Many diabetics suffer from related conditions. Action News Anchor Margot Kim shows us how a new therapy can get rid of the pain and get people back on their feet.
Some diabetics describe the pain like electricity or pins and needles. Others feel like their feet are on fire!
"The pain would shoot right through my legs," patient Eddie Jeffcoat said. Just walking across the street was almost impossible for Jeffcoat.
"I might not make it back to the other side," Jeffcoat said.
Jeffcoat has neuropathy. Damaged nerves in his feet have left him homebound for the last three years.
"It came to where I couldn't stand. I couldn't walk," Jeffcoat said.
But after a treatment he is walking his dog, Bear. He is even enjoying his treadmill time. Jeffcoat has been able to achieve this in just 90 days .
"It's incredible, most people start seeing results literally with the first treatment." Dr. Marc Ott a chiropractic physician said.
Ott said the new treatment for feet and hands centers around an electric stimulator called the ReBuilder. It measures how a person's nerves are abnormally firing, then sends an electrical frequency to get the nerve back into a normal firing pattern.
"So for each patient the way the unit actually fires is different. It builds a pattern that's specific to you," Ott said.
The therapy includes exercises on a vibrating platform to help restore balance and neurological control.
"It's pretty astonishing to watch the results these patients experience and the lifestyle changes that it makes for them," Ott said.
While still not up to full speed, Jeffcoat lost 40 pounds and his pain level's been cut in half.
"90 days ago the pain was a ten. It hurt real bad. I'm at a five," Jeffcoat said.
This home unit could help reduce the pain even more. In the meantime Jeffcoat said the ReBuilder has made life a lot more bearable.
