Sore Legs From Diabetes? How to Prevent and Treat Diabetic Leg Pain
Key takeaways:
People with diabetes can develop nerve damage in their legs. This causes leg soreness and pain.
You can decrease your risk of developing diabetic leg pain by keeping your blood sugar in target ranges.
Treatments for diabetic leg pain work better when you start them early.
If you have diabetes, you know how important it is to keep your blood sugars at your target range. If your blood sugar is too high for too long, you can develop complications, including joint and muscle problems. Sore legs are just one of the many symptoms of diabetic leg pain.
The good news is that there are ways to prevent and treat leg pain from diabetes. Let’s take a look at how you can prevent leg pain.
Can diabetes cause pain or soreness in the legs?
Diabetes can cause leg soreness and pain. Over time, high blood sugar damages the nerves around your muscles. This nerve damage is called “diabetic neuropathy.” Diabetic neuropathy causes diabetic leg pain and soreness, which can make it hard for you to walk and stay active.
Save on popular GLP-1 Agonists
Take control of your health. With GoodRx, you may be eligible to save even more on popular treatments.
Diabetic neuropathy can also lead to more serious complications, like sores and infections. When infections are very bad, the tissues in the legs can die. If this happens, people need to have an amputation of their feet or lower leg.
Diabetic neuropathy can be very serious — which is why if you start having even mild symptoms, you need to let your healthcare provider know right away.
What are the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy?
Early symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include:
Burning sensation in your legs
Leg pain and soreness
Shooting or electric shock, like pain in the legs or feet
Tingling and prickling sensations (paresthesias)
Pain in response to light touch or even from wearing socks and shoes
Some people start off with only one or two of these symptoms. Without treatment, the nerve damage gets worse and people develop loss of sensation and numbness in their feet and lower legs.
Can you reverse diabetic leg pain?
Diabetic neuropathy may not be reversible. That’s why there’s so much focus on preventing it.
But you can treat symptoms like diabetic leg pain and soreness. Treatment eases your symptoms so you can do your usual activities. Treatment can also keep your diabetic neuropathy from getting worse.
The key is recognizing your symptoms early. Watch out for even mild symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, and let your healthcare provider know right away if you’re concerned.
What are the treatments for leg pain and soreness from diabetes?
If you develop diabetic neuropathy, you may need to adjust your diabetes medications. Your healthcare provider will work with you to make sure your hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C or A1C) and blood sugars are under better control. While this won’t help your pain directly, it will keep it from getting worse.
In order to treat your pain, you may need to use a combination of different therapies. We’ll review the main options here.
Oral medications
Medications that can help relieve symptoms from diabetic neuropathy include:
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
Amitriptyline (Elavil)
Valproic acid (Depakene)
Venlafaxine (Effexor)
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Studies show that all of these medications provide relief from leg pain and soreness. But it’s less clear which of these is the “best” medication for diabetic neuropathy. Some studies show that they all work equally well. But how quickly people feel effects varies from person to person.
It’s not always clear which medication a person should start with. Your healthcare provider may recommend one specific medication to see if it helps. But you might need to adjust it every week to get the best effect. So it’s important to have clear communication with your provider.
If one medication doesn’t work, don’t give up hope. You may need to try another medication or start a second medication. Since the data isn’t clear, your healthcare provider will need your feedback on how things are going. If your medication isn’t helping, let your healthcare provider know.
Topical treatments
Topical treatments that may be helpful for diabetic leg pain include:
Supplements
Your healthcare provider might prescribe supplements to help with your leg pain. Some supplements that can help lessen nerve pain are:
B complex: B1, B6, and B12 vitamins can lessen nerve pain. Studies don’t show that B complex works for everyone, but some people report that it’s helpful. Since metformin can lead to B12 deficiency, some experts think it’s worth a try.
Alpha lipoic acid: Alpha lipoic acid can lessen symptoms of pain, burning, and numbness. There’s some evidence that taking 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid each day improves leg pain and soreness from diabetes.
Gentle exercise
Studies show that exercise can reduce the symptoms of diabetic leg pain. Many people develop poor balance because of diabetic leg pain. Exercise that focuses on balance and smooth movement, like tai chi, can help.
Physical therapy
Studies show working with a physical therapist can also help if you have diabetic leg pain and soreness. A physical therapist will teach you exercises that you can do at home to reduce your diabetic leg pain. Exercises may include aerobic exercise, resistance training, and exercises to improve balance.
Acupuncture
There’s some evidence that acupuncture can help treat diabetic neuropathy. Manual and electro-acupuncture can help lessen your leg pain symptoms, especially when you combine them with other treatments.
Massage
One small study showed that a Thai foot massage helped improve diabetic leg pain and soreness. In the study, people had a foot massage for 30 minutes, 3 days per week for 2 weeks.
How can you prevent sore legs from diabetes?
Controlling your blood sugar is the best way to prevent sore legs and diabetic neuropathy. Discuss your blood sugar goal with your healthcare provider to keep your blood sugar at target ranges.
To keep your blood sugar under good control, make sure to use all of your medications as prescribed. Here are some additional things you can do:
Follow your diabetic meal plan
Maintain a healthy weight
Stay physically active
The bottom line
The cause of diabetic leg pain and soreness is nerve damage. And uncontrolled blood sugar is the most common culprit. Diabetic neuropathy can progress quickly, so it’s important to recognize diabetic leg pain early. If you experience any symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider as soon as possible. There are treatments to reduce your diabetic leg pain and prevent it from getting worse.
Why trust our experts?
References
Ang, L., et al. (2018). Update on the management of diabetic neuropathy. Diabetes Spectrum.
Argoff, C. E. (2013). Topical analgesics in the management of acute and chronic pain. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Boyle, J., et al. (2012). Randomized, placebo-controlled comparison of amitriptyline, duloxetine, and pregabalin in patients with chronic diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain: Impact on pain, polysomnographic sleep, daytime functioning, and quality of life. Diabetes Care.
Chatchawan, U., et al. (2015). Effects of Thai foot massage on balance performance in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy: A randomized parallel-controlled trial. Medical Science Monitor Basic Research.
Cho, E., et al. (2021). Effect of acupuncture on diabetic neuropathy: A narrative review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Dobson, J. L., et al. (2014). Benefits of exercise intervention in reducing neuropathic pain. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
Jayabalan, B., et al. (2016). Vitamin B supplementation for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Singapore Medical Journal.
Kim, J., et al. (2019). Association between metformin dose and vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetes. Medicine.
Kluding, P. M., et al. (2017). Physical training and activity in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: Paradigm shift. Physical Therapy.
Li, L., et al. (2012). Select exercise modalities may reverse movement dysfunction because of peripheral neuropathy. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (n.d.). Diabetic neuropathy.
Price, R., et al. (2022). Oral and topical treatment of painful diabetic polyneuropathy: Practice guideline update summary: Report of the AAN guideline subcommittee. Neurology.
Singh, G., et al. (2006). Amputation in diabetic patients. Medical Journal Armed Forces India.
The Foundation For Peripheral Neuropathy®. (2010). Supplements for your nervous system.
Ziegler, D., et al. (2011). Efficacy and safety of antioxidant treatment with α-lipoic acid over 4 years in diabetic polyneuropathy: The NATHAN 1 trial. Diabetes Care.
