Burning Pain or Tingling Sensation in Hands or Feet. What it is?

Burning pain or tingling sensation in hands, feet or both can be regarded as a very common and concerning situation. This burning pain or tingling sensation can be temporary or benign in some cases but in the majority of the cases it is chronic, episodic and very painful. This is usually accompanied with other problems (regarded as symptoms too) such as muscle wasting, numbness, pain and itching. 

When the conditions are defined to be serious, in those cases the problem which gives rise to this condition is said to be nerve damage, these sensation and pain are just signs of its occurrence. The nerve damage happens because of various reasons such as continued stress injuries or traumatic injuries, toxic exposures and viral.or bacterial infections. But, the most common and problematic issue which gives rise to this condition is said to be diabetes.

These nerve damages happen to those nerves which are very far away from the brain and spinal cord (nerves present in the hand and feet), so they are known as peripheral nerves. The peripheral neuropathy is more than 100 types in number. With increase in time period the problem and the condition also depletes which makes movement very difficult and sometimes you can become disable. Most older adults are suffering from this condition of peripheral neuropathy.

Causes:

This burning pain and tingling sensation first occurs in both the feet then it creeps up the legs, following this the burning pain and tingling sensation reaches both of your hands and slowly moves up your arms. The cause can be listed as given below: 

1. Diabetes: More than 30% of the cases of nerve damage is a result of diabetes. Majority of the population suffering from diabetes have these problems of burning pain and tingling sensation whose severity ranges from mild to severe. Also, these symptoms are a sign that you are beginning to have a diabetes problem.

2. Systemic disease: Various diseases and problems in our body can lead to this implication of the nerve such as benign tumor, kidney disorders, cancers, liver disease, hormonal imbalance (which includes hypothyroidism), vascular damage, chronic inflammation, blood diseases, connective tissue disorders and amyloidosis.

3. Nerve entrapment syndromes: This can also lead to various nerve problems such as radial nerve palsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, peroneal nerve palsy and ulnar nerve palsy.

4. Deficiency of Vitamins: A person's body needs all kinds of vitamins in the correct proportion. Deficiency of Vitamin B12 could lead to anemia which is regarded as a major cause for peripheral neuropathy. Vitamins like E, B1, B6 ( B6 should not be taken in excess as it would give you these tingling sensation and burning pain) and B12 are known to help make our nerves healthy and strong. 

5. Alcoholism: A person who is in the habit of drinking alcohol is prone to have a poor food diet which leads him to lack various necessary vitamins like thiamine and this leads to peripheral neuropathy, a common observation in alcoholics. There is a condition which is named as alcoholic neuropathy, in which alcohol directly harms or damages the nerves in our body.

6. Toxins: Some environmental and industrial chemicals such as thallium, lead, mercury and arsenic which are heavy metals too are regarded as toxins. Toxins can be in the form of various medications which are usually used in procedural drugs like chemotherapy drugs used for the treatment of lung cancer and in other medicines too such as antibiotic drugs and antiviral drugs.

7. Autoimmune diseases: Certain autoimmune disorders or diseases could also become reasons for peripheral neuropathy such as lupus, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

8. Infections: Certain infections which can be held responsible are HIV, AIDS, Epstein-Barr herpes simplex, Lyme disease, Shingles (varicella zoster) and cytomegalovirus.

9. Multiple sclerosis: This is caused because the myelin sheath which is found around the nerve fibers throughout our body is attacked by our own body's immune system and this leads to the tingling sensation in the feet and hands of our body.

10. Inherited disorders: The most common example for this is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which affects most of the sensory and motor nerves running through our body.

11. Injury: The reason for the injury can sometimes be traumatic too. Because of the injury the nerves can get damaged, compressed or cursed which will result in nerve pain. Sometimes you feel nerve pain because of its compression due to a dislocated bone or herniated disc.

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of burning pain and tingling sensation in the hands and feet of a person a doctor conducts a physical examination of you along with keeping certain facts in mind such as medical history (which includes work environment, social habits like alcohol, drug or smoke, family history of various neurological diseases, diseases which are infectious like HIV) and symptoms.

The doctor may ask for certain test results for the confirmation. These tests can be:

• Blood test

• Cerebrospinal fluid examination

• Electromyogram (EMG)

• Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV)

• Skin biopsy for looking nerve fiber endings

• Computed Tomography (CT)

• Nerve biopsy

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Treatment

The treatment for this condition of tingling sensation and burning pain in your hands and feet solely depends upon the proper diagnosis and treatment of the cause which resulted into this situation. The peripheral nerve cells have an ability of regeneration, so it becomes a necessity to kill them completely.

No treatments are available for peripheral neuropathy which are of inherited type, peripheral neuropathy which is acquired in nature can be treated and improvement is observed for instance if you maintain your blood sugar to normal level in diabetes, this will help you save your diabetic neuropathy from getting any worse. Peripheral neuropathy caused because of vitamin deficiency could be corrected with the intake of vitamin supplements.

There are certain healthy lifestyle changes which you can implement in your daily life to see major changes such as keep your weight in check (that is maintaining your body weight), do not get exposed to toxins, have a healthy daily routine which includes exercises and meditation, following a balanced diet and limiting or stopping the consumption of alcohol. If you are a smoker you should quit it without any second thoughts as this hinders the blood vessels from getting any blood supply which results in the peripheral nerves not getting any kind of nutrients.

Certain prescribed medication for medical conditions such as depression and seizures could help the person getting relieved from the symptoms of tingling sensation and burning pain (peripheral nerve) and other discomforts.