Having Pins And Needles In Feet And Tight Calves. Tests Confirmed Mild Carpel Tunnel. Suggest

Posted on Sun, 17 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 17 Nov 2013 Answered on

Fri, 6 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : hi I have recently been and had nerve conduction study tests done to rule our peripherial neuropathy in my hands and feet. Tests confirmed I have mild carpel tunnel in my hands, of which I am getting laser accupuncture which is getting results after 2 sessions. My feet are another issue, nerves are all normal and nuro said I can guarantee that I dont have neuropathy in my feet. I have symptoms of pins and needles on the underside of my feet (if i bend my toes back and press on the plantar fascia there is pain), very tight calves, I have no heel pain though (but understand you can still have plantar fasciitis without heel pain), relief is felt when I pull my toes back towards my body (I can feel the stretch in my plantar fascia and feels like small micro tears when I pull my toes back). Given the nerver conduction tests didn't show any nerve issues I guess we can rule out tarsel tunnel syndrome, so wondering if I just have a bad case of plantar faciitis (as I recall the symptoms seem to start after doing some rope skipping about 12 months ago). What do you think?

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: It looks like a bad case of plantar fasciitis. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for your query. I have studied your case in detail. It looks like a bad case of plantar fasciitis. There are many things you can try to help your foot get better: Give your feet a rest. Cut back on activities that make your feet hurt. Try not to walk or run on hard surfaces. Use shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole. Do toe stretches, calf stretches and towel stretches several times a day, especially when you first get up in the morning. To help the pain, ice the area immediately after getting up in the morning. You can use either a store-bought cold pack or a frozen wet towel. Ice for 10 or 15 minutes. To reduce inflammation, take an aspirin or ibuprofen at mealtime. A 4-inch wide Crepe bandage wrapped around the region also helps reduce discomfort. Consider using soft silicone heel cushions for preventing any further damage to fascia. If the pain is not responding to these modalities even after 6 weeks, a local steroid injection at the site might be helpful in relieving the pain. I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query. Wishing you speedy recovery.. Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar