Many conditions can affect the nerves of the foot and cause numbness, tingling and burning. Numbness and tingling usually represent either a neurological or vascular problem, but the list of specific causes is extensive. To diagnose what is causing the symptoms, a doctor will need to know where the numbness is located, when it started, the speed of onset and if the patient is experiencing any other relevant symptoms.
Diabetes
Diabetic neuropathies are nerve disorders caused by diabetes. Some people with nerve damage have no symptoms and others experience pain, tingling or numbness in their hands, arms, feet and legs. The risk for neuropathy increases with age and may depend on the length of time someone has had diabetes. Neuropathy is more common in patients who have problems controlling their blood sugar, have high blood pressure or high blood fat levels, or who are overweight, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
Peripheral Neuropathy
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International explains that there are different types of neuropathy and that peripheral neuropathy causes pain, burning, tingling or loss of feeling in the toes, feet, legs, hands and arms. It is also known as sensorimotor neuropathy and is the result of nerve damage in the arms or legs. Symptoms include tingling or burning sensations, along with numbness or insensitivity to temperature or pain, and a patient's feet and legs are usually affected before his hands and arms.
Pressure on Nerves
Numbness and tingling in the feet can occur when someone remains in the same position---either sitting or standing---for a long time because this creates pressure on the nerves. Compression of spinal nerves from a herniated disk or on peripheral nerves from enlarged blood vessels, infection, tumors or scar tissue can lead to tingling or numbness in the feet. Obesity and fluid retention cause pressure on the ankles or compression of the nerves in the lower back and make a person's feet tingle or become numb.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty material forms on the arteries' walls and then thickens, hardens, forms calcium deposits and eventually blocks the arteries. Cholesterol or plaque buildup in the legs can cause pain, numbness and tingling in the feet, especially while walking.
Raynaud's Disease and Fibromyalgia
Tingling and numbness in the toes and feet could be caused by Raynaud's disease, a condition that impairs circulation in the extremities. Raynaud's phenomenon is often brought on by exposure to cold weather or intense emotional stress, and people who have it may also experience discoloration of the toes. Raynaud's attacks occur when the body senses it is cold and tries to preserve heat by constricting the surface blood vessels in the hands and feet, explains Fibromyalgia-Symptoms.org.
Fibromyalgia can also cause numbness and tingling, but the reason for this is unknown. If numbness and tingling are chronic and experienced in the feet only, conditions other than fibromyalgia might be the cause of the symptoms.
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
The pinching of the tibial nerve, which stretches down the back of the leg to the inner ankle, can cause tarsal tunnel syndrome. Because the tibial area of the ankle is where nerves, muscles and ligaments meet, the tibial nerve is prone to being constricted or pinched. Tarsal tunnel syndrome symptoms include foot pain or weakness, tingling or numbness on the arches or soles of the feet.
