Bones, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels in the feet depend on vitamins to function normally. Deficiency of a vitamin can have dramatic effects, causing a burning sensation, pain, muscle wasting and edema in the feet. In many cases, these problems can be reversed by replacing the missing vitamin.
Vitamin C
Dr. J.L. Besse states in the journal "Foot Ankle Surgery" that 1 g daily of vitamin C was helpful in preventing complex regional pain sydrome type I in patients who had foot and ankle surgery.
Dr Sandra Rodriguez reported in the journal "Clinical Rheumatology" that a patient with regional transient osteoporosis of the foot and vitamin C deficiency had resolution of this disorder after vitamin C administration. Vitamin C, essential for collagen synthesis, would limit bone repair, if absent.
Panthothenic acid, Riboflavin and Niacin
According to the journal "Australian Family Physician," Dr. Ravinder Makkar reported on burning feet syndrome, also known as Grierson-Gopalan syndrome. According to "Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine," the earliest symptom is severe burning and aching of the feet, followed by sharp pain that extends up to the knees and increased skin temperature. It is usually worse at night. Many disorders cause it, including deficiency of vitamins, as occurred in British prisoners of war in the Far East during World War II. The cause has been attributed to deficiency in panthothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, or niacin. There have been case reports showing improvement in burning feet syndrome after replacement of each of these vitamins.
Thiamine
Deficiency of thiamine, or vitamin B-1, results in a condition called dry beriberi, which translates to "I cannot do anything." It involves blood vessels of the legs and is acquired by eating polished rice, which leads to lactic acid production in tissues. This longstanding disease causes degeneration of nerves, muscle wasting in the legs and inability to walk, according to "Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine."
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Dennis Kasper, M.D.; 2005
- Clinical Rheumatology:Regional transient osteoporosis of the foot; Dr. Sandra Rodriguez[ 2007
- Foot Ankle Surgery; Effect of vitamin C on prevention of complex regional pain syndrome type I in foot and ankle surgery; Dr. JL Besse; 2009
- Australian Family Physician: Burning feet syndrome; Dr. Ravinder Makkar; 2002
- "Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine"; John Macleod; 1977.
