Toe Numbness or Tingling

About the Symptom

Numbness means loss of sensation. Tingling is an abnormal sensation, like your toe has "fallen asleep". Numbness and tingling are caused by nerve conditions.

When to See a Doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Low back pain
• Difficulty urinating
• double vision
• Numbness of lower limbs
• Back pain
• Numbness / sensory disorder
• Unexplained weight loss of 5% or more in 1 month
• Recent weight loss
• Abnormal sensation (tingling, prickling)

Possible Causes

Generally, Toe numbness or tingling can be related to:

• Morton's Neuroma

  Morton's neuroma is a painful condition affecting the ball of your foot, between the third and fourth toes. It results from swollen and inflamed nerves leading to your foot's toes. It is often caused by shoes that are too tight or have high heels, which can compress and irritate the nerves in your foot.

• Transverse Myelitis

  Transverse myelitis is an inflammation of both sides of one section of the spinal cord. There is often damage to the covering of nerve cell fibers (myelin), which interrupts the messages from the spinal cord nerves to the rest of the body. Causes include infections and immune system disorders that attack the body's tissues.

• Diabetic Neuropathy

  Diabetic neuropathy is a kind of nerve damage that can happen in people with long-term diabetes. High blood sugar can harm nerves all over the body, mainly in the legs and feet.

• Buerger's Disease (Thromboangiitis Obliterans)
• Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
• Lumbar Vertebrae Disk Herniation
• Neuropathic Pain
• Arteriosclerosis Obliterans

Related Serious Diseases

Sometimes, Toe numbness or tingling may be related to these serious diseases:

• Hyperkalemia

  Hyperkalemia is when potassium levels in the blood are too high. Common causes are kidney disease and some medication side effects.

• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Do you experience numbness or tingling in your toes?
• Have you experienced numbness or tingling in your toes before?
• When did you first notice numbness or tingling in your toes?
• Which of the following best describes how your numbness or tingling in your toes appeared?

Find Similar Symptoms

FAQs