Diabetic Neuropathy Treatment in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands: Non-Drug Options for Burning, Numb Feet

Burning, tingling or numb feet are one of the most common complications of diabetes. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Estate Thomas runs a non-surgical, drug-free peripheral neuropathy program for people with diabetic nerve pain in the feet. It works alongside the care you already get from your physician, never in place of it.

What diabetic neuropathy feels like

It usually starts in the toes. A tingling, or a feeling that your socks are bunched up when they are not. Over months it spreads up the foot in a stocking pattern, and the other foot usually follows. Some people lose feeling. Others get the opposite: burning, electric jolts, or feet so sensitive that the weight of a bedsheet is too much.

Night is the worst for most patients. The burning ramps up once you lie down and there is nothing left to distract from it.

Balance goes too. When you cannot feel the ground, you walk wider, watch your feet, and grab the rail on stairs. Falls become a real risk, especially on the uneven sidewalks and steep steps around Charlotte Amalie.

What is usually going on

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is damage to the small nerves of the feet and legs from years of high blood sugar. High glucose injures the tiny blood vessels that feed the nerves and harms the nerve fibers directly. The longest nerves, the ones that reach the toes, fail first, which is why symptoms begin at the far end and creep upward.

It is common in long-standing diabetes. Poorly controlled blood sugar, smoking, high blood pressure, kidney disease and the number of years since diagnosis all raise the odds. Prediabetes can cause it as well.

Not every case of burning feet is diabetic neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency (common with long-term metformin use), thyroid disease, alcohol, some chemotherapy drugs and a pinched nerve in the low back can all produce similar symptoms, and each is handled differently. Our numbness and tingling in the feet page explains how we sort those out.

How we treat it at Tradewinds

The first visit is an exam. Dr. Bradley Keys, Doctor of Chiropractic, tests sensation in both feet (light touch, vibration, pinprick, temperature), checks reflexes, strength and balance, looks at the skin and circulation of the feet, and examines the low back to rule out a spinal cause. Bring your most recent A1c and any nerve conduction results.

Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

If the exam fits diabetic peripheral neuropathy and you are a candidate, the peripheral neuropathy program is a structured course of in-office care plus work at home. The program has four parts: in-office therapy, red light therapy, electrical stimulation, and nutrition. How long it runs depends on how severe the neuropathy is, anywhere from a few months to more than a year. In-office treatment usually starts at two or three visits a month, and treatment continues at home between visits. Dr. Keys runs the check-ins himself, monthly at first and then quarterly, depending on severity. Sensation and balance are re-measured at those check-ins so you can see whether it is working.

Two things we say plainly. First, the program is added to your medical care, not swapped for it. Your physician or endocrinologist manages your blood sugar, your medications and your kidneys, and good glucose control is the single biggest factor in whether the nerves stop getting worse. We send our exam findings to your doctor and ask for theirs. Second, we do not promise to reverse nerve damage. Some do not, and we tell you early rather than late.

Custom foot orthotics, listed on our services page, are added when they help, and a low back problem found on exam is treated alongside.

When you should see someone else

Diabetic feet need a team. Call your physician, a podiatrist or an endocrinologist, and let us know, if:

• You have a sore, blister or crack on the foot that has not healed in a week, or any wound you cannot feel
• The foot is red, hot, swollen or draining, or you have a fever (infection in a diabetic foot is urgent)
• One foot suddenly turns cold, pale or blue, or the pain becomes sudden and severe (possible blocked artery, go to the emergency room)
• Numbness is spreading quickly, or you have new weakness in the legs
• The cause of your neuropathy has never been confirmed. A neurologist can do nerve conduction testing, and your physician can check B12, thyroid and kidney function
• Your blood sugar is not under control. That comes before anything we do

Check your feet every day, with a mirror if you cannot see the soles. That habit prevents more amputations than anything done in an office.

Visitors, crew and cruise passengers

Neuropathy care is a course, not a single visit. Even so, visitors on a short stay can enrol, not just be evaluated, because most of the program continues at home. Keep your own physician at home in the loop, the same as a resident would.

Getting seen

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness is in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, just east of Charlotte Amalie. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun.

Call (340) 690-4994 or email info@tradewindschiropractic.com. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. We see patients from St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island and have more than 180 five-star Google reviews. New patient forms can be downloaded and printed from our website.

Questions patients ask

I have diabetic nerve pain in my feet. Are there non-drug options in the USVI?

Yes. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, runs a non-surgical, drug-free peripheral neuropathy program for diabetic nerve pain in the feet. The program has four parts: in-office therapy, red light therapy, electrical stimulation, and nutrition. It runs alongside the care you get from your physician. Call (340) 690-4994 to book an exam.

Where can I get diabetic neuropathy treatment in St. Thomas?

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness, in the VI Medical Foundation Building in Estate Thomas, examines diabetic neuropathy and offers a structured in-office and at-home program for it. Your physician or endocrinologist continues to manage your blood sugar and medications. We share findings both ways.

My feet burn at night from diabetes. Who can help in the Virgin Islands?

Start with your physician to confirm the cause and check your blood sugar control, then see us for an exam. We do not promise that night burning will ease. We re-test sensation at set points so you can see for yourself whether anything is changing.

Can this program replace my diabetes medication or my doctor?

No. Blood sugar control is the single biggest factor in whether diabetic nerve damage stops getting worse, and that is your physician's job. Our program is added on top of medical care, not instead of it. Keep every appointment with your doctor and keep taking what is prescribed.

Can diabetic neuropathy be reversed?

No honest clinic promises that. When blood sugar is controlled, nerve damage often stops getting worse, and many patients see measurable gains in sensation, night pain or balance. Long-standing numbness is the least likely to change. We tell you early which group you are in.