If you\u2019ve got diabetes and have experienced leg pain on a regular basis, it\u2019s probably time to see your doctor. That\u2019s because leg pain that\u2019s associated with diabetes is often a symptom of nerve damage, and it can cause some serious complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the name sounds very scientific, diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a fancy way of referring to nerve damage occurring in the outer limbs (e.g., legs and arms). In addition to or instead of pain, you may feel tingling or numbness in your limbs, which can also be an indication that the nerves aren\u2019t functioning properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is nothing to mess around with. Left untreated, diabetics can develop serious complications, including injuries or even the need to amputate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, as with any health concern, prevention is the best medicine. For diabetics, that means controlling your blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But once the leg pain is here, there are things you can do to alleviate it. Over-the-counter pain reliever, like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, can help. In more severe cases, your doctor may also prescribe medications, such as Lyrica or Cymbalta, for nerve pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise can also help because it improves blood flow to the legs. Following a healthy diet can help with weight loss, blood sugar stabilization and inflammation reduction. If you smoke, quitting may help by increasing the circulation to your limbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some diabetics find relief by using a leg cradle at night, massaging their legs or soaking their feet in warm water (assuming there are no open wounds). Outside the home, it may also be worth trying physical therapy or acupuncture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most people don\u2019t get enough nutrients from their diet alone, which is where vitamins and supplements may help. Although you should always talk to your doctor before taking vitamins or supplements, you can ask about these specific options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 vitamin D<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 alpha-lipoic acid<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 vitamin B12<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 acetyl-L-carnitine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019ve got diabetes and have experienced leg pain on a regular basis, it\u2019s probably time to see your doctor. That\u2019s because leg pain that\u2019s associated with diabetes is often a symptom of nerve damage, and it can cause some serious complications. Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Although the name sounds very scientific, diabetic peripheral neuropathy is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[753],"tags":[1036],"class_list":["post-13677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diabetes","tag-leg-pain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthymale.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}