Treatment of diabetic foot numbness

Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
Updated on May 25, 2025
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If diabetic foot feels numb, it is a manifestation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Diabetic foot is a complication that occurs after diabetes has advanced to a certain degree, so it is normal for a person with diabetic foot to feel numbness. Some patients with severe diabetic neuropathy may not even feel pain during debridement, which involves cleaning the local tissues. A healthy person would definitely feel pain, but a diabetic patient, due to their neuropathy, may not feel much, if any, pain. For such patients, the main treatments are firstly, definitely controlling blood sugar and blood pressure; secondly, using medications that nourish the nerves; and thirdly, improving circulation to aid local blood flow.

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Written by Yang Li
Endocrinology
1min 13sec home-news-image

How to relieve pain in diabetic foot?

If diabetic foot is combined with pain, it often depends on the severity of the diabetic foot. It has a Wagner grading system. If there is an obvious wound that extends to the bone, anti-infection treatment is very important, and surgical assessment is necessary to determine if the foot can be saved. If the wound is superficial and only involves the epidermis, local anti-infection and circulation improvement are fundamental. In such cases, COX-2 inhibitors and non-steroidal analgesic drugs may be used. If the pain is caused by peripheral neuropathy, the first step is to nourish the nerves, for example with mecobalamin, and treat the neuropathy with drugs like epalrestat, along with drugs like cilostazol that improve microcirculation. Effective treatments targeted at this type of neuropathic pain include drugs like pregabalin and etoricoxib, designed for bone pain, and gabapentin-related medications can also be used. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Yang Li
Endocrinology
49sec home-news-image

Early signs of diabetic foot disease

Some early signs of diabetic foot disease include a decrease in skin temperature of both feet, such as constantly feeling coldness in the feet, which indicates insufficient blood supply. Another symptom is peripheral neuropathy, which manifests as numbness or burning in both feet, and unusual sensations like stepping on cotton or feeling like ants are crawling. These are also early signs of diabetic foot disease. Once there is a break in the skin surface, it is crucial to be vigilant as it might be diabetic foot disease. Diabetic foot disease is a very serious condition and one must take early preventive measures. At the slightest sign of any skin break, it is essential to seek proper treatment at a standard hospital.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
1min 24sec home-news-image

Can diabetic foot be cured?

Diabetes has many complications, and once detected, the complications of diabetes cannot be completely cured. Diabetic foot is a relatively serious complication of diabetes. Diabetic foot generally involves many years of underlying vascular and nerve damage that eventually leads to infection or ulceration, resulting in the final formation of diabetic foot. Whether such a serious complication can be cured actually depends on the duration of the patient’s condition, the extent of the lesion, and most importantly, how soon they seek medical attention. For instance, if the infection is very severe, has damaged the bone, or if there is dry gangrene with local tissue necrosis in the foot, then no matter what conservative treatment is applied, it will not be effective, and surgical amputation will be the only option, meaning the foot cannot be saved. However, if some individuals only have early-stage skin ulceration that cannot heal, or if there is an infection that is not very severe, and they seek medical attention early, controlling the infection and treating with nerve nutrition and vascular protection can actually heal the ulcerated area of the foot.

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Written by Li Hui Zhi
Endocrinology
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Is it good for people with diabetes to soak their feet?

Diabetic foot is primarily classified into a level 0 diabetic foot and levels 1 to 5 diabetic foot. If it is a level 0 diabetic foot and the patient does not have any wounds, then soaking the feet is permissible. Level 0 diabetic foot mainly refers to a high-risk diabetic foot, in which case soaking is allowed. However, care must be taken to ensure that the water temperature is not too high to avoid scalding the skin. If the diabetic foot has reached levels 1 to 5, where the patient has wounds and ulcerations, soaking the feet is not recommended, as it can easily worsen and exacerbate the wound ulcerations. Therefore, people with diabetes should consider their individual conditions to determine whether foot soaking is suitable.

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Written by Lin Xiang Dong
Endocrinology
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The precursor of diabetic foot

Diabetic foot is commonly seen in patients who have had diabetes for over ten years, often due to poor blood sugar control and inadequate care. There are three factors that lead to diabetic foot. The first is vascular factors, often accompanied by arterial stenosis in both lower limbs, leading to blood supply disorders. The second is neuropathy, accompanied by peripheral neuropathy, insensitivity to temperature and pain, which makes it easy to suffer burns and external injuries to the foot. The third factor is the presence of an infectious trigger. When these three factors combine, the risk of diabetic foot becomes very high.