Does type 2 diabetes cause numbness and tingling?

Persistently raised blood glucose can injure peripheral nerves. This may feel like pins and needles, burning, electric shocks, reduced sensation, or an unusual sensitivity to touch. Symptoms often begin in the toes and may gradually move upward, but their pattern varies. Vitamin deficiencies, nerve compression, alcohol, medicines, and other neurological conditions can cause similar sensations, so an examination is needed to identify the cause.

Book a medical review for new, spreading, or persistent symptoms. Check your feet each day for cuts, blisters, colour changes, or pressure marks, because reduced sensation can hide an injury. Wear well-fitting footwear and avoid walking barefoot on hot or rough surfaces. Follow your diabetes plan and ask before changing medicines; treatment aims to protect nerves, improve glucose control, and manage discomfort safely.

Seek urgent care for sudden one-sided numbness, facial drooping, trouble speaking, severe weakness, loss of balance, or a new loss of bladder or bowel control. Get prompt attention for a foot wound, spreading redness, swelling, fever, or a foot that becomes unusually cold or discoloured. Gradually worsening symptoms still merit a timely appointment.

Ask whether the pattern fits diabetic nerve damage, which examinations or blood tests are needed, how to protect your feet, and which pain treatments are safe with your current medicines.