Diabetic Neuropathy: Numbness and Tingling in the Feet, Treatment in Hyderabad
Tingling, burning, or numbness in the feet is often diabetic neuropathy, nerve damage from years of high blood sugar. It is common and manageable, but the numbness it causes is what makes a diabetic foot dangerous. Here is what it means and what to do about it.
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See a doctor promptly if you have a foot cut or sore that is not healing, new or rapidly worsening numbness or weakness, a foot that has changed shape or become warm and swollen, or numbness that is affecting your balance or sleep. A numb foot with a wound needs same-day care. Call +91 7207904418.
Key points
- Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage from high blood sugar, felt first in the feet as tingling, burning, or numbness.
- It affects both feet, is often worse at night, and can shift between pain and complete loss of feeling.
- Established nerve damage cannot be reversed, but good sugar control can slow or stop it getting worse.
- The real danger is numbness: injuries go unfelt, which is how diabetic foot ulcers begin.
- Screening, pain relief, and foot protection together keep the foot safe and comfortable.
What is diabetic neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is damage to the nerves caused by years of high blood sugar, which harms both the nerves and the tiny blood vessels that feed them. The feet and lower legs are usually affected first, because their nerves are the longest in the body and the most vulnerable. It is one of the most common complications of diabetes. The peripheral form, affecting the feet, hands, and legs, is the type this page focuses on, because it is the one that threatens the foot.
Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy in the feet
Symptoms usually begin in both feet and are often worse at night. They can range from painful to numb, and many people move between the two over time.
The painful side
Tingling or pins and needles, burning, sharp or shooting pains, cramps, and skin so sensitive that even a bedsheet hurts.
The numb side
Loss of feeling, a dead or wooden sensation, feeling like you are wearing socks when you are not, and not noticing heat, cold, or injury.
The numb stage is the more dangerous one, even though it feels like an improvement, because the pain that would normally warn you of an injury is gone.
Why the numbness is the real danger
The nerves in the feet are a natural alarm system. Diabetes switches it off. Once the foot is numb, a blister from a tight shoe, a cut from a stone, or a burn from a hot floor goes completely unnoticed, and the person keeps walking on it. That is how most diabetic foot ulcers begin, not from a dramatic injury, but from a small one that was never felt. This is why neuropathy is a foot specialist's concern and not only a matter of pain relief. Managing the pain matters, but protecting the insensate foot is what prevents the diabetic foot ulcer that neuropathy sets up.
How diabetic neuropathy is diagnosed
Diagnosis is quick and painless, and it can find nerve loss before you would notice it yourself. A specialist tests the protective sensation of the foot with a fine monofilament and a tuning fork, and measures the nerve threshold with biothesiometry. Circulation is checked at the same time with a vascular Doppler, because the two problems often travel together. The American Diabetes Association recommends screening for neuropathy from the time type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, and every year after. Read more about our diabetic foot screening.
How diabetic neuropathy is treated
There is no cure that reverses established nerve damage, so treatment has three honest goals: slow it down, ease the symptoms, and protect the foot.
Control the blood sugar
This is the one thing that changes the course of the disease. Keeping blood sugar in range slows or halts the progression of nerve damage, though it does not reverse what is done. Blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and stopping smoking all help protect the nerves too. Know your HbA1c and average blood sugar.
Relieve the nerve pain
When neuropathy is painful, specific medicines prescribed by your doctor, such as pregabalin, gabapentin, or duloxetine, and topical treatments like capsaicin or lidocaine, can reduce the burning and tingling. These are different from ordinary painkillers, which do not work well for nerve pain. Your physician chooses and adjusts them for you.
Protect the foot
This is the podiatric core and where many patients are under-served. A numb foot needs daily checking, protective and often therapeutic footwear that redistributes pressure, and prompt care for any callus, corn, or early wound. This is what prevents the ulcer that numbness would otherwise cause. See our diabetic foot care guide.
Stay active and supported
Gentle regular activity helps circulation, balance, and mood. Neuropathy can affect sleep and mood, and that is worth addressing openly with your doctor, because living well with it is part of the treatment.
Patients often tell me the tingling in their feet has settled, as if that is good news. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it means the nerve has gone quiet, the foot is now numb, and that is when ulcers happen. My job is to test what the foot can still feel, protect what it cannot, and make sure a small injury is found in time. Neuropathy is not just about easing pain. It is about keeping a foot that cannot feel out of trouble.
Dr. V. Rajasekhar, Consultant Podiatrist and Foot-Ankle Surgeon, Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet
Why choose Vivekananda Hospital for diabetic neuropathy
Nerve pain is often treated with medicine alone, but the foot itself is left unprotected. Dr. V. Rajasekhar is a UK-trained podiatrist and foot-ankle surgeon who screens, protects, and monitors the neuropathic foot, working alongside our physicians who manage the medical side.
On-site nerve screeningBiothesiometry and monofilament testing to measure exactly what the foot can feel.
Foot protection, not just pain reliefTherapeutic footwear and pressure offloading for the numb foot.
UK-trained specialistCare guided by foot and ankle biomechanics, not generic advice.
Diabetes care in one buildingSugar, pain, and foot care coordinated in the same hospital.
Important: This page is for information and education. Nerve-pain medicines must be prescribed and adjusted by a doctor, and are not covered here as a self-treatment guide. If you have foot numbness, tingling, or a wound, get your feet assessed in person rather than waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is diabetic neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by years of high blood sugar, which harms the nerves and the small vessels that feed them. It usually affects the feet and lower legs first, because their nerves are the longest in the body. It is one of the most common complications of diabetes and shows up as tingling, burning, or numbness in the feet.
What are the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy in the feet?
Common symptoms are tingling or pins and needles, burning, sharp or shooting pain, cramps, and heightened sensitivity to touch, often worse at night. As it advances, the foot may go numb, with a dead or wooden feeling and loss of the ability to sense heat, cold, or injury. Symptoms usually affect both feet.
Can diabetic neuropathy be reversed or cured?
Established nerve damage cannot be reversed, and there is no cure that restores lost nerves. However, tight blood sugar control can slow or halt further damage, and in early stages some people notice improvement. The goal of treatment is to stop it getting worse, ease the pain, and protect the foot, rather than to reverse damage already done.
Why is the numbness from neuropathy dangerous?
Because the nerves in the feet are a warning system, and numbness switches it off. A blister, cut, or burn goes unfelt, so the person keeps walking on it and it becomes a wound. Most diabetic foot ulcers begin this way, from a small injury that was never noticed. That is why a numb foot needs daily checking and protection even when it feels fine.
How is diabetic neuropathy diagnosed?
A specialist tests the foot's protective sensation with a fine monofilament and a tuning fork, and measures the nerve threshold with biothesiometry, while checking circulation with a vascular Doppler. It is quick and painless and can detect nerve loss before you would notice symptoms. The ADA recommends screening from the time type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, and every year after.
What is the best treatment for diabetic nerve pain?
Nerve pain responds to specific medicines prescribed by a doctor, such as pregabalin, gabapentin, or duloxetine, and topical treatments like capsaicin or lidocaine, rather than ordinary painkillers. Alongside this, tight blood sugar control slows the underlying damage. The right choice and dose are decided by your physician, so nerve pain should be managed with medical guidance, not self-medication.
Does diabetic neuropathy go away at night or get worse?
Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are often worse at night, with burning, tingling, or shooting pain that can disturb sleep. This is common and does not mean something new is wrong, but it is worth telling your doctor, because pain that affects sleep can usually be helped with the right medication and blood sugar control.
When should I see a doctor about foot numbness or tingling?
See a doctor if you have new or worsening tingling, burning, or numbness in the feet, or any foot wound that is not healing. Seek prompt care for a non-healing sore, rapidly worsening numbness or weakness, or a foot that has become warm, swollen, or changed shape. Early assessment lets you protect the foot before a wound develops.
Numb Feet Need Protection, Not Just Painkillers.
Get your nerve function and circulation checked, your pain managed, and your feet protected, by our UK-trained foot specialist in Begumpet, with your diabetes care in the same building.
Address: Vivekananda Hospital, 6-3-871/A, Greenlands Road, Beside CM Camp Office, Begumpet, Hyderabad 500016. Podiatry OPD with Dr. V. Rajasekhar: Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM; Tue, Sat 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Also serving: Ameerpet, Somajiguda, Punjagutta, Prakash Nagar, Secunderabad, SR Nagar, Banjara Hills
About the Specialist
Dr. V. Rajasekhar (MBBS Guntur Medical College, Diploma in Orthopaedics JJM Medical College Bangalore, MSc Orthopaedics Cardiff University UK, MPhil Foot & Ankle Salford University UK) is a Consultant Podiatrist and Foot-Ankle Surgeon at Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet, with over 32 years of experience. He is a member of the Diabetic Foot Society of India (DFSI) and the International Foot and Ankle Biomechanics group (IFAB). Medical management of nerve pain is provided alongside our physicians.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general health information and education only. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace an in-person assessment. Medicines mentioned are prescribed and adjusted by a doctor. If you have foot numbness, tingling, or a wound, seek care in person. In an emergency, call +91 7207904418 or visit the nearest emergency department.
References: American Diabetes Association, peripheral neuropathy | Mayo Clinic | NIDDK