15 Causes of Burning Sensation In Your Foot

Having a burning foot can sometimes be a pain in the neck. The most common cause of a burning feeling in your feet is nerve damage, which is often related to diabetes. There are other possible causes such as excess alcoholic intake, nutritional deficiency to name a few.

 The pain from burning feet can be intermittent or constant and range from mild to severe. Your feet may feel hot, tingling, prickling, or numb. The pain is often worse at night. Treatment for burning feet will depend on the underlying cause.

Here Are 15 Causes That May Lead Your Foot Having That Burning Sensation.

1. Diabetic Neuropathy.

High sugar intake can gradually damage your blood vessels and nerves. High blood sugar reduces the transmission of signals from the nerves. This can affect sensation to various parts of the body, including the feet. High blood sugar also weakens the blood vessel walls that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. The nerve damage can occur throughout your body. About 60 to 70 per cent of people living with diabetes has some form of nerve damage or neuropathy issue, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Your risk for neuropathy increases if you are:

•           Obese.
•           Have high blood pressure.
•           Smoke cigarettes.
•           Drink alcohol.

The damaged nerve in your leg and feet is known as peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy. This type of neuropathy can cause a burning feeling in your feet. Less frequently, peripheral neuropathy can affect the arms and hands. Additional symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:

•     Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
•     A feeling like you’re wearing a tight sock.
•     Sharp, stabbing pains.
•     Weakness or heavy feeling in your legs or arms.
•     Excessive sweating.

It’s important to see your doctor if you notice any signs of neuropathy.

2. Small fibre sensory neuropathy (SFSN).

SFSN is a painful neuropathy that often results in painful burning in the feet. Other symptoms include loss of feeling in the feet and short bursts of pain. It occurs as a result of a loss of the myelin sheath, which covers and protects nerve fibres. Although the cause isn’t known in most cases, diabetes can be involved.

3. Heavy Alcohol Intake.

Excessive intake of alcohol can lead to another type of nerve damage called alcoholic neuropathy. In addition to burning feet, symptoms include:

•    Muscle weakness, muscle spasms, and loss of muscle function.
•    Urinary and bowel dysfunction.
•    Dizziness.
•    Impaired speech.

4. Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT).

CMT is the most common inherited nerve disease. It affects the nerves that control muscles. It’s a progressive disease, meaning symptoms worsen over time. One of its first symptoms is burning, or pins and needles in the feet or hands. Other symptoms include clumsiness and muscle atrophy. About 1 in every 2,500people in the United States have CMT, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

5. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). 

CRPS occurs in a limb and it's common after an injury or surgery. It involves nerve damage that affects the signalling from the brain and spine. Symptoms include:

•        Burning pain.
•        Swelling.
•        Changes in skin colour or texture.

6. Erythromelalgia.

It is a relatively rare disease involving red, hot, and painful feet without a known cause. The severity of the disease varies from one person to another. Pain can worsen after:

•          exercise.
•          walking.
•          standing.
•          exposure to heat.

7. Nutritional Deficiencies.

Burning feet caused by malnutrition were more common in the past than its seem today, but it’s still seen in areas that experience famine or other disasters. In today’s population, especially among the elderly ones, nerve damage may be related to deficiencies in:

•          Vitamin B-12.
•          Vitamin B-6.
•          Vitamin B-9 (folate).

These vitamin B deficiencies can cause burning feet and muscle coordination problems. Anaemia, a deficiency in healthy red blood cells, may also be due to vitamin B deficiencies. Other symptoms of vitamin deficiency anaemia include fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

8. Hypothyroidism.

An underactive thyroid changes the balance of hormones in your body. This can cause swelling that puts pressure on your nerves. In addition to burning feet, symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, and dry skin.

9. Infectious Diseases.

Burning feet can be one of many symptoms of various infections, including Lyme disease, HIV, syphilis, shingles. Ask your doctor about getting tested if you think you have an infection and are experiencing burning in your feet.

10. Athlete’s foot.

Athlete’s foot is a contagious fungal infection often seen in athletes. Also known as tinea pedis, it can also affect toe, nails and hands. One of the most common symptoms of athlete’s foot is a burning, tingling, or itching sensation between the toes or on the soles of the feet. You may also experience: itchy blisters on the feet, cracking and peeling skin between the toes or on the soles of the feet, dry skin on the sides or soles of the feet, raw skin on the feet, toenails that pull away from the nail bed, or appear discolored, thick, and crumbly.

11. Kidney Disease.

When your kidneys stop functioning properly, toxins build up in your blood. This can lead to swelling and itching of feet. It can also cause reduced urine output, unexplained shortness of breath, nausea, confusion, seizures, fatigue, coma.

12. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).

PAD involves a narrowing of the arteries that bring blood to the legs and feet. The symptoms can be similar to those of peripheral neuropathy, including burning feet and legs. The pain is often brought on by walking or exercising.

13. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome refers to a condition where the nerve that runs from the ankle to the foot is squeezed because of swelling or an injury. This can lead to pain and burning in the foot. The pain may extend up the leg. It’s important to get early treatment for this condition before the nerve damage becomes permanent.

14. Toxin Exposure.

Exposure to heavy metals and other industrial chemicals over long periods can lead to peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Some medications used to treat certain conditions, like HIV or seizures, can also produce nerve damage.

15. Chemotherapy.

Therapeutic chemicals used to kill cancer cells may have side effects, including peripheral neuropathy. Other nervous and muscular systems side effects of chemotherapy may include been tired, achy, or shaky feeling in the muscles, slowed down reflexes or motor skills, balance and coordination problems, muscle weakness.