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Common Causes of Nerve Pain in Feet and Ankles
You may hear two common terms in reference to nerve pain.
Peripheral neuropathy refers to damage to the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. The feet and legs are a very common location for such a condition.
Why is this? Nerves need healthy circulation to thrive. It is already a challenge for our circulatory system to reach our feet because they are the farthest parts of us from our hearts. So, if anything begins to interfere with our circulation in some way, our feet tend to be the first areas to start feeling the consequences.
While several different conditions can contribute to peripheral neuropathy, one of the most common is diabetes. The effects of diabetes on circulation can be particularly devastating to feet over time, so much so that special attention should be paid to diabetic foot care if you have this condition.
Nerve compression is another common condition. This occurs when a nerve becomes trapped up against a bone, scar tissue, or other surfaces, causing a disruption in its functions that often leads to pain.
A specific form of nerve compression that can affect the foot and ankle is tarsal tunnel syndrome. This happens when the posterior tibial nerve becomes compressed anywhere along its pathway from the inside of the ankle into the foot. It has many similarities to carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrists and hands.
Treatment for Nerve Pain
Any case of consistent pain in the feet or ankles—whether you feel it is nerve-related or not—should be seen by an experienced podiatrist. Please do not hesitate to call us for an appointment.
We will conduct a full evaluation to get to the root of your painful problem and recommend the best courses of action for finding relief.
In some cases, this might mean conservative treatments such as custom orthotics that remove excess weight from damaged nerves, or even our advanced laser therapy to help relieve pain and restore injured nerves. Aquaroll therapy may also be used to stimulate natural healing and pain relief responses within the feet and ankles. Neurogenx is one of the latest and most effective non-surgical treatments for peripheral neuropathy. These painless treatments can be done right in our Lee's Summit office.
In some cases, especially with nerve compression, surgery may be needed to release a nerve. We will provide you with full information on this procedure—if it is considered—to ensure you can make a treatment choice in full confidence.
