Diabetes

If you are diabetic you may already be familiar with many of the complications that come with this condition. Among the most common complications of diabetes is neuropathy. Although the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are very similar to those of regular nerve compression, diabetic neuropathy arises from the nerve's response to abnormally high glucose levels. Unfortunately, even when good blood sugar levels are maintained, there is a 50% chance that neuropathy will occur.

Diabetic neuropathy begins with a change in sensation in the hands and feet. Diabetics experience the same numbness and tingling sensation that a person who has regular nerve compression will experience, however it is different in that it is felt in what is known as a "stocking and glove" distribution.
This means that when the neuropathy is in the hand the entire hand is affected, both front and back. The changes can occur in all of the fingers and extend up to the elbow. Likewise, in the feet, both top and bottom of the foot and the toes are affected, and the changes can be present up to the knee. Another way to think of it is that with a diabetic, multiple nerves will be compressed at a number of sites along the path the nerve follows along the arm or leg.
Regular nerve compression, in contrast, usually involves one nerve in the arm or the leg, resulting in just a particular region in the arm or leg having symptoms of numbness. This difference in the pattern of numbness is the main reason why doctors have not previously associated symptoms of diabetic neuropathy with those of nerve compression.