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.

• Diabetes Mellitus

  A disease where blood sugar levels are abnormally high due to issues with insulin production or resistance. Often, there are no symptoms until the condition worsens, so regular screening is important. Over time, high sugar levels can cause many complications affecting the nervous system, heart, eyes and kidneys.

• 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.

• Lumbar Vertebrae Disk Herniation
• Neuropathic Pain

• Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

• Spinal Canal Stenosis

Related Serious Diseases

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

• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

  Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare nerve disorder where a person's own immune system attacks their nerves. GBS can cause symptoms ranging from mild (arm/leg numbness or weakness) to severe and life-threatening (inability to breathe, abnormal heart rhythm, very high/low blood pressure). The prognosis is generally good. Over half of people fully recover and 80% can walk independently at 1 year. However, a minority of people may have permanent nerve damage or need a ventilator to breathe, and the overall death rate ranges from 3% to 7%.

• Hyperkalemia
• Cerebral Infarction

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

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

• Do your toes feel numb or tingly?

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