10 Illnesses That Can Cause a Burning Feeling in Your Feet

A burning sensation in your feet can be quite uncomfortable—even painful—and make it hard to get through your day. Some people pass this off as a minor issue or try to treat it at home. But the truth is, if you’re consistently experiencing a feeling of burning in your feet, you might have one of the ten illnesses or conditions listed below.  

Dr. Ryan Golub at Arizona Foot Health in Phoenix, AZ, understands the discomfort associated with this symptom, and he wants to help you get to the bottom of its cause and provide relief.

1. Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism occurs when your thyroid is underactive, and this can cause a number of hormonal changes in the body. One of them is swelling in the feet and ankles, which causes nerve pressure, leading to burning feet. Other symptoms include weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and dry skin.

2. Tarsal tunnel syndrome

You’ve probably heard of carpal tunnel syndrome, but did you know a similar issue can occur in your feet? If the nerve running from your foot to your ankle is squeezed often as a result of injury or swelling, you are likely to experience a painful, burning feeling in your foot. The pain can go as high as the leg in some cases.

3. Neuropathy

Neuropathy is a blanket term that refers to any diseases that cause problems for the nerves. In this case, two types of neuropathy could be at work and causing your burning feet symptom.

 One is diabetic neuropathy, which can damage the nerves and blood vessels in your body because of high blood sugar. This leads to a burning and sometimes a painful or tingling feeling in the feet. Another is small fiber sensory neuropathy (also known as SFSN), the other symptoms of which are pain and a loss of feeling in the feet. 

Sometimes, diabetes is involved in SFSN as well. Other forms of neuropathy that can cause burning feet are peripheral neuropathy and alcoholic neuropathy.

4. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

This is a common, inherited disease that affects the muscle-controlling nerves and worsens over time. Burning in the feet and hands is an early sign of this illness, and other issues, such as awkwardness in the limbs and muscle atrophy, can follow.

5. Malnutrition

This is an uncommon condition in today’s American society, but nevertheless, malnutrition can potentially be the cause of burning feet. The elderly are the most susceptible, and deficiencies in vitamins B-9, B-6, and B-12 can potentially cause this symptom.

6. Kidney disease

Another potentially serious condition that can cause hot feet is kidney disease. This can lead to itchiness and swelling in the feet when toxins are allowed to build up in your body. Other symptoms include nausea, urinating less, shortness of breath, confusion, seizures, and fatigue.

7. Athlete’s foot

Athlete’s foot is one of the milder conditions that can cause a burning sensation in the feet. However, it does require treatment, as it is both an infection and contagious. If you notice other symptoms that are outwardly affecting your feet, such as dry, cracking, or peeling skin, blisters, or toenails that seem to stick up from the nail bed, it’s a good idea to get checked for athlete’s foot.

8. Infection

Another type of infection could also potentially cause burning feet to occur. Some of the most common infectious diseases that can lead to this symptom include HIV, Lyme disease, shingles, and syphilis.

9. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

If you were injured recently, CRPS could be causing your burning feet symptom, as it occurs when the signals being sent from your brain are affected by nerve damage. Other symptoms include swelling and changes to the texture and color of the skin.

10. Erythromelalgia

This is a disease that causes burning feet that don’t seem to have any cause. Exercising or exposing the feet to heat can make the pain and burning sensation worsen. If you have been checked for the other conditions listed here, or know they do not apply to you, erythromelalgia might be a possible cause.

Burning feet is no laughing matter

In some cases, burning feet can be a mild symptom of a minor condition, but in others, it can be a serious problem. If you would like to find out more about what your burning feet might mean, as well as how the condition can be treated, call 602-973-3888 to make an appointment with Dr. Golub today. You can also book an appointment online.