Weird feeling in toes
Weird feeling in toes is a symptom which occurs when the sensation in the toes is affected by some means.
Person may feel or notice the absence of feeling, a tingling, or even a burning sensation in the toes.
This in turn can make walking difficult or even painful in some cases.
Toe numbness can be a temporary symptom due to some minor thing, or it can be a chronic symptom which is, long term and mostly due to a serious condition.
The chronic toe numbness or pain or any other weird feeling can affect the ability to walk and can possibly lead to injuries and wounds one may be unaware of.
While toe numbness can be a cause of concern, it’s rarely considered a medical emergency most times it's not that serious goes away on its own.
This weird feeling can be in the form of tingling in the toes and it’s a common concern. Many people typically experience a “pins and needles” sensation in their toes at some or other point in their life in addition to this sometimes the feet may often feel numb and even painful but it isn’t usually a reason for concern.
Tingling can be caused due to the pressure on the nerves when one has been in one position for a very long time.
All These feelings should go away when a person moves. But in case this weird toe feeling or tingling or pain in the toes is persistent or feels like the “pins and needles” for a long term or it is associated with severe sudden pain or any other serious symptom one should see the doctor, he will definitely help in determining the cause.
Rest things when to see a doctor what medications to take for weird toe feeling is mentioned below.
What are the signs of weird feeling in toes?
Weird feeling in toes can feel like a numbness that is an abnormal sensation which often reduces one’s ability to feel the toes themselves or the ground underneath the toes.
One may also feel tingling up in the legs or in the toes as the sensation returns and numbness goes away.
This weird toe can also cause a pins and needles feeling in the toes that can occur in only one foot or sometimes in both feet, depending upon what is the cause.
Weird feeling in the toes is one of those nagging ailments which is hard to pin down. Sometimes it could be something serious like a by product of diabetes, or other times it can be due to something as simple as by wearing the wrong shoes .
Most of such weird sensations in the toes are harmless. But it's important to seek emergency help if any of this happens :
- If a person had a recent head injury which is followed by numb toes or tingling toes
- The numbness in toes begins suddenly
- Numbness or tingling spreads rapidly from toes to upper body
- If it present with weakness
- If present with difficulty in talking
- Toe numbness followed by a severe headache
- If a person is dizzy
What causes weird feeling in toes ?
The human body contains a complex network of sensory nerves which provide the sense of touch.
When in any case the nerves are pressed, damaged, or even irritated, it’s as if a phone line has been cut and the messages can’t pass through.
The result of this damage is numbness in toes can be temporary or long-lasting. This weird feeling can be in the form of tingling in the toes and it’s a common concern.
There are a number of medical conditions that can cause weird feeling in toes , including:
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alcoholism or chronic alcohol abuse
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Frostbite
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Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
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diabetes and diabetic neuropathy
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Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)
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herniated disk
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multiple sclerosis
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nerve compression syndromes, like morton’s neuroma (which affects the ball of the foot) or tarsal tunnel syndrome (which affects the tibial nerve)
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peripheral arterial disease
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peripheral vascular disease
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Raynaud’s disease
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sciatica
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spinal cord injury
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Shingle
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vasculitis( inflammation of the blood vessels)
Some people may experience exercise-associated weird toe feeling, especially after engaging in high-impact exercises like running or playing a particular sport. This is due to the fact that the nerves are frequently compressed while exercising. This after exercise numbness should subside quickly after one stops exercising. Less commonly, the weird feeling in toes can be a sign of a more serious neurological event in this case person experiences sudden numbness on one side of the body. It can be caused by following :
- seizure
- stroke
- transient ischemic attack (TIA)
When should I get medical help for weird feeling in toes ?
One should Seek immediate medical attention if he's experiencing toe numbness along with any other symptoms like :
- difficulty seeing out of one or from both eyes
- facial drooping
- inability to think clearly or speak clearly
- loss of balance
- muscle weakness
- toe numbness which occurs after recent head trauma
- sudden loss of sensation on one side of the body along with toe weird feeling
- sudden and severe headache
- tremors, jerking, or twitching movements along with weird toe feeling.
If the weird toes feeling isn’t accompanied by any other symptoms, it's best to see the doctor when it becomes uncomfortable or doesn’t go away as it previously did.
One should also seek medical care if the toe numbness starts to worsen with time.
How is weird feeling in toes diagnosed?
- The doctor will first take a proper medical history and check symptoms before conducting a physical examination. If one is experiencing stroke or seizure like symptoms, the doctor will recommend a CT or MRI scan. These tests can easily detect the bleeding in the brain which could indicate a stroke.
- MRI and CT scans are tools that also are used to detect abnormalities in the spine which could indicate sciatica or spinal stenosis.
- The doctor will perform a comprehensive foot exam to check if the problem is only in the foot area . This includes testing the abilities to sense the temperature and other type of sensations like pain in the feet.
- There are some other tests like the nerve conduction studies, these can detect how well electric current is transmitted through the nerves. Electromyography is one another test which determines how the muscles respond to the electrical stimulation.
How is weird feeling in toes treated?
Treatments for weird feeling in toes depends upon its underlying cause.
- If in case diabetic neuropathy is the cause, the doctor will recommend some medications and treatments to ensure the blood sugar stays at appropriate levels. Increasing the physical activity , paying more attention to the diet can also help in this.
- If the numbness in toes is due to compression of the nerve in the foot then changing the type of shoes person wears might help in some cases. If the toe numbness is related to alcohol, one should stop drinking and also start taking a multivitamin course.
In addition to these things the doctor may prescribe some pain-relieving medications, which include:
- antidepressants and anticonvulsants to treat the diabetic nerve pain, including the duloxetine and pregabalin
- opioid like or opioid medications, like xycodone (Oxycontin) or tramadol.
- tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) including amitriptyline
- People who have chronic foot or toe numbness should undergo routine foot examinations to check for the wounds and foot circulation. They must also practice excellent foot hygiene, as mentioned below:
- cutting the toenails straight across or getting the toenails cut at a podiatrist’s office.
- They should be inspecting the feet daily to check for cuts or wounds using a handheld mirror to see the bottom of the feet.
- They should be wearing soft, thick socks which support and cushion the feet.
- They should be wearing well-fitting shoes which allow the toes to move properly
Outlook
Weird feeling in toes is generally a result of few conditions which affect the nerves and blood vessels which supply the foot.
Numbness of the toes is typically associated with tingling . These weird sensations in toe be it numbness or tingling sensations is referred to as paresthesia of the toes.
The most common cause of this weird toe feeling is direct compression of the nerves that supply the foot due to the footwear from shoes.
Numbness in the toes can occur because of some injury to the foot, nerve damage that is neuropathy, and poor circulation to the foot like with diabetes and peripheral vascular disease.
This weird feeling in the toes can also be caused due to any irritation of nerves in the low back with radiculopathy and herniated disc, Guillain-Barré syndrome, frostbite, diabetic neuropathy, beriberi, multiple sclerosis (MS), Raynaud's phenomenon, and vasculitis