World Diabetes Day is 14 November 2026. Burning, tingling, or numb feet at night are a common nerve complication of diabetes. In Hyderabad this is often diabetic neuropathy, but low vitamin B12 and thyroid disease can feel the same. A neurologist at ZOI Hospital, Attapur, or Apollo Spectra, Kondapur, checks the cause before treatment starts.
Sugar control prevents further nerve injury. It does not always switch off pain that is already there. Pain can be treated, and a foot that has lost sensation needs protection from unnoticed injury. That is the practical reason for a neuropathy consultation, not only another fasting sugar test.
What does diabetic neuropathy feel like?
The usual pattern is both feet, worse in the evening, with burning, pins and needles, or a feeling of walking on cotton. Touch from a bedsheet can hurt. Later the hands may join in. One foot only, or clear weakness, needs a different explanation, including nerve compression or a disc problem.
Can burning feet be something other than diabetes?
- Vitamin B12 deficiency, including after long-term metformin or a vegetarian diet with little B12.
- Thyroid disease and heavy alcohol use.
- Medicines used for infection, cancer, or seizures.
- Sciatica, which usually shoots down one leg rather than burning in both feet. See the World Spine Day guide if the pain travels from the back.
What happens at a neuropathy visit?
The examination tests sensation, reflexes, and strength. Blood tests often include glucose control, B12, and thyroid function. Nerve conduction studies and EMG are used when the story is unclear, weakness is present, or only one limb is affected. They are not required for every person with typical diabetic foot symptoms. Bring your sugar readings and a list of tablets.
What helps while you wait for the appointment?
Keep taking diabetes medicine. Check the feet daily for cuts you cannot feel. Avoid walking barefoot, tight footwear, and sleeping with a hot-water bottle against numb skin. Do not start a neighbour’s nerve-pain tablet. The dose that suits them may be wrong for your kidneys or other medicines.
Questions patients ask
Most people describe burning, pins and needles, or numbness in both feet, often worse at night. Later the same feeling can reach the hands. Pain with a normal-looking foot still needs a nerve review.
Yes. Low vitamin B12, thyroid disease, alcohol, and some medicines cause a similar neuropathy. Diabetes is common in Hyderabad, but it should not be assumed without checking other causes.
Not always. If the story and examination are typical and sugar control is the clear cause, treatment can start without EMG. Nerve conduction studies help when weakness, one-sided symptoms, or an unclear cause is present.
Dr. Nishanth Ponaganti consults at ZOI Hospital, Attapur, Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and at Apollo Spectra, Kondapur, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Call 9880612519.
Book a neuropathy review with Dr. Nishanth Ponaganti in Attapur or Kondapur.
