What is that burning pain in my feet?
Some relief may be gained from an over-the-counter medication, such as Neuragen cream, Portable electronic TENS machines are also proving to be popular and helpful.
Burning, tingling, and numbness in your toes and feet may be the first signs of diabetes. Peripheral neuropathy is a dysfunction of nerves and is commonly seen in the hands and feet.
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There are two types of nerves that may be affected: small nerve fibers, and large nerve fibers. Small nerve fiber damage will cause abnormal sensation and large nerve fiber damage leads to decreasing sensory perception and coordination. Damage to these nerves can be caused for several reasons, but the most common is diabetes. The progression of the neuropathy is highly dependent on the glucose levels in the blood, though the exact mechanism of damage is still unknown.
In uncontrolled or undetected diabetes, there are abnormally high levels of glucose or "sugar" in the blood. The abnormal levels of glucose causes multiple problems in your body including, eye, kidney, and cardiovascular damage. Often, the first problem noticed is the atypical sensations in the feet caused by peripheral neuropathy or nerve dysfunction. The symptoms are progressive and start at your toes and move up like a sock. Diabetic patients often complain of tingling, burning, numbness sensations, similar to the sensations a person feels when their foot "falls asleep."
Over time, the damage will lead to complete loss in sensation. This is the leading cause for diabetic foot ulcerations. A person with lost foot sensation still has motor (muscle) function and can continue to walk, but they are unable to detect sores or pain. Unknown sores on the feet combined with other diabetic complications leads to ulcers (open sores) and sometimes amputations.
To assess your peripheral nerve function, a podiatric physician can do several basic screening tests. While the patient's eyes are closed, the podiatric physician uses several tools to test the small and large fiber nerves in the foot. Such tools consist of a Semmes Weinstein Monofilament (similar to fishing line), tuning fork, and a Q-tip. It is such a simple screen and takes only five minutes to perform, so, there is no excuse for diabetics or pre-diabetics not to get tested. Early detection of neuropathy can greatly decrease its progression and protect the feet from ulcers, infections, and even amputations.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and the complications associated with the disease can greatly impede on a person's quality of life. It is important to prevent and detect diabetes early to avoid and slow down the debilitating damage of the high glucose levels in the blood. Diabetes has a great effect on a person's feet and often shows some of the first signs of diabetic complications. Thus, one with diabetes or diabetic risk factors should pay close attention to their feet and contact their podiatric physician.
Author: Peter Wishnie
Dr. Peter Wishnie is a podiatrist who specializes in foot and ankle surgery. His office is in Piscataway/Hillsborough,NJ. His goals are to educate the public on the care of their feet and ankles and to get them functioning as quickly as possible. For more foot health tips on heel pain, get a Free copy of their book, "You Do Not Have To Suffer With Heel Pain," by visiting their website: http://www.stopfootpainfast.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Wishnie
target="_blank">Ball of feet pain
The pain is sharp stabbing, burning pain. When I am in bed I get a sharp stabbing pain that feels like someone is hammering a nail into my feet and then I feel it at the left
How Can Chiropractic Help Foot Pain?
Factors such as flat feet or over-pronated feet, individual walking and running style, and the type of shoe a person wears can determine if someone will get foot and ankle pain.
I have been experiencing extreme pain in the second toe of my left foot. It started a week ago and it is occuring more and more. The top of my foot.


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dequate blood supply to the nerves. The blood supply becomes restricted by atherosclerotic plaque formation in the small blood vessels that supply the nerves, and this is a common result of increased blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) associated with diabetes.
ve" pattern of symptoms. As the nerves degenerate from lack of blood supply (and therefore a lack of vital oxygen to the nerve tissue), various symptoms of nerve damage begin to arise. The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy may include numbness, burning pain, tingling, and stabbing pain.
