15 foot symptoms that reflect health problems

1. Leg cramps

Sudden cramps in the feet may be caused by exercise or dehydration. If a muscle or surrounding muscles often spasm suddenly while you sleep, followed by a feeling of soreness, it may be caused by calcium deficiency. Your diet needs to increase your intake of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, especially for pregnant women in late pregnancy. Once a foot cramp occurs, gently stretch and flex the foot and massage the painful area to relax the muscles. Or use a cold towel, disinfectant alcohol, etc. to relax your muscles.

2. Hairless feet

Hairless feet are usually caused by insufficient blood supply to the feet. Other symptoms include inability to feel the pulse in the feet, red or black feet when standing, and pale feet when rising. Insufficient blood supply is often caused by vascular disease, arteriosclerosis, which prevents the heart from supplying enough blood to the feet.

3. Slightly sunken toes

A slight sag in the toes, creating a dipper-shaped indentation, is often a sign of anemia because there is not enough hemoglobin (an iron-rich protein found in blood cells that transport oxygen). In anemia, the nails and nail beds often appear pale, the nails are brittle, and the feet always feel cold. In addition, the body will feel tired, or shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, etc. when standing. There are many causes of anemia, including internal bleeding (such as ulcers) or severe menstrual irregularities.

4. Pain in the soles of your feet

Pain in the soles of the feet is a common symptom of diabetes. Because elevated blood sugar levels can damage the nerves in the feet, pressure or accidental friction can cause scrapes, cuts, or irritation. Diabetic patients may also experience symptoms such as frequent thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision, hunger or loss of energy.

5. Cold feet

Many women, especially after the age of 40, often feel cold feet. This is because women's core body temperature is lower than men's, so women are more sensitive to cold than men. Especially after the age of 40, if the thyroid gland, which regulates body temperature and metabolism, is insufficient, the legs will feel colder. In addition, if the body's internal circulation is not smooth, you will also feel this way.

6. The big toe suddenly "grows"

When people suffer from gout, especially men aged 40 to 50 and postmenopausal women, they are more likely to suffer from gout. Excess uric acid in gout patients often flows to parts of the body with lower body temperature, and the big toe is the farthest from the heart and is therefore the "coolest" place.

7. Numbness in the feet

Numbness in the feet may even extend to the hands, making you feel as if you are wearing gloves. This feeling is caused by peripheral neuropathy, which has many causes, two of the main ones being diabetes and alcohol abuse. Chemotherapy is another major cause.

8. Foot joint pain

Symmetrical pain in the foot joints, accompanied by swelling and stiffness, is a manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in women, with the incidence rate in women being four times that of men. Symptoms usually first appear in small joints such as those in the toes and fingers.

9. Acne scars on toenails

Psoriasis not only affects the skin but also the joints. The nails of psoriasis patients will have many small holes. Three-quarters of psoriatic arthritis patients will also be affected in their joints and skin, usually manifesting as rough and acne-scarred nails.

10. Unable to lift your legs

The inability to lift your feet, accompanied by pain and stiffness, is a symptom of foot drop. Severe cases may extend to the back, shoulders or neck. Some foot drop can be cured while others may become a permanent disease, depending on the cause and treatment.

11. Thick and yellow toenails

Diabetics, people with circulatory problems and immune system disorders are more likely to have this problem. Thickening and yellowing of toenails is caused by fungal infection, commonly known as onychomycosis. People often have onychomycosis without realizing it, but the infection quickly spreads to all the nails on the feet and hands, causing them to smell bad, become thickened, and turn yellow.