Many diabetics go through life with few if any complications from their diabetes.
Peripheral nerves are like electrical wires. They run from the spinal cord to the muscles and from the sensory organs in the skin and joints back to the spinal cord. They work by conducting electrical impulses that either signal a muscle to contract or signal when your skin has been exposed to a stimulus such as touch, warmth or cold. Thus good peripheral nerve function is important for muscle strength, good sensation, good coordination and agility. Peripheral nerves, like all other cells in the body, are living structures that require energy.