Top of foot feels like its burning

By Medicover Hospitals / 26 March 2022 Home | Articles | 7 Possible Causes of Burning Sensation in your Feet

Table of Contents Show

Other causes are:
Diagnostic Tests for Burning Feet
Home remedies for pain relief
How you can ease pain in the top of your foot
A pharmacist can help with foot pain
Video: an exercise to reduce pain in the top of the foot
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:
Immediate action required: Go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E if:
Common causes of pain in the top of the foot
What makes the top of my foot burn?
What do you do when the top of your foot is burning?
Should I be worried about burning feet?

The sensation of burning feet is a common disorder that can occur as an isolated issue or as an indication of another condition. These often cause the feet to become uncomfortably hot and painful. The symptoms can be mild or severe, depending on the cause. These sensations are most common in older adults and might get worse at night.
This condition affects the top of the feet, ankles and the lower leg along with the soles of the feet. The most common cause of burning feet can be diabetes. However, this burning sensation is also a symptom of a number of other conditions.
The pain from burning feet can be intermittent or constant and range from mild to severe. You may feel hot, prickling, tingling, or numb in your feet. The pain is usually worse at night. The treatment for burning feet depends on the underlying cause.

The burning sensation can even be painful. Here are the causes for experiencing this sensation:
Alcohol Abuse: Alcoholism can induce nerve injury, which results in burning feet.
Kidney Disease: When the kidneys are damaged, waste is not properly filtered from the body, resulting in peripheral neuropathy, which causes a burning sensation in the legs.
Athlete’s Foot: This is a fungal infection that manifests itself first as rashes between the toes. A burning sensation on the feet could be caused by the rash.
Hypothyroidism: In this condition, the thyroid gland do not produce enough hormones and might manifest as a burning sensation on the feet.
After Bariatric Surgery: A few weeks after bariatric surgery, some people experience a burning sensation on their feet. This can be due to vitamin B malabsorption after a gastric bypass.
Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS: CRPS is a painful condition that develops after an injury, stroke, or heart attack, while the cause is unclear. Symptoms of CRPS include burning feet.
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome: The sensation can occur when the posterior tibial nerve in the foot is squeezed.

Other causes are:

Nerve Damage Due to Diabetes
HIV/AIDS
Chemotherapy
Vitamin Deficiency and Anaemia
Charcot Marie Tooth Disease

Diagnostic Tests for Burning Feet

Additional testing is usually not required to diagnose burning feet caused by neuropathy. However, in some cases, the underlying causes may not be clear and require diagnostic testing. The test may include:

Electromyography
Nerve Conduction Test
Nerve Biopsy

Home remedies for pain relief

You can get temporary relief from the burning sensation. Here are some home remedies for pain relief:

Soak your feet in cold water. However, this may damage the skin of people with erythromelalgia. Soak your feet in Epsom salts or an apple cider solution. Before trying this therapy, consult the doctor if you have diabetes.
Use turmeric supplement to get relief from nerve pain. Curcumin is known to have protective anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial effects and antioxidants.
Apply a lidocaine or capsaicin-containing topical cream. A ginger or turmeric solution made at home might also work in relieving pain.
Massage your foot to improve blood flow and circulation.

The pain from burning feet can be worse at night. Consult our expert doctors and get relief from the burning sensation in the feet.

Feet On Fire? Get-in-touch with Our Expert!

Citations

https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/burning-feet/basics/causes/sym-20050809

https://www.vims.ac.in/blog/burning-sensation-in-feet/

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/tingling-hands-burning-feet-rochester-neurologist-an-expert-in-tracking-down-neuropathy

https://www.starhealth.in/blog/burning-feet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_feet_syndrome

Pain in the top of your foot will often get better in a few weeks. See a GP if it does not improve.

How you can ease pain in the top of your foot

If you see a GP about pain in the top of your foot, they may suggest you try these things:

Do

rest and raise your foot when you can
put an ice pack (or bag of frozen peas in a towel) on the painful area for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
wear shoes with plenty of room for your feet, which have a low heel and soft sole
use soft insoles or pads you put in your shoes
try to lose weight if you're overweight
try regular gentle stretching exercises of your foot and ankle
take paracetamol

Don’t

do not take ibuprofen for the first 48 hours after an injury
do not do any sports or other activity that you think is causing the pain
do not walk or stand for a long time
do not wear high heels or tight or pointy shoes

A pharmacist can help with foot pain

You can ask a pharmacist about:

the best painkiller to take
insoles and pads for your shoes
if you need to see a GP

Find a pharmacy

Video: an exercise to reduce pain in the top of the foot

This video shows an exercise that can help with pain in the top of foot.

Media last reviewed: 17 April 2022
Media review due: 17 April 2025

See exercise video safety information

The exercises in this video are suitable for most people. They are general exercises only and are not aimed at treating any specific cause of pain or condition.

Get advice from a GP or health professional before trying it, especially if:

you have any concerns about your health
you are not sure if the exercises are suitable
you have any pre-existing health problems or injuries, or any current symptoms

Stop the exercise immediately and get medical help if you feel any pain or feel unwell.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

pain in the top of your foot is stopping you doing normal activities
the pain is getting worse or keeps coming back
the pain has not improved after treating it at home for 2 weeks
you have any tingling or loss of sensation in your foot
you have diabetes and a foot pain – foot problems can be more serious if you have diabetes

Immediate action required: Go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E if:

you have severe pain in the top of your foot
you're not able to walk
your foot has changed shape or is at an odd angle
you heard a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of injury
you feel faint, dizzy or sick from pain

These might be signs of a broken bone after an injury.

Find an urgent treatment centre

What we mean by severe pain

Severe pain:

always there and so bad it's hard to think or talk
you cannot sleep
it's very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress

Moderate pain:

always there
makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
you can manage to get up, wash or dress

Mild pain:

comes and goes
is annoying but does not stop you doing daily activities

Common causes of pain in the top of the foot

Pain in the top of your foot is often caused by exercising, especially if it involves running, kicking or jumping.

It may also be caused by wearing shoes that are too tight and some conditions, like gout.

Your symptoms might give you an idea of what's causing your pain. Do not self-diagnose – see a GP if you're worried.

Some of the possible causes of pain in the top of the foot.

Symptoms	Possible cause
Pain, swelling, bruising, started after intense or repetitive exercise	Sprain or strain
Pain, swelling and stiffness that lasts a long time, a grating or crackling sensation when you move the foot, a lump along a tendon	Tendonitis or osteoarthritis
Red, hot, swollen skin, sudden or severe pain when anything touches your foot, pain usually starts near the bottom of the big toe	Gout

Information:

Do not worry if you're not sure what the problem is.

Follow the advice on this page and see a GP if the pain does not get better in 2 weeks.

What makes the top of my foot burn?

Burning on the top of the foot is often a sign of nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy). However, it can also result from an infection, diabetes, chronic alcoholism, certain vitamin B deficiencies, or HIV infection, etc. You should still see a doctor for a proper diagnosis and possible management strategy.

What do you do when the top of your foot is burning?

How is burning feet syndrome treated?.

Soak your feet in cool water for at least 15 minutes. This may provide temporary relief. ... .

Avoid exposing your feet to heat..

Raise your legs and feet..

Take over-the-counter pain medicines (analgesics). ... .

Apply topical creams and ointments..

Should I be worried about burning feet?

Schedule an office visit if you: Continue to experience burning feet, despite several weeks of self-care. Notice that the symptom is becoming more intense and painful. Feel the burning sensation has started to spread up into your legs. Start losing the feeling in your toes or feet.