You’re experiencing some numbness in your foot (or feet), and you’re wondering whether it’s a problem that you should address. After all, it’s not like you’re in pain.
The reality is that numbness in your feet for no obvious reason can indicate far more serious problems below the surface. From peripheral neuropathy, which studies show affects about half of the more than 40 million Americans with diabetes, to sciatica, there are many potential culprits behind numbness in your feet that you should investigate.
To help with this, we turn to the highly experienced team of neuropathy and spine experts here at World Medical Group dba Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas. Let’s dive into some of the more common causes of numbness in your feet and why it’s important to act quickly if you’re experiencing it.
We would like to address the type of numbness in your feet that is persistent, if not getting worse, and that has no obvious cause, such as an injury to your foot.
Some of the issues that count foot numbness among their symptoms include:
Far and away, the leading driver of peripheral neuropathy, which is the medical term for damage to your peripheral nerves, is diabetes. When you have diabetes, uncontrolled glucose levels in your bloodstream can damage the delicate blood vessels that service your peripheral nerves.
Over time, this can lead to symptoms like numbness and tingling, especially in your extremities.
Another road to numbness in your feet is PAD, which affects more than 12 million Americans. With PAD, the arteries that supply blood to your body become narrowed, which compromises the flow of blood into your legs. As a result, your peripheral nerves can become damaged.
Your peripheral nervous system is largely created by 31 pairs of nerve roots that exit your spine. If one or more of these nerve roots is compressed in your lower back, it can lead to numbness in one or both of your feet. Examples of this nerve compression include sciatica and lumbar spinal stenosis.
There are other issues that can lead to numbness in your feet, such as a vitamin deficiency and alcoholism, but the above conditions are responsible for most of the issues.
If you’ve developed numbness in your feet that you can’t account for, it’s imperative that you have us check it out.
Losing sensory function might not seem like a big deal, but it can be a harbinger of much larger problems.
For example, if you have diabetes or PAD along with numb feet, you might not feel it when there’s an injury or open wound in your foot. Playing this out further, the compromised circulation that accompanies both of these conditions makes it difficult for your body to repair the damage and fight off infection. This can lead to a chronic foot wound that places you at risk for gangrene and amputation.
As well, if your foot numbness is caused by compression in your spine, it’s important that we address the compression. Numbness is usually a first sign of compression, and the longer it goes on, the worse your symptoms can become — symptoms that include weakness in your foot and even loss of bladder control.
Obviously, we’re outlining some worst-case scenarios, but the idea is to underscore the fact that foot numbness can indicate a more serious issue that warrants a visit to our practice for answers.
To stay one step ahead of nerve damage or nerve compression issues in your spine, please call or message one of our offices in Arlington or Fort Worth, Texas, today to schedule an appointment.
