Neurological Foot Problems Their Diagnosis & Treatment
Do you have burning, crawling, tingling or radiating pain in your feet and legs? Do you feel a pin and needles sensation that’s doesn’t resolve quickly when you change positions? Several neurological foot and ankle conditions generally categorized as peripheral neuropathies can cause nerve pain in the foot impeding day-to-day performance and even impacting your ability to simply get around. In worsening cases, these nerve pains can become debilitating, impacting your overall quality of life. At Namen Podiatry, it is our goal to not only find the source of your nerve-related pain and stop it, but to get you back on your feet and on the move.
Through a comprehensive medical evaluation, exam and any requisite diagnostic testing the medical professionals at Namen Podiatry can diagnose your nerve pain. Whether general peripheral neuropathy, tarsal tunnel syndrome or dorsal cuneiform neuritis, Morton’s neuroma or even, Dr. Namen and the team can resolve your issue and help determine if a combination of treatments including surgical treatment, or a non-invasive, conservative care approach best serves your needs.
Namen Podiatry can help you address any number of neurological issues of the feet.
By no means a comprehensive list (nor should this suggest you diagnose your own podiatric condition), the following are some of the most common neurological issues which may help you understand and better explain your own pain and symptoms to Dr. Namen and the team.
Baxter’s Neuropathy can result from compression of the inferior calcaneal nerve just under the base of the foots arch. Other risk factors of this neurological condition can include plantar fasciitis, obesity, bone spurs, flat feet or fallen arches.
Morton’s neuroma is characterized by a thickening of the tissue near an area of the nerves leading to your toes. This can cause a burning or stabbing pain which may even feel like an electric shock that worsens when walking, particularly in high heels. The pain of Morton’s neuroma may fade during rest or after removing narrow/ill-fitting shoes, but at its peak can cause numbness between the toes, or even extend to the back of the foot and up the leg causing cramps.
Tarsal Tunnel is pain in the feet and legs caused by one of two things; compression of the posterior tibial nerve which runs down the back of the lower leg, or the plantar nerves in the feet. Symptoms of tarsal tunnel include a sharp or shooting pain in the inner ankle and along the foot, as well as a tingling or burning sensation. Additionally, sufferers experience pain when flexing the foot and a numbness on the underside of the foot. These symptoms may worsen overnight can be attributed to ill-fitting shoes, injury, postsurgical scarring, varicose veins, lipomas, and ganglion cysts. (See also Achilles tendonitis.)
Dorsal Neuritis is a painful sensation on the top of the foot that worsens in shoes, particularly lace-ups. Caused by applied pressure on the branch of nerves that provide feeling to the top of the foot, this pain can manifest in a variety of annoying feelings, from that of being stabbed with a hot poker, a sharp object to that tingling feeling like you laid on it wrong.
Diabetic Neuropathy
Both Types 1 & 2 diabetes can cause nerve pain in the toes and foot, affecting more than 90% of the diabetic population. While this pain manifests first in the toes and surrounding area, it can eventually spread throughout the foot and up into the legs. If you have diabetes and are experiencing a tingling, burning, sharp or shooting pain in the toes or feet, or if these pains worsen at night causing sleep disturbance or chronic pain from touch, Dr. Namen and the team are here to help.
Treatment for a neurological issue may vary and may even include a combination of therapies to resolve. Proper diagnosis by Dr. Namen can determine which course of treatment is right for you.
- Electrical Nerve Stimulation
- Braces or Orthotics
- Orthopedic surgery
- Physical therapy
- Pain medication
- Massage therapy
