Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Do you have Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy?
The most common type of peripheral neuropathy damages the nerves of the limbs, especially the feet. Nerves on both sides of the body are affected.
Common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are :
- Numbness or insensitivity to pain or temperature
- Tingling, burning, or prickling
- Sharp pains or cramps
- Extreme sensitivity to touch, even light touch
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Abnormal Gait
- Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterised by lack of insulin or significantly reduced effectiveness of insulin. It affects over 30 million people in the world and is becoming an epidemic. It is a disorder of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism. Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar ) in the blood. The normal limits of blood glucose level within the body is 3.5 - 8.0 mmol/L.
Diabetics are unable to keep within the normal blood glucose levels, and are found to be below (hypoglycemia) or exceed (hyperglycemia) these levels.
The diabetic patient is the most common cause of an ‘at risk’ foot, and is the underlying reason for the majority of non-traumatic lower limb amputations due to frequent complications of peripheral neuropathy, infection, and peripheral vascular disease.
The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy vary. Numbness and tingling in the feet are often the first sign. Some people notice no symptoms, while others are severely disabled. Neuropathy may cause both pain and insensitivity to pain in the same person. Often, symptoms are slight at first, and since most nerve damage occurs over a period of years, mild cases may go unnoticed for a long time. In some people, mainly those afflicted by focal neuropathy, the onset of pain may be sudden and severe.
The early detection of peripheral neuropathy in diabetes is important since it is the main risk factor for lower limb lesions in diabetics, and therefore preventative action can be implemented by means of patient education and routine assessments.
Once established, neuropathy was thought to be largely irreversible, however now there is a treatment which has been shown to reverse Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. Studies have shown that Anodyne, a low level near infrared laser can reverse the symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy.
The Anodyne Therapy System has received the CE mark as an approved infrared medical device that increases circulation and decreases pain. Anodyne Therapy is currently used in over a thousand hospitals, universities, clinics, home health agencies, Physical Therapy centers, long term care facilities, physician offices and by the U.S. Military.
The Maher Sports and Wellness Centre is a registered Neuropathic Care Center and is happy to provide Anodyne therapy.
For more information regarding the Anodyne system, visit the Anodyne Therapy website at www.anodynetherapy.com