Free guide · Scarlet Beast En español →
Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage from diabetes): the signs, foot care, the tests, and treatment
For anyone with diabetes whose feet burn, tingle or feel numb; anyone who gets light-headed on standing, or no longer feels it when their blood sugar goes low; anyone with a sore on their foot that is slow to heal; and anyone just told they have nerve damage from diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by diabetes; that there are four kinds, and up to one-half of people with diabetes have the kind that affects the feet and legs; that foot care is very important; and that managing your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can keep it from getting worse. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: the four kinds and their signs, who gets it, daily foot care and the yearly exam, what it can do to the heart, stomach and bladder, the tests, and treating the pain. It builds the words to say to a doctor, and prints a card to keep.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- Someone with diabetes has passed out from low blood sugar? NIDDK says someone will need to give a glucagon injection and call 911.
- Chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, fainting, or sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body: call 911 (ours). NIDDK says nerve damage can keep you from feeling chest pain in a heart attack, so do not wait for it. Do not drive yourself.
- A sore, a blister, a cut, or any other problem on your foot? NIDDK says to call or see your doctor right away. Ours: if you cannot reach your doctor today, go to an urgent care center or the emergency room.
More help
- Diabetes, on this site: Diabetes · Blood sugar log · Diabetic retinopathy (the eyes) · Kidney disease · Heart, blood and hormones: find the right page.
- Where it can reach: Gastroparesis · Bladder leaks · Carpal tunnel syndrome · Living with chronic pain · Stroke: the signs.
- Day to day: Quit smoking · My medicines list · Depression.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When you can’t afford your medicine · When a medical bill is too much · Get ready for your appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 17, 2026 on NIDDK’s Diabetic Neuropathy pages (NIH): the overview, What Is Diabetic Neuropathy?, Peripheral Neuropathy, Autonomic Neuropathy, Focal Neuropathies and Proximal Neuropathy (last reviewed February 2018). Ours: calling 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, sudden weakness or drooping on one side, or someone who has passed out, and not waiting for chest pain; that sudden weakness on one side can be a stroke, so 911 comes first; going to urgent care or the emergency room for a foot problem if you cannot reach your doctor today; showing someone you live with where the glucagon kit is; not stopping or changing a prescribed medicine on your own; 988 when the pain has worn you down; that these changes are nothing to hide; health centers when money is tight; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the names of medicines (NIDDK names some), brand names, doses, research studies, and clinical pages for providers. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.