What Is Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection. You get it when the blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, bites you and stays attached for 36 to 48 hours. If you remove the tick within 48 hours, you probably wonât get infected.
When you do get infected, the bacteria travel through your bloodstream and affect various tissues in your body. If you donât treat Lyme disease early on, it can turn into an inflammatory condition that affects multiple systems, starting with your skin, joints, and nervous system and moving to organs later on.
The chances you might get Lyme disease from a tick bite depend on the kind of tick, where you were when it bit you, and how long the tick was attached to you. Youâre most likely to get Lyme disease if you live in the Northeastern United States. The upper Midwest is also a hot spot. But the disease now affects people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Nerve Compression Or Entrapment
You have a small tunnel on the inside of your ankle called your tarsal tunnel. This tunnel provides a convenient pathway for many tendons, arteries, veins and nerves that it houses. This includes the posterior tibial nerve, which branches off to innervate the foot.
Sometimes, the structures in the tarsal tunnel, including the posterior tibial nerve, can become compressed and start producing neural symptoms including burning. Causes of compression or entrapment in the tarsal tunnel include having unsupported flat feet which narrow the space available in the tunnel, having a spur, cyst or swollen tendon in the tunnel which takes up space and compresses the nerve, an injury around the ankle where the tunnel structures are impacted by the swelling, or other inflammatory conditions or problems that compress the nerve in the tunnel. There are various other points along the nerve where compression on entrapment can occur too.
We often use orthotics and other devices to open up and increase the space of the tarsal tunnel. By giving the nerve more room within the tunnel, the compression is reduced, and symptoms can be alleviated.
Take Care Of Your Toenails
Cut toenails after bathing, when they are soft. Trim them straight across, then smooth with a nail file. Avoid cutting into the corners of toes. Don’t let the corners of your toenails grow into the skin. This could lead to an ingrown toenail.
You may want a nail technician or podiatrist to do it for you. If you get pedicures at a nail salon, bring your own nail tools.
Don’t cut cuticles. Donât use anything sharp to clean under your toenails or to remove calluses. You donât want to accidentally get a cut that could let an infection set in. You can use a pumice stone to gently smooth your heels after taking a shower or bath. Don’t rub too harshly.
Also Check: Arlington Mansfield Foot And Ankle Center
Experiencing Burning Feet Chat With A Medical Provider Using K Health
- Lack of feeling or sensation
In most patients, additional testing is not required to diagnose burning feet caused by neuropathy.
In some, however, the causative factors may not be clear.
In such cases, further diagnostic tests may be required.
The tests may include:
- Electromyography- a test measuring muscle response in response to a nerves stimulation of the muscle.
- Nerve Conduction Test- a test that measures how fast an electrical impulse moves through your nerve.
- Nerve Biopsy- the removal of a small piece of a nerve for further testing.
Your healthcare professional may also test for diabetes and ask for your history of excess alcohol use.
A blood test can be done to check for:
- Thyroid hormone
Wash And Dry Your Feet Daily
Keep your feet clean. But donât soak them for a long time. This can dry your skin.
Use mild soaps and warm water.
Pat your skin dry do not rub. Thoroughly dry your feet.
After washing, put lotion or petroleum jelly on them to prevent cracking. But not between your toes — this can lead to an infection! Sprinkle on a nonmedicated powder before putting on your socks and shoes to help keep your feet dry.
In winter, cold weather and central heating can dry out your skin. Take extra care to moisturize your feet and keep them warm. Wear socks to bed if your feet get cold.
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What Causes Burning Pain In The Heel
A burning sensation in the heel can be a troubling symptom. Burning pain in the heel or bottom of the foot that has a tingling or prickling quality, causes numbness, feels hot, and is worse at night may be indicative of nerve damage or a disorder affecting the nerves that supply the foot. There are many conditions that can cause this type of damage, including diabetic neuropathy, physical trauma or injuries, tarsal tunnel syndrome, autoimmune diseases, and certain infections. If you have burning heel pain, it is suggested that you visit a podiatrist. A podiatrist can help diagnose the cause of your pain and find the right treatment for you.
Many people suffer from bouts of heel pain. For more information, contact one of our podiatrists of Michigan Foot & Ankle Center. Our doctors can provide the care you need to keep you pain-free and on your feet.
Causes of Heel Pain
Heel pain is often associated with plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a band of tissues that extends along the bottom of the foot. A rip or tear in this ligament can cause inflammation of the tissue.
Achilles tendonitis is another cause of heel pain. Inflammation of the Achilles tendon will cause pain from fractures and muscle tearing. Lack of flexibility is also another symptom.
Heel spurs are another cause of pain. When the tissues of the plantar fascia undergo a great deal of stress, it can lead to ligament separation from the heel bone, causing heel spurs.
Why Might Heel Pain Occur?
How Is Lyme Disease Treated
With early-stage Lyme disease, youâll take antibiotics for about 10 days to 3 weeks. The most common ones are amoxicillin, cefuroxime, and doxycycline. The antibiotics will almost always cure your infection. If they donât, you might get other antibiotics either by mouth or as a shot.
If you donât treat your Lyme infection, you might need oral antibiotics for symptoms like weakened face muscles and irregular heartbeat. You may need antibiotics if you have meningitis, inflammation in your brain and spinal cord, or more severe heart problems.
If your Lyme is late stage, the doctor might give you antibiotics either by mouth or as a shot. If it causes arthritis, youâll get arthritis treatment.
Thereâs no therapy for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
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What Are The Stages Of Lyme Infection
There are three stages:
- Early localized Lyme: Flu-like symptoms like fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and a rash that looks like a bull’s-eye or is round and red and at least 2 inches long
- Early disseminated Lyme: Flu-like symptoms like pain, weakness, or numbness in your arms and legs, changes in your vision, heart palpitations and chest pain, a rash , and a type of facial paralysis known as Bellâs palsy
- Late disseminated Lyme: This can happen weeks, months, or years after the tick bite. Symptoms might include arthritis, severe fatigue and headaches, dizziness, trouble sleeping, and confusion.
About 10% of people treated for Lyme infection donât shake the disease. They may go on to have three core symptoms: joint or muscle pain, fatigue, and short-term memory loss or confusion. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. It can be hard to diagnose because it has the same symptoms as other diseases. Plus, there isn’t a blood test to confirm it.
Experts arenât sure why Lyme symptoms donât always go away. One theory is that your body keeps fighting the infection even after the bacteria are gone, like an autoimmune disorder.
What Are My Treatment Options For Burning Of Foot At Night
Whatever the cause might be, a licensed medical professional will visit you, ask for your detailed health history and may ask you to do some further tests.
The best place to start is by booking a first appointment with a foot health practitioner, that will not only assess your current problem, but will also perform an evaluation of your general feets health and might suggest you make some changes.
For example, if whats causing you to have burning feet at night is athletes foot, a podiatrist might prescribe you an antifungal medication and give you some advice on the shoes you wear.
If you have other conditions, like diabetes, a podiatrist might help you through manipulation and foot care suggestions.
There are plenty of treatments available to successfully tackle your issue for good.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease
Symptoms can start anywhere from 3 to 30 days after the bite. They may look different depending on the stage of your infection. In some cases, you wonât notice any symptoms until months after the bite.
Early symptoms include:
All of those symptoms are also common in the flu. In most Lyme infections, one of the first symptoms youâll notice is a rash.
Without treatment, symptoms can get worse. They might include:
- Severe headache or neck stiffness
- Rashes on other areas of your body
- Arthritis with joint pain and swelling, particularly in your knees
- âDroopingâ on one or both sides of your face
- Inflammation in your brain and spinal cord
- Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in your hands or feet
What does the rash look like?
Some Lyme rashes look like a bull’s-eye with circles around the middle. But most are round, red, and at least 2 inches across.
The rash slowly gets bigger over several days. It can grow to about 12 inches across. It may feel warm to the touch, but itâs usually not itchy or painful. It can show up on any part of your body.
How small are ticks?
Ticks come in three sizes, depending on their life stage. They can be the size of a grain of sand, a poppy seed, or an apple seed.
Treatments For Burning Feet
The most important treatment for burning feet due to neuropathy is to stop any ongoing nerve damage. In some cases treatment of the underlying disease will improve the neuropathy and symptoms. In other situations, like a small fiber neuropathy, where no cause can be identified, the physician will focus on treating the personâs symptoms.
For people with diabetic neuropathy, treatment means keeping blood sugar levels in the normal range. This usually requires dietary changes, oral medications, and often insulin injections.
For people with other forms of neuropathy that cause burning feet, preventing further nerve damage is equally important. Specific conditions and their treatments include:
- Vitamin deficiency. Taking additional vitamin B12 orally or by injection can replace low levels of this nutrient.
- Alcoholism. Stopping excessive drinking prevents ongoing nerve damage and allows nerves to heal.
- Chronic kidney disease. Dialysis may be necessary to eliminate toxins causing neuropathy and burning feet symptoms.
- Hypothyroidism. Taking oral thyroid hormone raises low thyroid levels, often reversing neuropathy as well as burning feet symptoms.
- GBS and CIDP. Treatments are very specialized and include plasma exchange or immune globulin therapy .
Burning feet treatments include treating the pain and abnormal sensations created by neuropathy. Some commonly prescribed medications for burning feet include:
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Also Check: The Orthopedic And Sports Medicine Institute
Make Sure Your Shoes Can Breathe
Full leather shoes, with no mesh or other provisions for adequate air circulation, will retain the heat generated by the friction between your foot, your socks, and your shoe.
Your feet naturally swell when you walk or run, so take that fact into account when shopping for shoes. However, make sure that you dont overcompensate, because shoes that are too large will allow too much foot movement within them, which also contributes to excess heat as a result of excess friction.
Make sure your shoes are adequately cushioned, and that your insoles are not too worn down.
Some people can have an allergic reaction to the fabric, glue, dyes, or leather tanning chemicals in shoes, so check to see if your hot feet are worse in any particular pair of shoes.
What Causes The Sensation Of Burning Feet
Having a sensation of burning feet can be caused by many conditions. The most common cause is peripheral neuropathy from diabetic nerve damage that is caused by poorly controlled blood sugar levels. Symptoms include a sense of tingling and numbness and a burning sensation that can range from mild to severe. Excessive alcohol consumption can also damage the peripheral nerves and cause a burning feeling.
The uncomfortable sensation that your feet are burning can be caused by the following:Systemic problems like kidney and liver diseaseVitamin, mineral and other nutrient deficienciesVarious thyroid conditionsSide effects of certain medicinesToxic chemical and heavy metal contaminationCirculatory problemsPeripheral neuropathy, neuroma, and other nerve disordersPeripheral artery diseaseFungal nails and bacterial infectionsSince diagnosing the cause of the feeling of burning feet may require specific tests, you need to see your foot doctor for the proper diagnosis. Tests may include nerve conduction studies, bodily fluid analysis, and electromyography.
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Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
CIPD is a neurological disorder that develops when the roots of nerves become inflamed. The disorder is rare and only about 5-7 people in every 100,000 will develop CIPD.
In CIPD , the protective coating of nerves, known as myelin, becomes damaged. This hinders proper communication between nerves. The symptoms that develop typically do so on both sides of the body at the same time so both feet are often affected.
What A Physical Exam Can Indicate
Getting a physical exam can help to identify several things, such as:
- Possible infection
- Issues with the structural integrity of your feet or legs
- Whether or not your reflexes are functioning as they should
During the physical exam, a complete medical history, your alcohol use history, and a medication list will also be gathered, along with all present symptoms and how long they have been going on. This will help point your healthcare provider in the right direction towards proper testing.
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Which Areas Are More Likely To Have It
The tick that causes Lyme disease has been moving from the Northeast and upper Midwest into the Southern and Western U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Cases in California and Florida are on the rise. After a drop between 2017 and 2018, the numbers jumped a little bit in 2019.
But most Lyme cases in 2019 were in 15 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Washington, DC, is also a hotspot.
In 2019, Pennsylvania had the most Lyme infections, with 6,763. New York was next, with 2,847 cases.
In the Southern U.S., where itâs hotter, ticks stay under leaves so they don’t dry out. This means people donât get Lyme from Southern ticks very often because they don’t usually come out to bite.
Even though people only report about 30,000 cases of Lyme infection in the U.S. each year, there are actually around 476,000 a year. The same tick also can spread other diseases, including babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus. Those diseases are also on the rise in the U.S.
Whoâs likeliest to get Lyme disease?
Boys up to age 15 and men between the ages of 40 and 60 are the most likely to get Lyme disease. Thatâs because they tend to play outside and go camping, hunting, and hiking.
Why are there more ticks now than there used to be?
There are several reasons why Lyme is spreading. Some of these are:
Treatment Options For Peripheral Neuropathy
To get a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, make an appointment with Dr. Rambacher for a thorough evaluation. Youll have the best outcome and be less likely to incur permanent nerve damage if you seek treatment soon after symptoms start.
Dr. Rambachers personalized treatment plan depends on what underlying conditions are causing your peripheral neuropathy and the severity of your nerve damage. If, for instance, diabetes is the cause of your peripheral neuropathy, Dr. Rambacher develops a treatment plan that helps you control your diabetes.
Medications, including pain medication, antidepressants, antiseizure medication, and topical creams, can help control the burning sensation and pain you experience. Dr. Rambacher also sometimes prescribes regenerative medicine and physical therapy to lessen pain and reduce other symptoms.
If youre experiencing burning pain in your foot that wont go away and is impacting your quality of life, make an appointment online or over the phone at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle for an evaluation. Dr. Rambacher also offers telemedicine appointments.
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Burning Feet And Cycling
At Blackberry Clinic our sports and exercise medicine doctors, musculoskeletal medicine doctors and our physios, osteopaths and chiropractors are used to treating injuries in all parts of the body, in all levels of sports person. Sometimes it is general advice that can make all the difference, but often some treatment combined with the advice will be the answer for the optimum outcome. Metatarsalgia does not only occur in cyclists, if you think you may be suffering from this condition come and see us!
THE INJURYPainful burning of the ball of the foot is usually a result of hot weather and/or poorly fitting shoes on long, hilly rides. The hot burning sensation, numbness, and pain originates from the nerves supplying the toes. The nerves have to travel through a narrow space between the metatarsals and metatarsal heads , which is where you most often position your cleats. A combination of pressure and compression of the nerves, in one or both feet, triggers the symptoms. In addition, wearing inflexible shoes in which your feet swell , complicates matters more. The longer and hotter the ride, the worse it usually is.
PREVENTION
BIKE SET UP TIPS
Trying wider shoes with a roomier front end will prevent squashing your toes together and pinching the nerves between them. Loosening straps may contribute to the solution. Buying new shoes towards the end of the day when your feet are most swollen is a good idea, too.