Foot pain can make even the simplest of tasks unbearable. And if you have diabetic neuropathy, this pain can be even harder to manage.

What Is Diabetic Neuropathy?

Diabetic neuropathy refers to nerve damage caused by high levels of blood glucose. About fifty percent of people with diabetes suffer from nerve damage.

There are four main types of diabetic neuropathy. These include autonomic, peripheral, proximal and focal nerve damage.

Peripheral neuropathy refers to damage to nerves that extend from the central nervous system. The central nervous system is generally thought of as the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system connects the rest of the body to the brain and spinal cord. This means peripheral neuropathy might affect your hands, arms, fingers, toes, legs and feet.

This can lead to concerns with the feet in particular, including:

“Pins-and-needles” or tingling sensations - this is often compared to when your foot falls asleep.
Numbness or weakness in the foot
Pain or heightened sensitivity - making simple tasks like putting on socks painful
Injuries that take longer than usual to heal - ulcers or infections from even small cuts

How To Prevent or Delay Diabetic Neuropathy

There are some ways you can improve your chances of delaying or preventing diabetic neuropathy.

The best way to do so is to manage your blood glucose levels. When your blood glucose levels are too high, they damage blood vessels, restricting blood flow to the muscles and nerves. Hyperglycemia will also directly damage the function of the nerves themselves. In addition, all of the connective tissue around the nerve supporting it and cushioning it is often affected in a bad way by hyperglycemia.

You should also regulate your blood pressure, consume a healthy diet and incorporate regular exercise into your routine and maintain a healthy weight. This is often easier said than done, we get it.

If you’re not sure where to start for eating healthy - check out the Mediterranean Diet. With this lifestyle diet, you’re focusing on whole foods as opposed to processed foods.

This diet emphasizes lean meats like poultry and fish, healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and vegetables. Dr. Warner is a big advocate of following the Mediterranean Diet because it encourages socializing and reduces the stress around eating. In addition it is filled with phytochemicals and fiber that contribute to amazing health.

When it comes to exercise - exercise doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Start with something you love that’s low-impact and build up to at least 150 minutes a week (or 30 minutes over five days). We love walking, swimming, cycling or yoga for low-impact workouts. You can also break that 30 minutes up into 3 10-minute sessions a day rather than one single 30-minute session.

The Healing Sole Can Get You Back On Your Feet

If you’re having a hard time remaining active due to diabetic neuropathy in the foot, we’d recommend trying The Healing Sole.

If you have neuropathy, you likely aren’t able to feel the bottom of your feet as well as you used to. So it may be more difficult to know when you’ve damaged or caused stress to the foot. A rocker bottom sole, as well as the compressible inner heel and non-compressible outer heel, are able to distribute weight differently than a traditional shoe, therefore giving the foot a chance to recover.

The textured footbed on The Healing Sole was carefully designed to potentially allow for improved proprioception, so even if you’re experiencing numbness, you may have a better sense of the foot’s movement in each step. This is based on the science of the gate control theory of pain. That said, if there are true balance problems, consider one of the styles with a strap.

Some customers with diabetic neuropathy prefer our Emerson style, because it remains more secure and snug to the feet. The choice of style will depend upon your intrinsic balance ability. Check it out for yourself! And if you aren’t feeling relief, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Shop Now