Why does toes feel numb

Increasing your physical activity and paying careful attention to your diet can also help. If the numbness is due to compression of the nerve in the foot, changing the type of shoes you wear might help. If the numbness is related to alcohol, you should stop drinking and begin taking a multivitamin. In addition to these steps, a doctor may prescribe pain-relieving medications. These can include:. People with chronic foot numbness should undergo routine foot examinations to check for wounds and foot circulation.

They should also practice excellent foot hygiene , including:. Find tips for treating nerve pain. Tingling in the feet isn't often cause for concern, but sometimes it may require medical attention. Learn about causes such as diabetes and toxin…. Experiencing numbness in the legs and feet can be a symptom of many conditions, including fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, B deficiency, and….

Peripheral neuropathy causes pain, typically in the hands and feet. Learn about simple exercises you can complete at home to treat peripheral….

Stubbed toes happen to everyone. Plus, learn home remedies and what…. Several supplements may ease neuropathy symptoms, like vitamin B, fish oil, curcumin, and more. Many people with sciatica pain find lying down painful. In general, some sleeping positions are better than others and put less stress on the sciatic…. Learn the average duration of a pinched nerve based on type, what treatments are available, and how to prevent pinched nerves in the first place. The telltale symptoms of sciatic nerve pain are severe pain in your back, buttocks, and legs.

With neuropathic pain, the body sends pain signals to your brain unprompted. Here's what causes it and what you can do. Morton neuroma Morton neuroma, also called by the older name Morton's neuroma, is a thickening of fibrous tissue in the ball of the foot. Rarity: Rare Top Symptoms: foot numbness, pain in the sole of the foot, pain when touching the foot, pain in both feet, foot injury Urgency: Self-treatment Chronic idiopathic peripheral neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy refers to the feeling of numbness, tingling, and pins-and-needles sensation in the feet.

Rarity: Rare Top Symptoms: distal numbness, muscle aches, joint stiffness, numbness on both sides of body, loss of muscle mass Urgency: Primary care doctor Low calcium level Hypocalcemia is a condition where there is not enough calcium in the blood.

Rarity: Rare Top Symptoms: fatigue, shortness of breath, irritability, general numbness, tingling foot Urgency: Primary care doctor Sciatica Sciatica is a general term describing any shooting pain that begins at the spine and travels down the leg.

Folate vitamin deficiency Folate is also called folic acid or vitamin B9. Rarity: Rare Top Symptoms: fatigue, depressed mood, irritability, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea Symptoms that never occur with folate vitamin deficiency: abdominal swelling Urgency: Phone call or in-person visit Foot weakness Any foot weakness is a sign of nerve damage, which is very worrisome and requires you to go see a doctor immediately! Rarity: Uncommon Top Symptoms: foot weakness, lower leg weakness, severe pelvis pain, hearing voices or seeing things that aren't there, arm weakness Urgency: Hospital emergency room.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome Tarsal tunnel syndrome refers to the symptoms that result from compression of the posterior tibial nerve. Symptoms of tarsa..

Pes cavus Pes cavus is the presence of an abnormally high arch that can occur in either one or both feet and develop at any age. Symptoms predominan.. Lower leg weakness Any leg weakness is a sign of nerve damage, which is very worrisome and requires you to go see a doctor immediately! Rarity: Uncommon Top Symptoms: lower leg weakness, foot weakness, arm weakness, loss of vision, severe pelvis pain Urgency: Hospital emergency room.

Treatment and relief for numb toes When to see a doctor If you experience frequent, persistent episodes of toe numbness, visit your doctor to find the exact cause of your condition in order to get appropriate treatment.

At-home treatment Depending on the cause, your doctor may first suggest other lifestyle modifications such as: Balanced diet rich in essential vitamins to keep the nerves healthy: Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats can provide your body with the nutrition necessary to maintain your nerves.

Regular exercise: Maintaining an optimal weight with exercise and a balanced diet can not only prevent, but also control metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Medications to relax blood vessels: There are many different kinds of medication that can combat constriction in your blood vessels by dilating relaxing them and promoting circulation.

Anticonvulsants: Some anticonvulsant medications can also be used to combat nerve pain such as gabapentin Neurontin. Physical therapy: If your toe numbness is due to trauma that causes compression of the nerves and blood vessels leading to your toes, your doctor may suggest therapy to help take the pressure of these body parts, which also may improve your range of motion and posture.

Surgery: If other treatments are ineffective and your toe numbness symptoms continue to progress or worsen, your doctor may recommend looking into surgical options to combat your symptoms. When it is an emergency If you experience any symptoms of speech difficulty, facial drooping, or weakness to the point you cannot raise your foot or leg, call immediately. Questions your doctor may ask about toe numbness Have you ever been diagnosed with a psychiatric issue, such as depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorder?

While lying down on a firm surface, keep both legs straight. Have a friend slowly raise one leg at a time by lifting your ankle into the air. Do you have pain in that leg before fully raising it to a perpendicular position? This is called the straight leg test. What is your body mass? The foot numbness affects one foot or both feet? Hear what 1 other is saying. Submit story. Request sent successfully.

An error occurred, please try again later. Three toe numbness Posted October 2, by D. It's not my big toe nor my 5 toe. It's the three in the middle that are numb. It's crazy. At times I can feel things with the three middle toes but other times I can't.

I can't figure it out and can't find anything on the web that I can read to figure out why just these three toes go numb. I've never been involved in an accident. My feet have never had any trauma.

But I did have to go to the doctor two years ago and get a shot in the foot because of the pain on the ball of the foot. But now lately I'm getting numbness on the other toes on the other foot. Now I need some answers. Copied to clipboard Close Icon. He currently practices as a hospitalist at Newton Wellesley Hospital.

In , Dr. Rothschild received his MD at the Medical College of Wisconsin and trained in internal medicine followed by a fellowship in critical care medicine. He also received an MP Read full bio. Was this article helpful? Read this next. Slide 1 of 2. Joint Issues. Gout: Symptoms and Treatments. Gout is a type of arthritis that typically attacks the big toe, but it can affect knees and sometimes other joints.

Uric acid builds up in the joint causing the pain and inflammation. Read more. What Causes Big Toe Pain? Experiencing big toe pain can also cause pain when walking, swelling in the toe, or discoloration of the big toe. Common causes of pain in the big toe are a broken or sprained big toe, nerve damage, or gout. References Shelat AM.

Numbness and tingling. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus. Updated December 6, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Updated August 16, National Organization for Rare Disorders. Published There are the same risk factors for the feet, and it is important for a patient to be seen periodically by a podiatrist for a thorough exam. Chemotherapy is a necessary treatment for some cancer conditions, and the list of side effects is numerous.

One of the most common side effects that no one really talks about is chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy. As a cancer patient undergoes chemotherapy, the effects of tingling and numbness may be immediate, or may come later. This type of neuropathy can also be treated with medication, but for some reason may not respond as well. For this type of neuropathy, the effects of numbness, tingling, burning, or pin-prick pain may last long after the chemotherapy is finished. Doctors are not sure why there is such lingering effects long after the chemotherapy is finished.

Nutrition is such a vital part of our health that lack of certain vitamins and minerals can also cause peripheral neuropathy. In this case, it is the lack of B vitamins B12, B1 that is documented to be the cause. In order to reverse this nutritional deficit, your doctor may recommend B- vitamin supplements.

In our office, we carry Neuremedy, which is benfotiamine, an active form of thiamine, which helps nerves function properly. We recommend a loading dose the first month and then maintenance after that. The Neuremedy can also be used in other instances of neuropathy and many of our diabetic patients do use it. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason as to why a patient would have peripheral neuropathy, and in those cases, it is referred to as idiopathic, or of unknown cause.

In those cases, since no origin is known, it is difficult to know how to treat it. The symptoms of burning, aching, tingling, or pins and needles is the same, and here in our office we can look at your symptoms and guide you through your options for treatment just as we do in with all the other types of neuropathy. There are various treatment options for peripheral neuropathy. But first, it is important to understand the underlying cause. If the cause is known, then steps need to be taken to limit the affect.

Supportive care is also important, for example your podiatrist may recommend accommodative inserts or special shoes. The reason is because the accommodative inserts can pad the shoe and protect the feet and toes from injury and cushion areas of friction to prevent a blister that can progress to infection or worse, surgery and amputation.

Your Neurologist or primary care physician can recommend various oral medications. There are many side effects with these medications and they need to be monitored closely.