Foot pain is something many people will deal with, at least once in their life. Foot pain can be caused by many things including injury, infection, or other chronic health problems. Something that’s often not considered by a doctor when you come to an office with foot pain, especially foot pain that hasn't gone away after several weeks, is how vitamin deficiencies can lead to foot pain.
When your body doesn’t get enough of these very important nutrients, it can lead to problems with your ability to heal or maintain healthy nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Here are 4 vitamin deficiencies that can cause foot pain.
4 Vitamin Deficiences That Can Cause Foot Pain
1. Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Foot Pain
Probably the most common vitamin deficiency that leads to foot pain is Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is important for keeping your nerves healthy, and for making red blood cells. The job of red blood cells is to carry oxygen and nutrients to different parts of your body.
When Vitamin B12 is low, nerves that were once healthy, will start to break down, which also can cause foot pain. This is called peripheral neuropathy. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include numbness, tingling, or burning in your feet. Over time, muscles in your feet can become weaker in neuropathy, which can make it harder to balance, walk, or even stand. This can increase your risk of falling. Low Vitamin B12 levels that are left uncorrected can lead to permanent nerve damage and chronic pain.
When it comes to Vitamin B12 and red blood cell production, not enough red blood cells in your body means that your body will not get enough oxygen, which also can lead to degenerative changes, having a harder time healing from injuries or other causes, and therefore foot pain.
Causes of Vitamin B12 deficiency:
Vegans and vegetarians are at higher risk of developing B12 deficiency due to excluding foods high in B12 (meat, eggs, and dairy). Older adults, people with digestive issues like Crohn’s disease, or those who’ve had stomach surgery are also at risk of , it becomes Vitamin B12 defiency due to it being much harder for these groups to absorb the B12 in food. For people who are on plant-based diets or all adults over the age of 60, a daily B12 supplement is key to maintaining healthy Vitamin B12 levels.
2. Vitamin D Deficiency and Foot Pain
Our bodies can only absorb calcium when Vitamin D is present. Vitamin D and Calcium and crucial for healthy bones. Vitamin D also has anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Vitamin D, like Vitamin B12, helps to keep nerves healthy. Vitamin D is key to a healthy immune system. supports healthy muscle function, and brain cells. Vitamin D also lowers insulin resistance, which lowers your changes of developing Type 2 Diabetes, or makes it easier to control blood sugar levels if you are already diabetic. Vitamin D is made by our bodies when our skin is exposed to enough of the right type of sunlight.
Symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency usually include easily broken bones, and multiple bone breaks after a misstep. In Vitamin D deficiency, these breaks or fractures usually take longer than normal to heal. Low vitamin D levels can also worsen other foot conditions, like plantar fasciitis (pain in the heel), leading to chronic foot pain
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency:
Vitamin D can also be found in certain types of food like cod liver oil or fatty fish for example. Unfortunately, for the average person in the United States, Vitamin D usually will levels are usually low or on the lower end of normal.
If you don’t spend much time outside or live in a place where there isn’t a lot of sunshine, you might not be getting enough. If you have darker skin, and live further away from the equator, this also increases your risk of being vitamin D deficient. Also being older, or being overweight, and working night shifts, can also make it harder for your body to make enough vitamin D.
3. Vitamin B6 Deficiency and Foot Pain
B Vitamins include Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9(folate), and B12 that work together inside of your body. Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is an important vitamin for your nerve health, just like Vitamin B12. Vitamin B6 deficiency is usually more common in older people, for people with certain diseases, or for those who take medicines that also make it harder to absorb vitamin B6.
Vitamin B6 also is key in controlling inflammation and keeping your muscles healthy. Low levels of Vitamin B6 can increase your risk of getting foot pain.
On the flip side, getting too much Vitamin B6 can also cause problems. Vitamin B6 levels that are too high can also cause nerve damage, and lead to pain in your feet. This is called Vitamin B6 toxicity.
4. Vitamin B9 (Folate) Deficiency and Foot Pain
Vitamin B9, also known as Folate, is key for making red blood cells and keeps our nerves healthy, just like Vitamins B6 and B12. Folate is found in many foods like leafy green vegetables, beans, and fruits.
If you don’t get enough folate, it can also increase your risk of developing foot pain.
Without enough folate, you can become anemic, which lowers how much oxygen your body is getting, and can then lead to foot pain.
Conclusion
Vitamin deficiencies usually are not considered when diagnosing foot pain. However, dealing with deficiencies can be key in correcting this foot pain at its root cause. Vitamins B12, D, B6, and B9 (Folate) play an important role in keeping your nerves, muscles, and bones healthy, on top of controlling inflammation and being important in your body's ability to make red blood cells. Without healthy red blood cells, your body can't get the amount of oxygen it needs to function properly.
If you’re dealing with foot pain that has not gotten better with other treatments, it’s a good idea to talk to a foot doctor who is well-versed in chronic foot pain, and holistic podiatry, who can check if a vitamin deficiency might be the cause and help you find the right treatment.
Schedule Your Appointment at Direct Podiatry Arizona
Are you looking for a podiatrist in Phoenix? My name is Dr. Tarr, and I am the owner of Direct Podiatry Arizona in Tempe. To view my available appointment times, click here.