# Diabetes and injuries question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-and-injuries-question/113745>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 12, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-and-injuries-question/113745 "2002-06-12T23:25:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-and-injuries-question/113745/1 "2002-06-12T23:25:25Z")

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I know that having diabetes means that surface wounds take much longer to heal and you are therefore in more danger of getting a bone infection resulting in amputation! (thanks to Dad and uncle with mature onset diabetes). However, is this also true for muscle damage?  
It has just dawned on me that my boyfriends back injury is not mending and he is drinking a lot of liquids - I’m ready to march him off to the doctors to get tested.

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**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-and-injuries-question/113745/2 "2002-06-13T02:16:01Z")

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Lower back pain is extremely common in the non-diabetic population and is actually one of the leading causes of physician visits in the U.S., so I wouldn’t assume that it was related to diabetes. However, back pain _can be_ a symptom in a form of diabetic neuropathy known as [focal neuropathy](http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/pubs/neuro/neuro.htm#focal).

Have him see his doctor for the back pain and mention that he has been having increased thirst lately and you’re concerned he might be diabetic.

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**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-and-injuries-question/113745/3 "2002-06-13T03:01:25Z")

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Thanks for that - very interesting. However, my bfs back pain is in the upper back area caused by a specific injury that happened 6 months ago. I was wondering if it is taking longer to heal because he may also be diabetic.

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**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-and-injuries-question/113745/4 "2002-06-13T04:09:05Z")

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I’m not positive but I believe that the slow-healing wounds associated with diabetes would _not_ include the type of injury that you have described.

The typical complications usually occur at the extremities because injuries go unnoticed due to loss of sensation of pain (neurological complications) in those regions, and because of impaired blood circulation to those areas (microvascular complications).