Many diabetics don’t realise they have the condition until pain shows up in their extremities, at which point damage is already underway.
Left untreated, these minor niggles can lead to permanent nerve damage from peripheral neuropathy.
A type 1 diabetes patient named Charlotte described some of the painful complications she’s faced as a result of the condition.
Filming herself walking in the snow for a recent TikTok, she shared: “The lengths I have to go to due to not looking after my diabetes. I’ve got neuropathy in my feet, which means I get burning sensations.
Peripheral neuropathy causes burning sensations in the feet
TIKTOK / CHARLOTTE1DX
“It feels like needles going in my feet. It feels like an elastic band being fired onto my feet, so I love it when it snows, this is the only relief that I get."
She urged others with the conditions to look after themselves, noting: “It’s not worth the complications that you get.
“I have to wear flip flops year-round, can’t put my feet under the duvet at night, can’t put my feet in the bath."
The main symptoms listed on the NHS diabetes page are excessive thirst, peeing a lot, feeling weak or tired, blurred vision, and losing weight.
Dr Lala Faithful, M.D. RN explained why the lower extremities are often among the first body parts to show symptoms of the disease.
She told GB News: “Diabetes type 1 is an autoimmune disease, or type 2, where elevated blood glucose damages nerves, also called peripheral neuropathy, accumulates in the arteries of the lower extremities and desensitises the legs or any part of the body."
Not only is this responsible for nerve damage, but it may also lead to changes in skin texture, Dr Faithful pointed out.
“The elevated blood glucose, also known as hyperglycaemia, deregulates the body’s thermoregulation processes, hot and cold functions, thereby altering the ability to effectively perspire or dry the skin.
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GETTY“Peripheral neuropathy can lead to cracked heels due to hyperglycaemia - high blood glucose - desensitising and destroying the skin cells and altering the function to maintain moisture on the surface of the body and skin."
Estimates released by NHS England at the end of 2024 put the suspected number of diabetes cases in the UK at 5.6 million, with rates rising.
Although foot pain has many medical causes, it’s important to see a GP if you experience persistent discomfort.
"Peripheral neuropathy becomes more likely the longer you have had diabetes," warns the NHS. "Up to one in four people with the condition experience some pain caused by nerve damage."
