A Common Cause for Foot Pain is Neuropathy
A common cause of foot pain is neuropathy, or nerve damage in the foot. The most common cause in this country is Diabetes. There are other causes as well such as B12 or Folate deficiency, kidney disease, thyroid disease, alcoholism, genetic diseases, or exposure to certain toxins. Individuals with this condition describe the pain as burning, tingling, numbness, cramping, sharp pain, and/or stinging in the feet that is often worse at night. Some people will describe a crawling sensation as well. They may also have balance problems.
It is caused by damage to the small blood vessels in the body that supply the tiny nerves of the hands and feet. Without the blood supply, these nerves start to malfunction and die. They give these odd sensations off as they do.
The diagnosis is made by physical examination by a physician as well as nerve testing performed by a specialist such as ourselves.
Treatment Options
Treatment for this condition has 3 goals. Slowing the progression, treating the pain, and decreasing complications.
To this end, blood sugar should be tightly controlled with blood glucose numbers between 80-120 if you are 59 years old or younger and 100-140 I you are 60 years old or older.
The pain may be treated with some medication, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
To decrease complications, feet should be examined by a physician once per year and if you are diabetic, you should check your own feet twice per day with a mirror to look for open cuts, bruises, callouses, or other skin issues that you may not be able to feel – remember the whole reason for the pain is that the nerve are not working!