Diabetic Neuropathy of Your Feet Affects Balance - What You Can Do to Prevent Falls!

As many as one in two people with type 2 diabetes eventually develops a condition of chronic nerve damage in their feet known as diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Glucose, the type of sugar in your bloodstream, pours into your nerve tissues that at first can covert it into fructose and sorbitol for storage. Over a period of years the fructose and sorbitol slows down the transmission of electrical impulses across the nerve and even causes destruction of the nerve itself. As more and more nerve fibers are destroyed in your feet, there is first:

a loss of feeling, and then
a high risk of falls

Diabetics are at greater risk for falls when they have fewer sensory inputs to compensate for the loss of feeling in their feet. Closing your eyes, or walking across a dark room for example, will result in more falls. Even standing on one foot is harder for a diabetic to do with their eyes closed, but easier if eyes are open so the diabetic can judge whether he or she is standing up straight.

The most important nerves in your feet for maintaining balance are at the sides of your feet. Anything that keeps your foot flat on the floor increases the information flowing to your brain so that it can prevent falls. Vibrating shoe soles can also help prevent falls by constantly redirecting attention to your feet... but they are not very helpful in the dark. The brain still needs information from your eyes to compensate for lack of information from your feet.

What can be done to improve diabetic peripheral neuropathy?

Here are some treatments that work:

alpha-lipoic acid can reverse many of the symptoms of nerve damage. Always take 1 mg of biotin with every 100 mg of alpha-lipoic acid to prevent biotin deficiency
gel insoles may send pressure sensation to the sides of your feet where diabetic nerve damage is usually least
in diabetic men, any drug for treating erectile dysfunction will also improve diabetic peripheral neuropathy
tricyclic antidepressants such as amitryptyline (Elavil) relieve foot pain and peripheral neuropathy, but they are usually not enough to guarantee balance
capsaicin (hot pepper) creams usually reduce foot pain... but they do not restore balance. Be sure to use capsaicin creams as directed on the label and be careful to avoid getting any of the cream in your eyes.

Approximately 15% of people with diabetes will develop a serious foot problem of some kind during their lifetime and about 1 in 10 type 2 diabetics develop neuropathy of their feet even before being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Every person with diabetes, type 1 or type 2, should get regular foot exams to make sure the first time they learn they have diabetic peripheral neuropathy is not when they have had a nasty fall. Don't hesitate to remind your health care provider to check for sensation in your feet at least once a year as part of a comprehensive foot check!

Would you like more information about alternative ways to handle your type 2 diabetes?

To download your free copy of my E-Book, click here now: Answers to Your Questions ... its based on questions many diabetics have asked me over recent months.

Beverleigh Piepers is a registered nurse who would like to help you understand how to live easily and happily with your type 2 diabetes. http://drugfreetype2diabetes.com/blog

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