If your feet feel tingly, numb, burning, or oddly electric, you’re not imagining it. Nerves are your body’s messaging system, and when those signals get scrambled, your feet and ankles are often the first to tell you. At New Jersey Podiatric Physicians & Surgeons Group, we see how disruptive these sensations can be, from a nagging buzz in your toes to pain that wakes you at night. However, there are patterns in your symptoms that point experts like us toward answers.
Tingling, Numbness, and Burning Pain
Nerve irritation often starts with pins-and-needles, numb spots, or a zinging feeling, especially in your toes, ball of the foot, or along the inside ankle. You might notice symptoms after standing, during a run, or when you slip into tighter shoes.
Sensitivity, Shooting Pains, and Night Symptoms
With nerve issues, even a light touch, like a sheet on your toes, can feel too intense. You may also get shooting pains that travel along a line, or cramps that don’t match your activity level. Nighttime can be worse because nerves are more noticeable when everything else is quiet.
Muscle Weakness and Balance Problems
Nerves don’t just carry sensation; they also help muscles fire. If messages aren’t getting through, you might feel weakness when pushing off, a floppy or unstable ankle, or balance changes. You may even see subtle changes like a smaller calf size on one side.
Common Nerve Conditions in the Foot and Ankle
So, what foot conditions might all these symptoms be indicating?
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome: A pinched nerve on the inside of your ankle that can cause burning or tingling in the arch and toes.
- Morton’s Neuroma: An irritated nerve between the toes; often feels like a pebble in your shoe with sharp zaps or numbness.
- Peripheral Neuropathy: Nerve damage (often from diabetes, alcohol, chemo, or low B12) that starts as numbness or burning in the toes and slowly moves upward.
- Peroneal Nerve Irritation: Nerves on the outer ankle and foot get annoyed and produce outer-foot burning, top-of-foot tingling, or a weak toe lift.
When to Seek Help for Nerve-Related Foot Issues
Reach out if symptoms last more than two weeks, cause sleep disruption, affect balance, or occur after an injury. Sudden, severe weakness or numbness that spreads quickly should prompt immediate attention. The earlier we intervene, the easier the solution will often be.
How We Can Help Your Feet
First, we’ll map your symptoms, measure your strength and sensations, and review your footwear and biomechanics.
Some possible treatments include: activity and footwear modification, nerve-friendly custom orthotics, specific physical treatment, vitamin and metabolic screening, and injections.
If you’re worried about your foot pain, come see the expert team at New Jersey Podiatric Physicians & Surgeons Group. With more than 30 locations, from Newark, NJ, to Cape May, NJ, we value convenience and excellent service for our patients. To schedule an appointment, first find a podiatrist in your area.
