Lightheadedness or bladder problems. Weakness that causes you to lose your balance. An occasional tingling in your toes. If you have a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right, you may want to check for neuropathy symptoms—especially if you have diabetes. It is far and away the most common cause of nerve damage.

You have three types of nerves in your body. The autonomic ones operate your internal functions such as circulatory or digestive systems. Motor nerves send impulses that direct your movements, all the way to your extremities. Your sensory ones return messages to the brain about conditions in the rest of your body. To check for problems with any of these, look for some of the following symptoms:

Autonomic dysfunction includes symptoms like dry eyes and mouth, constipation, or not being able to sense chest pain.

Damaged motor nerves can lead to weakness, twitching, deterioration of your muscles, and paralysis.

If your sensory system isn’t functioning, you may have either discomfort or lack of feeling—or both at once–including tingling, numbness, and burning pain.

While the main cause is uncontrolled diabetes, others include cancer, autoimmune diseases, trauma or pressure on a nerve, side effects from drugs and toxins, infections, motor neuron problems, or even nutritional deficiencies. If you have any of these underlying conditions, nerve damage is a real possibility.

You need someone who understands what you are going through—like Dr. Darren Silvester, who sees patients suffering from neuropathy pain almost every day. We offer SudoScan evaluation, a three-minute, painless test that can identify nerve problems in the early stages. The earlier we catch it, the better your chances of staving off major nerve pain and limitations.

Please contact us at Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic in Pleasanton, TX (south of San Antonio) if you have the neuropathy symptoms outlined above—or any other foot problem. We would be honored for you to trust your feet to our expert care. Call (830) 569-3338 or schedule an appointment through our website today. You can also use the online form to request our free book Why Do My Feet Hurt and What Can I Do about It?