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Diabetic Neuropathy and Foot Care: Daily Checks and What Helps
Diabetic neuropathy and foot care go together: diabetes can damage nerves, most often in the feet and legs, so small injuries go unfelt. Daily foot checks and blood sugar in your target range are the core steps. Nervecept is a dietary supplement and does not replace either. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Written by the Nervecept label deskUpdated
The basics01
What is diabetic neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by diabetes. About half of people with diabetes have some nerve damage, most often in the feet and legs. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy) (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Nerve damage can dull your ability to feel pain, heat and cold, so a small injury goes unnoticed. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Tingling, burning or pain can also appear. The general causes and signs are covered in our peripheral neuropathy basics.
Why do the feet matter most? They are far from the brain, they carry your weight and they are easy to ignore. A blister that you cannot feel can turn into a sore. That is why foot care is part of diabetes care and not an extra.
Nervecept is a dietary supplement of 30 vegetable capsules. It is not a diabetes medicine and not a neuropathy treatment, and we found no trial of the capsules in nerve conditions.
Four types02
What are the four types of diabetic neuropathy?
The four types of diabetic neuropathy are peripheral, autonomic, focal and proximal. They differ in which nerves they affect. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
A person can have more than one type. Your care team decides which applies.
| Type | Nerves affected |
|---|---|
| Peripheral | Usually the feet and legs, sometimes the hands and arms |
| Autonomic | Nerves that control internal organs, such as the heart, digestion and bladder |
| Focal | A single nerve |
| Proximal | A rare, disabling type that affects the hip, buttock or thigh |
This guide focuses on the peripheral type, since it is the one that makes foot care so important. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
Daily routine03
What does a daily foot check involve?
Check both feet every day, even if they feel fine. Look for cuts, redness, swelling, sores, blisters, corns, calluses, and changes in skin or nails. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Make it a daily habit. Tell your doctor about anything new, rather than waiting for it to hurt.
Pick a fixed time
A habit sticks when it has a place in the day.
Look at the tops, sides, soles and between the toes
If the soles are hard to see, ask someone to help.
Scan for the listed changes
Cuts, redness, swelling, sores, blisters, corns, calluses, and changes in skin or nails. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Report anything new
Call your care team. NIDDK also says patients should check their feet daily. (NIDDK, Treating Diabetic Neuropathy)
Prevention04
What habits protect your nerves when you have diabetes?
Keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol under control is the main way to prevent diabetic neuropathy. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
NIDDK adds staying active, following a meal plan, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol and taking prescribed medicines. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
Stay in your target range
CDC says to keep blood sugar in your target range to prevent or slow nerve damage. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Move regularly
CDC advises adults to aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus 2 days of muscle strengthening. Ask your doctor what suits your feet. (CDC, Adult Physical Activity)
Take prescribed medicine
Medicines, a meal plan, no smoking and limited alcohol all belong to the plan. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
Nervecept: from $49 a bottlePacks of 2, 3 or 6 bottles · 30 capsules each · refund window 60 days
See packsWarning signs05
When should you see a doctor about numb or tingling feet?
See a doctor promptly for tingling, burning or pain in your feet, loss of feeling, or any sore. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Call 911 for sudden weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, or loss of bladder or bowel control.
- New, spreading or worsening numbness or tinglingA reason to book a visit, not to try another capsule. (Mayo Clinic, Peripheral Neuropathy)
- A sore or blister on a numb footIf you have diabetes, check your feet daily and report sores early. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
- Weakness, clumsiness or fallsNerve problems can reach muscles. A doctor looks for the cause. (NINDS, Peripheral Neuropathy)
- Pain that wakes you or keeps climbingPersistent or severe pain deserves an exam. (Mayo Clinic, Peripheral Neuropathy)
- Numbness while taking metforminLow vitamin B12 can cause numbness and tingling, and metformin can lower B12. (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12)
- Symptoms after an injury or on one side onlyA pinched or compressed nerve is a different problem from a general one. (MedlinePlus, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)
Call 911For sudden weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, or loss of bladder or bowel control. Get checked rather than waiting for a supplement to work.
Doctors can help with the pain itself. NIDDK says several medication classes are effective for neuropathic pain, while nerve damage cannot be reversed once it occurs. The goals are to prevent worsening, relieve pain and improve quality of life. (NIDDK, Treating Diabetic Neuropathy)
Supplements06
Do supplements treat diabetic neuropathy?
No supplement has been shown to be a treatment for diabetic neuropathy. NCCIH says studies of chromium, cinnamon, berberine and alpha-lipoic acid are small and inconsistent. (NCCIH, Diabetes and Supplements)
Supplements should never substitute for prescribed diabetes care, and they can interact with medicines and with each other. (NCCIH, Diabetes and Supplements)
Keep taking prescribed medicine exactly as directed, and tell your health care provider about any supplement you use.
Where does vitamin B12 come in? Low B12 can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, and metformin might lower B12. A blood test can show whether a shortage is part of the picture, and your doctor can then decide what to do. (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12)
Before you buy07
Is Nervecept appropriate with diabetes?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist first. Nervecept is a dietary supplement, and glucosamine, its largest line at 500 mg a capsule, may raise blood glucose in some people. (NCCIH, Glucosamine and Chondroitin)
The label also warns that it contains shellfish (crayfish) and asks people with a known medical condition to consult a physician.
- Tell your care team before starting, so they can watch your readings.
- Do not use a supplement in place of foot checks, glucose checks or medicines.
- The sales page uses far bigger words than the label. Read the claims against the evidence.
- Check who should not take it and the blood thinner guide if the questions apply.
More guides sit on the guides page.
FAQ08
What do people ask about diabetes and foot care?
A common question first: What is diabetic neuropathy? It and 6 more are answered below.
Every answer gives the short reply first and the reasoning after, with a source when we have one.
What is diabetic neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by diabetes. It can affect the feet and legs, the nerves of internal organs, a single nerve or the hip and thigh. Keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol under control is the main way to prevent it. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
How do I check my feet every day?
Look at both feet every day, even if they feel fine. Check for cuts, redness, swelling, sores, blisters, corns, calluses and changes in skin or nails. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
When should I see a doctor about my feet?
See a doctor promptly for tingling, burning or pain in the feet, loss of feeling, or any sore. Do not wait to see whether it passes, because small wounds on numb feet can go unnoticed and worsen. (CDC, Your Feet and Diabetes)
Can diabetic neuropathy be prevented?
Often it can be slowed or prevented by keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol in range. Staying active, following a meal plan, not smoking, limiting alcohol and taking prescribed medicines also help. (NIDDK, Diabetic Neuropathy)
Do supplements treat diabetic neuropathy?
No supplement has been shown to treat it. NCCIH says studies of options such as alpha-lipoic acid are small and inconsistent, and supplements should never substitute for prescribed diabetes care. (NCCIH, Diabetes and Supplements)
Does metformin lower vitamin B12?
It might. NIH says metformin can reduce B12 absorption and lower blood levels, and low B12 can cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Ask your doctor about a B12 blood test if you take metformin. (NIH ODS, Vitamin B12)
How often should nerve screening happen?
NIDDK says screening for peripheral neuropathy should be done at least annually for people with diabetes. Ask your care team when your last check was, and what the next one will include. (NIDDK, Treating Diabetic Neuropathy)
Who wrote this09
Who is behind this Nervecept write-up?
The Nervecept label desk drafted it from the bottle, the sales page and the public sources linked in the text.
Once a clinician has reviewed it, the reviewer's name appears in the box below.
Drafted from the bottle, the sales page and the NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and journal sources named in the text.
Most recent update: . How we work is set out in the editorial standards and the review rules. This website belongs to a USA authorized Nervecept retailer. It is neither the maker of the capsules nor the distributor named on the label. Purchases made through our order links earn us a commission.
Keep reading
Where should you go next with Nervecept?
Three good next stops are neuropathy basics, supplements and blood thinners, side effects.
They build on what you just read and cite their own sources.
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Ready to try Nervecept?
Read the label, the shellfish line and your own medicine list first. Then choose a pack: the bigger ones cost less per bottle and ship free inside the US, and the 60-day refund clock starts on the purchase date.
- You check out on the sales page
- Refund window: 60 days
- US shipping is included on 3 or 6 bottles
