People with diabetic peripheral neuropathy can experience pain, burning or tingling or they can lose all feeling in their limbs.

Due to the nature of the nerve damage caused by the high glucose levels in people with diabetes, patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy can experience both "positive" and "negative" symptoms. Positive symptoms include pain, burning, tingling and a "pins and needles" type sensation in the limbs. Negative symptoms include a lack of sensation, or the absence of pain in the limbs. Negative symptoms can cause injuries that may go unnoticed and can become infected. Infected wounds have the potential to become gangrenous and in the most extreme cases, can lead to amputation.