The Link Between Diabetes and Chronic Pain

When you have diabetes, you learn about managing blood sugar and the importance of foot care. But chances are no one warned you about chronic pain.

Chronic pain is a common complication of diabetes. Up to one-half of people with diabetes will develop peripheral neuropathy, the condition responsible for most diabetic pain.

Our experienced Alliance Spine and Pain Centers team specializes in helping patients overcome diabetic pain with today’s most advanced treatments. We work closely with you, creating customized care that eases pain and promotes nerve healing.

High blood sugar leads to chronic pain

Diabetes occurs when you don't have enough insulin (the hormone that removes excess sugar from your blood) or when the body fails to respond to insulin entering the bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar levels rise above the healthy range.

High blood sugar gradually damages small blood vessels and nerves, limiting or destroying their ability to function and leading to health complications that cause acute and chronic pain.

High blood sugar also stimulates long-lasting, low-grade inflammation, which may also have a role in the chronic pain experienced by people with diabetes.

Diabetic neuropathy is the primary pain problem

Diabetic neuropathy, the primary cause of chronic diabetic pain, develops when one or more peripheral nerves are damaged. The peripheral nerves make up the vast network of nerves traveling throughout the body (outside the brain and spinal cord).

This type of neuropathy can affect one nerve or multiple nerves. The damaged nerves may serve any part of your body and fill several roles. 

For example, they may pick up sensory information and send it to your brain, carry messages from your brain to your muscles, or automatically control organs.

Neuropathy frequently causes sharp pain, often described as electric-shock pain, and sensations like tingling and burning. You may experience:

• Muscle pain and cramping
• Foot and leg pain
• Lower back and neck pain
• Abdominal and pelvic pain
• Chest wall pain

If you have severe damage, the nerves stop working. Then, instead of pain, you have numbness.

Treating diabetic pain

Our team offers comprehensive care for diabetic pain, providing diabetes management to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and recommending interventional treatments that relieve nerve pain.

Interventional medicine works well for diabetic neuropathy because the advanced techniques reduce your symptoms by targeting the nerves causing your pain.

These are only a few examples of the extensive treatments we provide:

Qutenza® capsaicin treatment

Qutenza is a topical treatment for diabetic nerve pain in your feet. We apply the patch over your foot and you wear it for 30 minutes before we remove it and cleanse your feet.

The capsaicin in the patch travels through your skin, reaching nerves and stopping them from sending pain messages. 

Most patients experience significant pain relief lasting up to three months. You can have a treatment every three months to maintain your results.

Nerve blocks

For a nerve block, we inject a local anesthetic that stops the electrical signals that travel through the treated nerve. You don’t feel pain because the block prevents your brain from getting the message.

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation uses mild electrical impulses to block or mask messages from your spinal cord to your brain. We place lead wires in the epidural space (between your spinal cord and vertebrae), positioning them to ensure the impulses block the specific nerves that are transmitting pain signals.

No matter where your pain originates, the messages must go through the spinal cord. That means SCS is a potential treatment for diabetic neuropathy anywhere in your body.

Regenerative medicine

With regenerative medicine, we use the body’s natural healing cells to accelerate healing. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), and exosome therapy are three regenerative treatments that may alleviate your pain and improve nerve function.

Call Alliance Spine and Pain Centers today or complete the online form to request an appointment for exceptional care that relieves diabetic pain.