What Are Some Physical Symptoms of Nerve Damage in the Leg?
Physical symptoms of peripheral nerve damage in the leg include tingling in the feet, sharp and stabbing pains, numbness, weakness, and shocking sensations, reports Healthline. The symptoms vary and depend on the type of nerves that are damaged, explains WebMD. Motor nerve damage symptoms include muscle atrophy, twitching and paralysis. Symptoms of sensory nerve damage include sensitivity and burning sensations.
People with diabetes commonly experience peripheral neuropathy, which is a condition that results from damaged nerves, according to Healthline. Common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, which usually occurs first in the legs and feet, include insensitivity to temperature or pain, prickling sensations, cramps, extreme sensitivity to any touch, and loss of balance, claims the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Symptoms frequently are worse at night.
Additional symptoms of nerve damage in the legs that is caused by diabetes include a loss of reflexes, changes in the way the person walks and foot deformities, notes the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. If the person has numb areas on her foot, she sometimes develops blisters or sores because she cannot feel pressure or injury. If a sore develops an infection that travels to the bone, amputation of the foot or leg is required.
