Ask The Experts
I woke up with just my left heel numb, so I was curious if it could be my diabetes or maybe [something else]. Can being a diabetic cause you to go numb in just your heel?
Thank you for contacting IPFH. We do not diagnose or make treatment recommendations on line. Because you note that you have diabetes, we would strongly recommend that you consult your primary care physician or a foot health professional. It is possible for numbness to show up in the feet of people with diabetes, and this can occur in the heel area. Studies have shown that the longer a person has had diabetes, the higher the probability of some degree of neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet, so if you have had diabetes for a long time, the numbness could indeed be related to it. It is also possible, however, that the numbness is due to something other than diabetes. All of this is to say that you should consult a medical professional at your earliest opportunity, so that you can get a proper diagnosis and whatever treatment your doctor thinks would be most appropriate. We hope you will do this, and that you will very soon have a diagnosis and a treatment recommendation. You can learn more about neuropathy at our foot conditions page neuropathy/numbness.