Many people are guilty of ignoring these problems until it is too late. Doctors can also be guilty of missing the warning signs of dangerous foot ulcers before significant injuries occur. If you have a severe foot ulcer situation and you were receiving treatment from a health care provider for it, you might need to speak to an attorney to determine if negligence was involved.
15 Causes of Burning in the Feet
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The most common cause of a burning feeling in your feet is nerve damage, often related to diabetes, but there are other possible causes.
The pain from burning feet can be intermittent or constant and range from mild to severe. Your feet may feel hot, tingling, prickling, or numb. The pain is often worse at night.
Treatment for burning feet will depend on the underlying cause.
Read on to learn more about what causes a burning sensation in the feet and when you should seek help.
The sensation of burning feet can come from a wide range of conditions. It’s important to determine a cause so you can receive treatment. Some causes, such as a foot fungus like athlete’s foot or shoes that are too tight, can be remedied easily. In some cases, the cause is unknown.
1. Diabetic neuropathy
Years of uncontrolled high blood sugar can gradually damage your blood vessels and nerves. High blood sugar reduces the transmission of signals from the nerves. This can affect sensation in various parts of the body, including the feet. High blood sugar also weakens the blood vessel walls that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves.
The nerve damage can occur throughout your body.
Your risk for neuropathy increases if you:
- have obesity
- have high blood pressure
- smoke cigarettes
- drink alcohol
There are different types of neuropathy, but peripheral neuropathy is the most common type and the one most likely to affect the feet and legs. About one-third to one-half of people with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Peripheral neuropathy can cause a burning feeling in your feet. Less frequently, it can affect the arms and hands.
Additional symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:
- numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
- a feeling like you’re wearing a tight sock
- sharp, stabbing pains
- weakness or heavy feeling in your legs or arms
- excessive sweating
It’s important to see your doctor if you notice any signs of neuropathy. Managing your blood sugar can help prevent nerve damage or slow its course.
2. Small fiber neuropathy
Small fiber neuropathy is a painful neuropathy that often results in painful burning in the feet. There may also be a loss of feeling in the feet and short bursts of pain. It occurs as a result of a loss of the myelin sheath, which covers and protects nerve fibers.
More general symptoms can also occur, such as :
- fatigue
- problems with thinking and focusing
- headache
- bone and muscle pain
Risk factors include:
- hereditary features
- exposure to toxins, including alcohol and some vaccines
- infections, such as Lyme disease, HIV, and hepatitis C
- diseases involving the immune system, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- diabetes and other diseases relating to metabolism
3. Alcohol use
People who consume a lot of alcohol are at risk of another type of nerve damage called alcoholic neuropathy. It can cause pain, tingling, and weakness in the feet.
People may also notice:
- muscle weakness
- problems with gait
- burning pain
- hypersensitivity to pain
Treatment involves stopping alcohol use and following a balanced diet that provides the necessary nutrients, especially B vitamins. These strategies can help prevent symptoms getting worse and may repair the damage in some cases.
4. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)
CMT is an inherited nerve disease. It affects the nerves that control muscles. It’s a progressive disease, meaning symptoms worsen over time.
An early symptom is weakness or paralysis in the feet and hands. The person may have difficulty lifting their foot or develop a high-stepped gait. In time, there may be muscle atrophy, when the muscles lose mass.
A cramping pain can also occur, ranging from mild to severe.
CMT is named after the three doctors who first described it in 1886 . Other names for it are peroneal muscular atrophy and hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy.
5. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) occurs in a limb, most commonly after an injury or surgery. It involves nerve damage that affects the signaling from the brain and spine.
- burning pain
- tingling
- hypersensitivity to a pain trigger
- swelling
- changes in skin color or texture
Over 90% of cases develop after a nerve injury or trauma. However, not everyone who experiences an injury will develop CRPS. This suggests genetic factors may also play a role.
6. Erythromelalgia
Erythromelalgia is a relatively rare disease involving red, hot, and painful feet without a known cause. The severity of the disease varies between individuals.
Pain can worsen after:
- exercise
- walking
- standing
- exposure to heat
7. Nutritional deficiencies
A lack of some B vitamins in the diet can result in a sensation of burning feet.
During World War II, an estimated one-third of American prisoners of war in the Pacific experienced burning feet syndrome caused by malnutrition.
In today’s population, especially among older people, nerve damage may stem from deficiencies in:
- vitamin B-12
- vitamin B-6
- vitamin B-9 (folate)
These vitamin B deficiencies can cause burning feet and muscle coordination problems.
Anemia, a deficiency in healthy red blood cells, may also be due to vitamin B deficiencies. Other symptoms of vitamin deficiency anemia include fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
8. Hypothyroidism
An underactive thyroid changes the balance of hormones in your body. It can lead to widespread symptoms, including nerve damage. Peripheral neuropathy may be an early sign of hypothyroidism, according to a 2016 study .
9. Infectious diseases
Nerve involvement can occur with various infections, and this could lead to burning pain in the feet.
Ask your doctor about testing if you think you have an infection and are experiencing burning in your feet.
10. Athlete’s foot
Athlete’s foot is a contagious fungal infection that can affect the feet, toenails, and hands. It is also known as tinea pedis.
A common symptom is itching between the toes or on the soles of the feet, but there may also be :
- blisters on the feet that cause itching and burning
- cracking and peeling skin between the toes or on the soles of the feet
- dry skin on the sides or soles of the feet
- toenails that pull away from the nail bed or appear discolored, thick, and crumbly
11. Kidney disease
When your kidneys stop functioning properly, toxins build up in your blood. Various complications can arise, including peripheral neuropathy, symptoms of which include burning foot pain.
Up to 10% of people with kidney disease may also experience swelling and tenderness in the lower legs with burning foot pain.
People who undergo dialysis may have burning foot pain due to nutritional deficiencies, as dialysis removes thiamine, or vitamin B1, from the blood. However, this is rare now as most people receive supplemental thiamine with their treatment.
Kidney failure can also cause :
- swelling
- weakness and numbness
- itching
- headaches
- fatigue and sleep problems
- confusion
- pain
- joint pain, stiffness, or fluid
12. Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) involves a narrowing of the arteries that bring blood to the legs and feet. The symptoms can be similar to those of peripheral neuropathy, including pain in the feet and legs. The pain is often brought on by walking or exercising.
13. Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Tarsal tunnel syndrome refers to a condition where the nerve that runs from the ankle to the foot is squeezed because of swelling or an injury.
This can lead to a sharp, shooting, or radiating pain in the foot, which may extend up the leg.
Experts don’t know exactly why it happens, but 43% of people with tarsal tunnel syndrome have had some injury or trauma, such as an ankle sprain.
Early treatment can often improve symptoms.
14. Toxin exposure
Exposure to heavy metals and other industrial chemicals over long periods can lead to peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Some medications for treating certain conditions, like HIV or seizures, can also produce nerve damage.
15. Chemotherapy
Therapeutic chemicals used to kill cancer cells may have side effects, including peripheral neuropathy.
Other nervous and muscular systems side effects of chemotherapy may include:
- tired, achy, or shaky feeling in the muscles
- slowed down reflexes or motor skills
- balance and coordination problems
- muscle weakness
- pain
The 7 Sensations In Your Legs & Feet You Should Never Ignore
Seemingly mild foot problems can get very serious in a hurry, leading to amputation or worse, because we often ignore the symptoms. Sometimes, we are in denial or our symptoms are misdiagnosed by our health care provider; other times, we ignore the problems for too long because the symptoms are so similar to things that we have experienced in the past that went away on their own without any problems. But as we get older and develop other health conditions, we have to take some seemingly harmless symptoms very seriously, especially if they are more intense or last longer than normal.
- Tired or Heavy Legs
People with this symptom describe it as though their legs are always tired and stiff. Often, their legs feel heavy when they move, like walking through deep snow. Although there are several possible causes for this condition, one of the most serious is a vascular disease.
- Intense Pain or Burning Sensations in the Leg or Foot
If you have pain or burning sensations in your leg or foot, even when you’re not active, it could be something serious. It could be venous reflux, also called venous insufficiency, which is when the veins in the leg aren’t circulating blood back to the heart properly. In this situation, the blood is blocked up and can begin to flood the surrounding tissue, leading to the burning sensation.
- Numbness in the Leg or Foot
When you have prolonged numbness in the leg or foot, it can be a symptom of a vascular (blood flow) issue. It can also be a sign there is a problem with the nerves in the area. Peripheral neuropathy is when the nerves are damaged or destroyed, and this numbness can be a symptom of one of several serious problems.
- Chronically Cold Toes or Feet
There is a wide range of causes of cold feet and toes, but if you cannot seem to warm your feet or toes with the normal methods, it’s important to see a doctor. It could be a sign of peripheral neuropathy (see #3) or peripheral artery disease, which is when the arteries in your legs or feet are narrowed to the point that you have dangerously bad blood flow to your legs and feet.
- Sores on Your Legs or Feet that Won’t Heal
Sores or wounds that will not heal or heal very slowly, especially ones that will not respond to antibiotics, are a very serious problem. It could be a diabetic foot ulcer, a sign that there is a serious problem with the blood flow or the nerves in the area.
- Discolored Skin on the Lower Leg, Ankle, and Feet
This symptom occurs as red or brown patches on the skin of your lower leg, ankles, or feet. The skin may appear shiny and scaly, or even irritated like a rash. These can be signs of advanced vein disease, such as venous stasis dermatitis or chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
- Thickening of Toenails or Nails
A change in the thickness of your toenails may be just one symptom of a fungal infection. Lots of people get fungal infections in their toes, but it’s also more common for people with diabetes and circulatory conditions.
If you have any of the symptoms listed above, seek treatment immediately. The sooner your doctor can ensure that the nerves and blood flow are healthy in your extremities, the more likely it is that you will be able to prevent serious injury.
If you have diabetes, or any condition in which you have poor circulation and/or poor feeling in your feet, you and your doctor need to take extra precautions. It’s important for someone with poor circulation to pay extra attention to their feet by keeping them clean and well-tended and by always wearing socks and well-fitted shoes. It’s also important to regularly inspect the feet for sores and warm spots. These issues can turn into serious problems because they are prone to infections and gangrene, which can mean the amputation of a toe, foot, or part of the foot or leg.
Many people are guilty of ignoring these problems until it is too late. Doctors can also be guilty of missing the warning signs of dangerous foot ulcers before significant injuries occur. If you have a severe foot ulcer situation and you were receiving treatment from a health care provider for it, you might need to speak to an attorney to determine if negligence was involved.
Get in Touch with an Experienced Baltimore Attorney
At Brown & Barron, LLC, we put our clients first because we genuinely care about them and want to help them obtain the compensation they legally deserve. We understand that a legal claim may be the only option for some individuals to be able to afford the treatment they need to heal. We also know that making a podiatrist answer for their actions in a court of law can prevent similar malpractices from happening in the future. That is why we are so committed to helping our clients.
Our award-winning lawyers offer free case evaluations to individuals injured by podiatrist malpractice in Baltimore and throughout Maryland. The sooner you call, the sooner we can help you get started on your claim. With more than 75 years of collective legal experience, you can rest assured knowing that your case is in experienced hands.
Call (410) 698-1717 to arrange a free consultation with a Baltimore lawyer at Brown & Barron, LLC.
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