Nerve Testing for Chronic Foot Pain

What You Need to Know

Understanding peripheral neuropathy and how nerve testing helps identify the cause of your symptoms.

Nerve Testing and Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is damage of the peripheral nerves. Your peripheral nerves are the nerves that travel to your arms and legs. When the nerves are damaged, they don’t function properly. People with peripheral neuropathy have decreased or abnormal sensation in their toes and fingers. Sometimes, they develop problems moving these parts of the body as well.

Nerves in your feet carry signals to your brain. Your brain reads those signals and interprets them as sensations. When nerves in your feet are diseased, signals may never reach the brain, or they may be confused. The result may be a lack of feeling in your feet or other symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

Symptoms often begin in your toes and slowly spread up your feet and legs. Patients often suffer from burning, tingling, numbness, or stabbing pain in the toes or fingertips. Milder cases may feel occasional tingling, often at night. Pain tends to decrease as the condition progresses, but is replaced more and more with numbness. Some patients also experience dizziness, heat sensitivity, muscle weakness, or digestion and bladder problems.

In the United States, the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. Other causes include certain medications, heredity, advanced age, arthritis, alcoholism, neurological disorders, and injury to the peripheral nerves.

The sooner neuropathy is identified, the better the chances of slowing its progression. If you feel numbness, burning, or pins and needles in your feet, schedule an evaluation with SoCal Foot Care so we can determine the cause and start the right treatment.

Our Approach to Nerve Testing and Treatment

Nerve and neurological sensory testing is performed using an electromyogram (EMG), which measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction. Nerve conduction studies measure how well and how fast the nerves can send electrical signals. If you have leg pain or numbness, these tests help us find out how much your nerves are being affected.

No major preparation is necessary for an EMG. You should bathe or shower the day of the test, and your doctor may ask you not to use lotion or oil on the area being examined. Let your doctor know if you have a pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator. During the test, you will lie down or sit in a reclining chair, the skin will be cleaned, and electrodes attached to a recording machine will be placed on the skin. The test usually takes 30 to 60 minutes.

Once we have a diagnosis, we use a comprehensive approach to treat peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain in the lower legs. This may include electric cell signaling therapy (RST Sanexas), K-Laser, MicroVAS treatments, therapeutic injections, and nutritional supplements such as Metanx and Frezzor to support nerve repair and healthy circulation. For painful Morton’s neuromas, chemical nerve ablation using alcohol injections can reduce pain while avoiding surgery.

Mild muscle soreness after an EMG usually subsides in a day or two. You will receive results within a couple days, and your doctor will build a treatment plan based on what we find so you can get back to walking, sleeping, and living with less pain.