“Can diabetes cause muscle weakness?”
My mother has been a diabetic for the past 14 years. Lately, her muscles have become very weak and also twitch a lot. Can this be associated with her diabetes? What can be done to help her?
5 Answers
Older diabetics can get sarcopenia which is a loss of muscle mass or a decrease in muscle mass due to amyotrophy. Because of the twitching, I would take her to a neurologist first. TJ
It can be related to diabetes with neuropathy, which can lead to muscle atrophy and weakness. Need to control diabetes and exercise to use and strengthen muscles. It takes time for the muscles to respond.
There needs to be more information, however let's say that someone has poor control of the diabetes for 14 years then there can be a development of neuropathy and muscle wasting. How old is she? Let's say she is young such as 50, controlling the diabetes and beginning an exercise program might help. Much has to do with the severity of the neuropathy if she has it.
There are many reasons why your mother has muscle weakness and twitching. Examples of many would be:
1. Atrophy from not exercising.
2. Medications she is taking.
3. Electrolytes imbalance.
4. Spinal stenosis.
Knowing more about her medical history and medications would pin point the problem.
1. Atrophy from not exercising.
2. Medications she is taking.
3. Electrolytes imbalance.
4. Spinal stenosis.
Knowing more about her medical history and medications would pin point the problem.
This could be associated with diabetes although it could be just an age effect. Many things can cause this and we can fix some of them. We can't make her younger, If it is diabetes, yes we can help. Please see a Dr., preferably a neurologist who has the equipment to test her nerves & muscles to see if it is diabetes related. You didn't tell me how well her diabetes has been controlled. People with diabetes in really good control usually do not get neuropathy, though they can. People in poor (HbA1c >7%) have a very high incidence of neuropathy. So above all get her diabetes in good control since mild to moderate neuropathy is reversible.
