Nerve pain related to foot is a common problem and may cause tingling, numbness, burning sensation or weakness can affect your leg. Nerve pain in your foot occurs as a result of damage caused to the nerve that passes through path from your spine to your foot. This causes due to injury, medical condition or side effect of medication you are taking.
Damage caused to the nerve disables the ability to transmit messages thus causing nerve pain in your foot and it is known as neuropathic pain or neuropathy. Nerve pain in foot causes because of two reasons that is either due to peripheral neuropathy which occurs as a result of damage to the nerve in lower leg or foot it. The other reason for nerve pain in foot is due to problems that occur in lower spine. This results in leg, buttock, back nerve pain including pain in foot and weakness.
Foot Neuropathy Due to Spinal Problems
Nerve pain in the foot normally occurs due to problem in your back rather than in your foot.
Peripheral Neuropathy
When the problem occurs with the function of nerves that regulates the messages from spinal to brain and vice versa. It causes problems in hands and feet. Peripheral neuropathy can develop
- Suddenly: can cause because of a traumatic incident.
- Develop gradually: tends to progress over the period of time and becomes chronic, which results in slow improvement.
If the damage occurs to one nerve it is termed as mononeuropathy and if it damages more than one nerve it is known as polyneuropathy.
The damage caused due to peripheral neuropathy results in
- Weakness: difficulty in moving your leg or lifting up the leg.
- Pain: stabbing, sharp, electric shock which often worsens during night
- Altered sensation: pins, numbness, tingling or hypersensitivity. It makes you feel like you have worn a sock when actually you are barefoot.
- Altered co-ordination and balance
Symptoms affect both feet rather than just affecting one and it progresses gradually.
Causes of nerve pain in foot in case of peripheral neuropathy
- Medical Conditions: Diabetes is the major cause in case of peripheral neuropathy resulting in diabetic nerve foot pain which causes to imbalanced blood sugar levels which disturbs the metabolism of nerves glucose levels. Any diabetic person should take good care of their feet and report their doctor in case they face burning sensation or foot pain.
- Injury: This may come from an incident or repetitive compression.
- Infections: for example shingle, leprosy or Lyme disease.
- Alcoholism: prolonged intake of alcohol can affect the peripheral nerves
- Medications: peripheral neuropathy can also occur as a result of side-effect that causes due to medications like chemotherapy drugs.
Nerve pain in foot can become serious when you face weakness for example foot drop wherein you are not able to lift your foot, which causes you stumble or trip while walking. Also if you face numbness in between your legs you should see a doctor.