You may have diabetes and the numb feeling in your big toe can be caused by diabetes, but it may also have other causes unrelated to blood sugar levels.
Neuropathy has causes other than diabetes, even though you may have seen ads for diabetic neuropathy.
“Yes, neuropathy in the big toe can result from a pinched nerve in the lower back or entrapment of the medial nerve in the foot at the level of the ankle or largest joint at the base of the toe,” says Jenepher Piper, a family practice nurse practitioner for Maryland Family Care for 25+ years and a former nurse with Home Care Nurse for Johns Hopkins Home Care.
“However, toe numbness can be due to chronic and acute vascular changes as well,” adds Piper.
“Chronic vascular changes result from poor circulation from diabetes and chronic smoking.
“Acute, reversible vascular changes can occur after constant pressure on the toe during a workout on an elliptical for instance.”
From a demographic standpoint, diabetes is the most likely cause of any given neuropathy or numbness in a big toe, simply because diabetes is the No. 1 cause of peripheral neuropathy in the U.S. – where type 2 diabetes is very prevalent.
Additional Causes of Neuropathy
• Side effects of chemotherapy drugs such as Taxol
• Being over age 65
• Arthritis (inflammation of cartilage)
• Alcoholism
• Injury
• Neurological disorders
Numbness or tingling in a toe can be the first sign of diabetes. If the problem cannot be explained and if it persists, you should see your doctor.
Though being overweight is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, this doesn’t mean that thinness prevents this disease.
Furthermore, type 1 diabetes (the rarer type) doesn’t care how much you weigh.
Numbness in a toe can also be termed paresthesia. It can result from trauma from hard impact activity like jogging or kicking at a hard heavy bag.
It can linger for days and feel really weird, but it will eventually resolve.
Patients suffering from conditions such as coronary artery disease, obesity and diabetes turn to Nurse Practitioner Piper to help them best manage their overall health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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