Burning feet at night. Tingling in your toes that won’t go away. Numbness that makes it difficult to tell whether your shoes are rubbing against your skin.
These symptoms can be easy to ignore at first, but they may be signs of peripheral neuropathy, a condition involving damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Peripheral neuropathy commonly affects the feet and legs and can cause numbness, tingling, burning pain, sensitivity, weakness, and problems with balance.
At South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers, our podiatry team evaluates patients with neuropathy symptoms throughout Palm Beach County, including at our Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens, and Belle Glade locations. The goal isn’t simply to mask foot pain. It’s to determine what may be contributing to your symptoms, protect the health of your feet, and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
What Does Neuropathy in the Feet Feel Like?
Neuropathy doesn’t feel the same for everyone.
For some people, it begins with occasional tingling in the toes. Others notice burning or shooting pain, particularly at night. In more advanced cases, the problem may be the opposite: the feet become so numb that injuries are difficult to feel.
Common symptoms can include:
- Burning or tingling in the feet
- Pins-and-needles sensations
- Numbness in the toes or soles
- Sharp, stabbing, or shooting pain
- Increased sensitivity to touch
- Muscle weakness
- Difficulty with balance or walking
- Reduced ability to feel temperature or pain
- A sensation that you’re wearing socks even when you’re barefoot
Peripheral neuropathy symptoms frequently begin in the feet because the longest nerves in the body are often affected first. Symptoms may gradually travel upward as nerve damage progresses.
What Causes Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is not a single disease with a single cause.
Diabetes is one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy. Over time, elevated blood glucose and blood fats can damage nerves and the small blood vessels responsible for nourishing them. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, roughly one-third to one-half of people with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy.
However, diabetes isn’t the only possible explanation.
Peripheral neuropathy can also be associated with traumatic injuries, infections, autoimmune diseases, inherited disorders, metabolic conditions, exposure to certain toxins, nutritional deficiencies, and compression or pressure affecting a nerve.
That’s one reason proper diagnosis matters. Two patients may both describe burning feet while having very different underlying causes.
Why Numb Feet Can Be More Serious Than They Seem
Pain usually gets our attention. Numbness sometimes doesn’t.
But losing sensation in your feet can create its own risks.
Imagine developing a blister from a poorly fitting shoe but not being able to feel it. You continue walking on it for days, allowing a small area of irritation to become an open wound.
For patients with diabetes and neuropathy, decreased sensation can make cuts, blisters, pressure points, and sores harder to notice. These wounds may progress to ulcers or infections if they aren’t identified and treated appropriately.
That’s why neuropathy care involves more than treating discomfort. Protecting the feet from preventable complications is an important part of long-term management.
How Is Neuropathy Diagnosed?
If you’re experiencing persistent numbness, burning, tingling, or unexplained foot pain, your podiatrist will first want to understand the pattern of your symptoms and your overall medical history.
An evaluation may assess:
- Sensation in the feet and toes
- Muscle strength and tone
- Tendon reflexes
- Balance and walking
- Circulation
- Areas of pain or unusual sensitivity
- Existing wounds, calluses, or pressure points
Additional testing may be appropriate depending on your symptoms. Nerve conduction studies and electromyography (EMG), for example, can provide information about nerve and muscle function. Blood tests and imaging may also be used in some cases to investigate possible underlying causes.
South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers offers diagnostic evaluation for neuropathy symptoms, including assessment of muscle strength, reflexes and sensitivity, with nerve-function testing such as EMG used when appropriate.
Can Neuropathy Be Treated?
Treatment depends heavily on why the neuropathy is occurring and how it is affecting you.
There isn’t one neuropathy treatment that is appropriate for every patient. A personalized treatment plan may focus on addressing an underlying condition, reducing symptoms, protecting the feet, improving mobility, and preventing additional nerve or tissue damage.
Managing an Underlying Condition
When neuropathy is associated with diabetes, controlling blood sugar is an important part of preventing further complications. South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers can coordinate with a patient’s primary care physician when diabetes management is part of the treatment strategy.
Protecting the Feet
Patients with reduced sensation should pay particularly close attention to their feet.
Daily inspection can help identify redness, blisters, cuts, cracks, swelling, or other changes before they become more serious. Appropriate footwear and foot care are especially important for people with diabetes.
Custom Orthotics
For certain patients, custom orthotics can provide additional support and redistribute pressure across the foot. Padding and properly selected footwear may also help reduce friction and pressure that could contribute to skin breakdown.
Treating Wounds and Ulcers
If neuropathy has contributed to an ulcer or other wound, timely treatment becomes particularly important.
Because a numb foot may not hurt, lack of pain does not necessarily mean a wound is minor.
The team at South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers provides care for foot and leg ulcers with the goal of promoting healing and reducing the risk of complications.
Nerve Decompression
Some neuropathies involve pressure or compression affecting nerves. Surgery can be considered for certain neuropathies caused by nerve pressure.
South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers offers nerve decompression surgery for appropriately selected patients when conservative approaches have not adequately controlled symptoms. The procedure is designed to relieve pressure affecting the involved nerve.
5 Things You Can Do to Protect Your Feet When You Have Neuropathy
Small habits can become especially important when sensation is reduced.
1. Look at your feet every day.
Check the tops, bottoms, heels, and between your toes for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling, or skin changes.
2. Don’t rely on pain to tell you something is wrong.
Neuropathy can reduce your ability to feel an injury.
3. Wear properly fitting shoes.
Repeated friction or pressure can create wounds you may not immediately notice.
4. Manage diabetes carefully if you have it.
Managing blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol can play an important role in reducing diabetes-related complications.
5. Don’t ignore new symptoms.
Persistent burning, tingling, weakness, numbness, or unexplained pain deserves an evaluation—particularly when symptoms are worsening.
When Should You See a Podiatrist for Neuropathy?
Consider scheduling an evaluation if you’re experiencing persistent:
Burning. Tingling. Numbness. Shooting pain. Weakness. Balance problems. Loss of sensation.
You should also seek medical attention for a cut, blister, ulcer, or other foot wound that isn’t healing normally—particularly if you have diabetes or decreased sensation.
Earlier evaluation may help identify the underlying problem and allow treatment to begin before additional complications develop. Mayo Clinic recommends seeking medical care when unusual tingling, weakness, or pain develops in the hands or feet.
Neuropathy Treatment in Palm Beach County, Florida
Living with neuropathy doesn’t mean you should simply accept burning, numbness, or foot pain as part of everyday life.
At South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers, our podiatry team provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for neuropathy affecting the feet and lower extremities. From diagnostic testing and diabetic foot care to ulcer management, custom orthotics, and nerve decompression when appropriate, treatment is tailored to each patient’s needs.
With locations in Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens, and Belle Glade, Florida, specialized foot and ankle care is available close to home.
Experiencing burning, tingling, numbness, or unexplained pain in your feet? Schedule an appointment with South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers to have your symptoms evaluated and learn which treatment options may be right for you.