A painful burning sensation in your feet — which you may hear referred to as burning feet syndrome or Grierson-Gopalan syndrome — may be caused by many different medical conditions. One of the most common causes is nerve damage in the legs, also called neuropathy, which often develops in people with diabetes. Most burning feet treatments focus on preventing further nerve damage and reducing pain.
What Causes Burning Feet?
Most often, neuropathy causes burning feet. Damaged nerve fibers are more likely to become overactive and misfire. The damaged nerves send pain signals to your brain even though you have no wound.
Damage from neuropathy often starts in the legs. That can lead to tingling and numbness in your feet as well. Your feet may feel overly sensitive to touch (hyperesthesia) and can have varying degrees of burning pain, ranging from mild to disabling.
There are different types and causes of neuropathy that can lead to burning feet syndrome.
Diabetic neuropathy
If your blood sugar remains too high for too long, nerve damage can develop. This can happen to people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The type of neuropathy that causes burning feet is called peripheral neuropathy, which is the most common type of neuropathy. It affects the nerves in your feet, legs, and, sometimes, your hands. Up to 50% of people with diabetes develop peripheral neuropathy.
Alcoholic neuropathy
This is a common consequence of alcohol use disorder. Experts don’t fully understand why it occurs, but it’s clear that many factors contribute. Alcohol has a toxic effect on the nerves in your brain and spinal cord, which make up your central nervous system. It also affects your peripheral nerves, which include those in your feet. Also, people who abuse alcohol are often malnourished, which can lead to damaged nerves. As many as two-thirds of people with alcohol use disorder develop alcoholic neuropathy.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
PAD causes narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to your legs and feet. This reduces the amount of oxygen-rich blood that reaches your nerves. If PAD becomes severe, you may develop a condition called ischemic rest pain, which causes severe burning pain in the soles of your feet. This pain gets worse at night.
Athlete’s foot
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that develops in warm, moist parts of your skin. Sweaty shoes and socks, as well as humidity, create an ideal environment for the fungus to thrive. In addition to burning, you may have itching and stinging sensations on your soles and between your toes.
Hypothyroidism
If your hormone-producing thyroid gland slows down, you have an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. If left untreated, it can sometimes result in peripheral neuropathy, an uncommon complication of this condition that can cause burning feet.
Nutritional deficiencies
Poor nutrition, which can result from an unhealthy diet or alcohol use disorder, can lead to peripheral neuropathy. In some cases, burning feet syndrome is caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. This deficiency is more common in older people and in people who follow a strict vegetarian diet. Some health conditions, such as autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, as well as anemia and HIV, may lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Diagnosing Burning Feet
Most people who have burning feet have a likely identifiable cause, such as diabetes. For these people, the diagnosis of burning feet due to neuropathy is straightforward, and no further testing is needed.
In a few people whose burning sensation is sudden, rapidly worsening, or has no explainable cause, further testing may be needed to make a correct diagnosis. These tests may include:
Electromyography (EMG). It tests muscle function using recordings of electrical activity inside the muscles. For an EMG test, a probe may be placed on the skin, or a needle may be inserted into the muscle.
Nerve conduction study (NCS). An NCS tests the ability of nerves to transmit impulses. A nerve is stimulated, and the response in the muscle controlled by that nerve is measured.
Laboratory tests. Sometimes, tests of blood, urine, or spinal fluid may be suggested to help diagnose the cause of burning feet. Vitamin levels can be checked with a simple blood test.
Nerve biopsy. Very rarely, a doctor may suggest cutting out a piece of nerve tissue and examining it under a microscope.
Treating Burning Sensation in Feet
Your treatment will depend on what’s causing the burning sensation in your feet.
The most important treatment for burning feet due to neuropathy is to stop any ongoing nerve damage. In some cases, treatment of the underlying disease will improve the neuropathy and symptoms. In other situations, such as many cases of small fiber neuropathy, where no cause can be identified, the physician will focus on treating the person’s symptoms.
Credit: webmd
