neuropathy symptoms include:
- Daily foot assessments and cleaning
- Moisturizing your feet regularly
- Trimming your toenails
- Keeping your feet dry throughout the day
- Wearing supportive non-binding diabetic socks
The benefits of high-quality diabetic socks
Our team at Viasox is proud to offer the first selection of fancy diabetic socks available on the market today. Designed to be incredibly stretchy, our socks will not create painful marks on your lower extremities like regular socks.
As a must-have in your closet due to their unique non-restrictive design, Viasox diabetic socks are great for a variety of different purposes and functions, including:
- Preventing foot and lower extremity injuries: Designed with additional padding along the sole and toes, our socks give your feet the extra support and protection they need to prevent the development of an injury.
- Keeping your feet dry: Our non-binding diabetic socks are created from a luxurious blend of high-quality materials, including polyester, bamboo charcoal, cotton, and lycra. Our socks are highly absorbent. Able to prevent unnecessary dampness around the feet, wearing diabetic socks is a great way to keep your feet happy and healthy.
- Offering antimicrobial benefits: With top-of-the-line odor control and antimicrobial capabilities, our diabetic socks provide additional support in the fight against common foot infections.
- Adding some extra flair to your wardrobe: Who said diabetic socks need to be boring? Available in a variety of fun and bold patterns, you can express your personality with our diverse collection of diabetic socks.
When it comes to improving how you treat diabetic neuropathy, adding high-quality diabetic socks to your treatment plan is an excellent option. We highly recommend discussing the health benefits of diabetic socks the next time you see your primary care provider to see if this product fits your unique health needs.
Able to offer various health benefits, including increased peripheral blood flow and protective padding for the feet without creating painful pressure marks on your calves, we are confident that you will fall in love with our selection of diabetic socks!
Buy diabetic socks online today at Viasox
And with this, hopefully, this blog post has been able to help you answer the question, "What is peripheral neuropathy?"
If you or someone you love is looking to buy high-quality diabetic socks, you have come to the right place. With hassle-free online ordering and shipping, there is no better way to connect to the best diabetic socks on the market today.
At Viasox, we proudly design and create our state-of-the-art diabetic socks in North America. Designed to accommodate any size of foot and calf muscle, our incredibly stretchy socks are sure to be a comfortable fit.
Whether you are looking to stock up on classic designs with our available bulk ordering options or want to add fun and bold sock patterns to your closet, we have got you covered.
Shop our collection online today and enjoy the many benefits that our high-quality diabetic socks have to offer!
