Tingling & Numbness in your feet?

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder that occurs whereby the nerves on the sole of your feet are damaged

Sometimes referred to as “peripheral neuropathy” – tinging and numbness in your feet is a complaint we commonly get in the podiatry clinic. It is usually a sign that you may have some nerve damage in your feet. In addition to the numbness one may also feel burning, pins and needles, the sensation of hot/cold feet and sharp pain.

The most common cause of peripheral neuropathy we see is from diabetes however some other common causes include;

• Lower back nerve compression
• Chemotherapy
• Medication use
• Liver disease

Peripheral neuropathy in any form is not welcomed, however during the early stages we can provide education and management to the patient to prevent it from getting worse. However, more extensive peripheral neuropathy generally means patients are a ‘high risk’. This means they may be more susceptible to wounds on their feet, infections, delayed healing and in severe scenarios, wounds/ulcers.

How do we manage and treat peripheral neuropathy?

At Sydney Foot Clinic, we will always perform a full diabetic assessment on any client with diabetes. This assessment will involve using different instruments to identify the level of numbness one may have.

Some additional management we will commonly perform include;

• Education: management about ones’ general health, diabetes, blood glucose level control and education about a general foot and nail care
• Footwear assessment
• Biomechanical and gait assessments
• General treatment – general treatment of ones’ feet which will ensure it is done properly and in a safe manner. This includes nail cutting, removing of dead skin, removing of corns and/or callus.

Call our Moorebank office on (02) 96016886 to arrange an appointment to help with your tingling or peripheral numbness on your feet!