Living with diabetes can be difficult enough. But when nerve pain enters the picture, it can make everyday life feel unbearable. At Red Butte Pain Solutions, we specialize in helping patients with diabetic neuropathy find safe, evidence-based, and lasting relief. If you’re searching for a proven treatment for diabetes neuropathy, you’re in the right place.
Understanding Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy occurs when long-standing or poorly controlled diabetes damages the nerves, especially in the feet and legs. Patients describe burning, tingling, stabbing, or electric shock-like pain. These sensations result from damaged nerves misfiring or becoming overly sensitive. It can also cause numbness, balance issues, and difficulty walking.
Painful diabetic neuropathy, or PDN, is more than just discomfort—it’s a major barrier to quality of life. Thankfully, multiple treatments are available to help reduce symptoms and restore function.
Optimizing Medical Management
The foundation of treating diabetic neuropathy is medical optimization. According to the American Diabetes Association, improving blood sugar, weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure can slow or even prevent nerve damage.
For those already experiencing pain, medications are often the first step. The most effective first-line options include:
- Duloxetine (NNT = 6.4): Also treats depression and anxiety.
- Pregabalin (NNT = 7.7): Helps calm overactive nerves.
- Gabapentin (NNT = 7.2): Often well tolerated.
- Amitriptyline (NNT = 3.6): Highly effective, but with more side effects.
These medications don’t reverse nerve damage, but they can significantly reduce pain. Topical options like the capsaicin 8% patch are FDA-approved for localized pain relief. Capsaicin works by depleting substance P, a neuropeptide involved in transmitting pain signals, leading to the desensitization of pain fibers. Repeated application is often required for optimal results. Some patients may find that over-the-counter low-dose capsaicin creams provide helpful, though less potent, relief.
Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Game Changer
For patients who don’t improve with medications, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) offers a powerful next step. SCS uses a small implanted device to send gentle electrical pulses to the spinal cord, interrupting pain signals before they reach the brain.
Here at Red Butte Pain Solutions, we’ve seen spinal cord stimulation change lives. Many patients report significant relief from neuropathic pain and, remarkably, some show improvements in their neurologic exams over time. Sensory testing may improve, and patients often report regaining sensation in their feet. To learn more about this improvement, see our blog post: Is diabetic nerve pain reversible?
For those suffering from severe or medication-refractory pain, SCS can offer lasting relief and a better quality of life.
The Role of Electroanalgesia and Shock Wave Therapy
While spinal cord stimulation is more invasive, newer non-invasive therapies like electroanalgesia and extracorporeal shock wave treatment (ESWT) are showing promise.
Electroanalgesia involves delivering high-frequency electrical currents to reduce pain without medication. It’s a modern evolution of TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and may offer stronger and longer-lasting relief.
Meanwhile, ESWT uses focused acoustic pulses to stimulate nerve healing and reduce inflammation. Patients undergoing this therapy report reduced pain and improved gait. A typical course includes several sessions over a few weeks. Though studies are still small, ESWT is a promising option for diabetic neuropathy relief.
What About Vitamin Supplements?
Vitamin B supplements—especially B12—have some evidence supporting pain relief and modest improvements in nerve conduction. However, they work best as an adjunct to other therapies and should not replace primary treatments.
Supplements like alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine have also been extensively studied, but the results are mixed. Still, under the guidance of a physician, they may be helpful as part of a broader treatment plan.
Lifestyle and Non-Drug Therapies
Exercise, weight loss, and quitting smoking all help improve nerve health. Gentle physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and regular sleep and mood assessments also play key roles in managing chronic neuropathy pain.
At Red Butte Pain Solutions, we create custom plans that integrate these lifestyle factors with advanced therapies to give you the best chance at long-term relief.
You Deserve Relief That Works
If you’re living with diabetic neuropathy, there is help. At Red Butte Pain Solutions, we offer evidence-based therapies to relieve your pain and restore your function. From medications and supplements to spinal cord stimulation and advanced electroanalgesia, we tailor each treatment plan to your unique needs.
We proudly serve patients in Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Mesa, Sun Lakes, Maricopa, Gilbert, Laveen, and Casa Grande.
Call us today at 602-633-4334 or Schedule now to find your relief.