Numbness in the feet is a symptom of neuropathy or nerve damage, one of the most common long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. Neuropathy is caused by poor blood sugar control that persists over a long period of time. In the feet, diabetic neuropathy can not only cause numbness but pain and injuries.
Numbness is most commonly associated with some type of nerve damage, irritation, or compression. When numbness occurs without other symptoms, it doesn't typically represent a medical emergency. However, numbness can be a symptom of a serious condition if it occurs alongside symptoms such as: numbness on one side.
Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a condition in which your legs feel extremely uncomfortable while you're sitting or lying down. It makes you feel like getting up and moving around. RLS causes a sensation in the legs or arms that can most closely be compared to a burning, itching, or tickling sensation in the muscles.
Chances are, your morning grogginess is just sleep inertia, which is a normal part of the waking process. Your brain typically doesn't instantly wake up after sleeping. It transitions gradually to a wakeful state. During this transition period, you may feel groggy or disoriented.
A: Pain in the foot when you get out of bed and when you stand after sitting for a while is a classic symptom of plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a thick band that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the ball of the foot. Inflammation of other tendons may cause similar symptoms.
Plantar fasciitis is a foot condition characterized by sharp, stabbing heel pain that typically occurs when a person gets out of bed in the morning or stands up after sitting for a long period of time. While the pain from plantar fasciitis can be extremely intense after rest, it usually eases during the day.
The most common contributor to diabetic foot pain is a nerve problem called Peripheral Neuropathy. This is where the nerves are directly affected by the disease process. This can be present at the same time as numbness in the feet. Sensory neuropathy symptoms can include burning, tingling or a stabbing pain.
Symptoms of foot and ankle arthritis often include:
- Tenderness when you touch the joint.
- Pain when you move it.
- Trouble moving, walking, or putting weight on it.
- Joint stiffness, warmth, or swelling.
- More pain and swelling after you rest, such as sitting or sleeping.
Hold a cloth-covered ice pack over the area of pain for 15 minutes three or four times a day. Icing can help reduce pain and inflammation. Stretch your arches. Simple home exercises can stretch your plantar fascia, Achilles tendon and calf muscles.
Injury, overuse or conditions causing inflammation involving any of the bones, ligaments or tendons in the foot can cause foot pain. Arthritis is a common cause of foot pain. Injury to the nerves of the feet may result in intense burning pain, numbness or tingling (peripheral neuropathy).
To do this exercise:
- Sit up straight in a chair, with the feet flat on the floor.
- Place the left foot on the right thigh.
- Pull the toes up, toward the ankle.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Massaging the arch of the foot while stretching will help ease tension and pain.
- Repeat this exercise 10 times on each foot.
