Burning feet are a common condition and hard to get to the bottom of and difficult to cope with as it will quite often not necessarily be obvious what is causing it. The burning feet syndrome is frequently characterised by an odd experience of burning and a heavy feeling occurring in the feet and legs. In the past, it was initially written about by Grierson in 1826 who had been the first to report the symptoms of burning feet. A much more detailed account was written about by by Gopalan in 1946, so at time the burning feet syndrome had also been named Grierson-Gopalan syndrome.

There is commonly virtually no distinct aetiology or reason for burning feet syndrome and the cause is usually idiopathic or unidentified. It might be related to nutritional or endocrine causes for example a vitamin B deficiency, the painful neuropathy that happens in diabetes, in people that have renal failure particularly if on dialysis, or with hypothyroidism. Burning feet are more prevalent in people over the age of 50 years however it might and does occur at all ages. The signs and symptoms are generally characterised by way of burning feeling, a heaviness, a numbness or a dull ache occurring primarily in the feet. It is almost always only on the soles of the feet but can go up to affect the dorsum of the foot, ankles or up the lower legs sometimes. The forearms and palms of the hands are usually not affected, however if they can be, then this really should be looked at further. Sometimes people might report of 'pins and needles' or prickling type of discomfort in the feet. Ordinarily, the symptoms usually are more painful during the night and are somewhat improved during the day time. They're also not made more intense with additional amounts of activity or standing which would signal an orthopaedic disorder rather than the neural involvement in burning foot syndrome. Evaluation of your feet and lower limbs by a doctor commonly locates no objective signs or symptoms. A variety of investigations, especially blood tests are generally frequently carried out to search for some of the particular conditions that could cause the problem.

The treatment of burning feet syndrome can either have particular actions that are directed at what caused it (eg diabetic neuropathy, pinched nerves, thyroid conditions) and general actions which can be helpful in every case. These kinds of general options range from the wearing of open and comfortable footwear, possibly those having arch supports, as well as using natural cotton hosiery is oftentimes handy. Relief from the signs and symptoms might be as a result of the immersing your feet in colder water for about 15 minutes. It's also imperative that you avoid exposing the feet to sources of heating. There are drug therapies which include tricyclic antidepressants and membrane stabilizing substances (such as carbamazepine and gabapentin) that are utilized in the much more significant conditions. There are actually side affects associated with these drug treatments, but they are important at giving reduction for the signs and symptoms when it's required. Despite having the usage of medicines, the management of the signs and symptoms might be a difficult and a few people will ought to be assessed by a expert pain clinic and presented approaches to help deal with the pain sensation.