What's Causing This Vibrating Sensation in My Feet?

Understanding Vibration and Numbness in the Feet

Feet are complex structures containing a dense web of nerves, blood vessels, tissues, and small bones. This intricate construction allows us to balance, walk, run and jump on a daily basis. It also means our feet are vulnerable to various troublesome sensations when something goes awry.

A common complaint involves feeling internal vibrations or buzzing. Some describe it like a mobile phone set to vibrate mode going off under their skin. These oscillations usually accompany numbness or tingling in feet as well. You may experience it bilaterally or unilaterally depending on the underlying cause.

What Does This Sensation Feel Like?

People characterize the feeling of internal foot vibrations differently across a range of intensities:

• Mild buzzing
• Stronger humming
• Pulsating waves
• Electric, fizzing energy
• Tingling “pins and needles”
• Prickly heat
• Skin crawling

Typically more noticeable when inactive, symptoms may temporarily improve or worsen with position changes. Often it disturbingly persists throughout the day and night.

What’s Behind This Agitating Symptom?

While rarely dangerous on its own, vibration or numbness sensations signal some kind of nerve, tissue or circulatory disruption. Pinpointing root causes guides appropriate treatment to relieve discomfort and prevent progression.

Circulation Problems Causing Foot Vibrations

Proper blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to foot tissues to nourish nerves. Disruptions can lead to aggravating neurological symptoms. Common culprits behind circulation issues include:

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Plaque accumulation causing narrow, hardened arteries primarily impacts legs and feet. Sensations like coldness, cramping, fatigue or vibrations occur when downstream tissues and nerves don’t receive enough blood supply. Quitting smoking and medications helps.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Valve damage inside deep leg veins leads to backward blood flow leakage causing fluid buildup and swelling. The excess pressure externally constricts peripheral nerves, leading to tingling or buzzing.

Varicose Veins

Twisted, enlarged superficial veins prevent effective circulation through foot and calf tissues, which can irritate surrounding nerves.

Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Cold temperatures (or stress) excessively narrow smaller extremity blood vessels, temporarily limiting blood flow. Deprived nerves react with prickling, stinging, or burning sensations that resolve once warmth returns.

Nerve Problems Manifesting in Feet

Given their role transmitting sensations and facilitating movement, nerves in the feet prove especially sensitive disruption. Some notable neuropathic causes include:

Diabetic Neuropathy

Chronically high blood glucose from diabetes commonly damages nerve fibers first in the lower limbs. Early on this manifests as pain, tingling or vibration feelings.

Multiple Sclerosis

The autoimmune condition eats away at the myelin nerve sheath. Plaque accumulation along nerves traversing the brain, spine and extremities interrupts signal transmission - often first showing up as odd foot paresthesias.

ALS

As motor neurons degenerate in Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscles weaken and atrophy, eventually causing paralysis. Upwards of half those affected experience early tingling or vibrating foot sensations.

Parkinson’s Disease

Though better known for its hallmark tremor symptom, Parkinson’s disease commonly manifests unusual foot sensations like numb buzzing and curling toes early on due to neurotransmitter disruption affecting muscles and nerves.

Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)

Toxic cancer treatments damage peripheral nerve fibers transmitting tactile signals to the central nervous system. Up to 90% develop temporary or lasting neuropathic symptoms like buzzing and numbness.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Critical for nerve cell function, low levels of the essential nutrient lead to degeneration of sensory pathways. Early on this commonly presents as weird, often bilateral foot tingling or vibrations.

Other Causes of Vibration Sensations

Less common explanations occasionally behind buzzing feet include:

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

Similar carpal tunnel, but in the ankle, where swelling or space occupying lesions put pressure on the posterior tibial nerve as it crosses the area. Pain, tingling and numbness radiates into the soles of feet.

Morton’s Neuroma

Thick nerve tissue growth between third and fourth toes presses against nearby nerves when walking, triggering unpleasant shooting vibrations down to the toes.

Plantar Fasciitis

Micro-tearing and inflammation of the dense ligamentous tissue running along the bottom of feet generates a broad range of pains. But the surrounding irritation can also refer odd sensations across the soles and toes.

Anxiety and Stress

Extreme worry and tension manifests in surprising physical ways due to chronic activation of the nervous system. Buzzing or tingling feet represent a common psychosomatic manifestation.

Seeking a Diagnosis for Foot Vibrations and Numbness

While annoying vibrations or loss of sensation in your feet rarely constitutes a medical emergency, promptly identifying the cause speeds relief. If you’ve tried the basics like supportive shoes, cushioning, activity changes or massage without improvement, seek qualified medical advice. Key steps may include:

Tracking Your Symptoms

Note details like triggers, duration, time of day it’s worse. Also log any correlating issues like pain, swelling or skin changes to identify clues.

Getting Examined

So doctors can assess circulation, nerve function and muskuloskeletal contributors, expect things like reflex checks, light touch and vibration sensory tests, range of motion examination and palpating for areas of unusual tightness or tenderness.

Discussing Your Health History

Share factors like illnesses, injuries, medications, supplement use, diet and lifestyle habits. Even past issues provide insight, especially if assuming new symptoms resemble older ones.

Undergoing Diagnostic Testing

Depending on suspected causes, your physician may order imaging scans, nerve conduction velocity evaluation, vascular studies, bloodwork looking at sugar, vitamins, thyroid, or other markers suggesting neuropathy contributors.

Seeking Symptom Relief

While diagnosing and addressing underlying dysfunction proves essential long-term, immediately chilling out vibrating nerves benefits comfort and function. Discuss options like:

Over-the-Counter Nerve Medications

Supplements or topicals containing compounds like alpha lipoic acid, acetyl l-carnitine, vitamin B12, and capsaicin offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Prescription Medications

Drugs like Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, Duloxetine, and Pregabalin calm overactive nerves communicating false vibration signals.

Physical Therapy

Stretching, strengthening, and gait retraining takes pressure off trapped or compressed nerves contributing to symptoms.

Lifestyle Changes

Quitting smoking, managing blood sugar, losing weight, reducing alcohol intake — whatever optimizes circulation and nerve function based on your diagnosis.

When to Seek Emergency Treatment for Foot Issues

Most numbness or tingling causes prove inconvenient rather than dire. Rarely a serious condition like Guillain-Barre Syndrome or sepsis causes rapid peripheral nerve dysfunction that requires prompt, aggressive intervention. Seek emergency care for:

• Sudden loss of muscle strength
• Difficulty walking or controlling extremities
• Bowel or bladder incontinence
• Fever, nausea or rapid neurological changes

Don’t write off new vibration or numbness foot symptoms without investigating some explanations behind them. Identifying contributing factors means faster relief — leaving you standing strong!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.