Dangerous Health Problems Your Hands and Feet Can Reveal

Numbness, tingling, and ulcers in the legs or feet can be indicative of poor blood circulation, according to Dr. Kent Feldman, a foot surgeon in San Diego. When not enough blood reaches the extremities, a feeling like pins and needles is common. Swelling (edema) in the feet can be another symptom of poor blood circulation, he noted. Poor circulation moves less blood and fluid up from the leg up towards the heart, hence the swelling.

Vascular disease is narrowing of the blood vessels. They become smaller, slowing down blood flow throughout the body, including the feet, Feldman explained. With a slower blood flow, o organs are not getting enough blood, as well as the oxygen and nutrients it carries, which can cause damage to all organs. People suffering from vascular disease can develop a blood clot in a foot artery. This may hurt, and the skin will likely turn blue due to the lack of oxygen, Feldman added. The clot may eventually lead to tissue damage.

When narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, some of the symptoms may show up in the feet and legs. Possible signs include numbness, weakness, sores that won’t heal, as well as weak or no pulse. Walking can be painful, and, as the disease advances, even resting or lying down can cause pain.

While not an emergency, feeling numbness in your feet for a week or more should be checked out by a doctor. It may be a sign of diabetes, according to Feldman. High sugar levels in the blood can damage nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet, spreading to the hands and arms. Muscle weakness, sharp pain, a burning sensation, and ulcerated skin are common signs of the condition.

Numb feet can indicate nerve problems in the lower back, Feldman noted. “You don’t need to have back pain to know you have back problems.” The nerves going to the legs can be compressed, leading to a lack of sensation in the feet.

Tingling in your feet can be a sign of a simple nerve problem or something as complex as spinal stenosis, a nerve disease where the spaces within the spine get smaller, putting pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine, Feldman explained. Neck pain, loss of balance, as well as numbness in the feet, legs, arms, or hands are some of the symptoms. The condition may lead to permanent nerve damage and paralysis if left untreated.

Lack of iron is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies. The mineral is crucial for overall health as it is needed to make hemoglobin, a part of blood cells that carries oxygen to all organs of the body. Cold feet and hands are a common sign of a more severe iron deficiency anemia. If untreated, anemia can cause pregnancy complications and heart problems because the heart must pump more blood to make up for the lower amount of oxygen.

In an acute gout attack, the joints in the feet are red, hot, and swollen, and you will feel pain, Feldman said. This is not the case with chronic gout, which looks like a normal arthritis, he noted. Gout is a form of arthritis where uric acid accumulates in the blood, causing inflammation in the joints. Gout is fairly common in people with diabetes.

Kidneys are responsible for getting rid of waste products and excessive water in the blood. When they can’t do so — whether it’s because of a direct injury to the organs or due to a chronic condition such as heart disease — the waste can accumulate. One symptom of acute kidney failure is fluid retention, where the fluid builds up in the body instead of being filtered. This causes swelling in the feet, legs, and ankles.

Athlete’s foot, a contagious disease that can spread if left untreated, is a common fungal infection caused by a tiny fungus that lives and grows in the dead tissue of the foot’s hair, toenails, or outer skin layer. The infection most commonly occurs in the summer because the fungus thrives in warm and humid environments. Common signs include peeling and cracking of the feet, itching, burning, redness, and blisters.

The body needs vitamin B12 to carry out many functions, including making red blood cells, nerves, and DNA. While complications such as abnormally fast heartbeat, vision problems, memory loss, and peripheral neuropathy, are not common, they are possible if the nutritional deficiency has not been treated for a long time. Tingling hands or feet may also indicate lack of vitamin B12. The vitamin is crucial for a healthy central nervous system, and lack of it may lead to nerve damage.

Digital or nail clubbing — which refers to structural changes under and around the toenails and fingernails — is most often a sign of a lung disease. But it can also be a symptom of gastrointestinal diseases, more specifically inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. These conditions cause malabsorption of nutrients from food, eventually leading to clubbing.

Stiffness and swelling are two symptoms of osteoarthritis, a type of arthritis often referred to as “wear and tear” of the joints. The condition causes inflammation and swelling in and around various joints, including in the hands and feet, often causing pain, tenderness, stiffness, and sometimes even deformity.

Lymphedema is swelling in one of the arms or legs, including fingers or toes, and sometimes in both. It’s caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, which helps the body filter out toxins and carries fluid containing white blood cells throughout the body. When restricted, the fluid is not draining well, causing buildup and swelling in the limbs. There is no cure for the condition, but it can be managed when diagnosed early.