My Feet Are Burning

When overheating becomes significantly painful or even somewhat disabling, it’s time to pay attention and take some remedial steps. Most instances of burning feet can be easily alleviated at home. But burning feet can also be a symptom of medical conditions like athlete’s foot and nerve damage such as peripheral neuropathy, perhaps caused by incipient diabetes, pernicious anemia, or circulatory disorders.

What to do when your feet feel like they’re on fire

• The simplest first treatment for hot feet is to soak your feet in cool water. Don’t pack your feet in ice; that can cause additional harm, rather than relief.
• Before your next run or walk, lubricate your feet with an over-the-counter anti-blister/chafing product.
• After your run, get out of your shoes and socks immediately, and let your shoes dry unconfined (out of your gym bag). Rotate your shoes and socks, and don’t wear worn out shoes, which contribute to friction.
• Be careful with how you lace upyour shoes. Too loose, and you’ll have too much friction causing movement within the shoe, too tight, and you will constrict circulation and perhaps irritate the nerves on top of your feet.

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 don’t 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. (The same goes for socks, because an allergy can react to the fabrics or dyes in a pair of socks.)

Athletes Foot or Burning feet?

Call Houston’s Foot Doc today. Sherman Nagler, Houston Podiatrist. 713.529.1010