Weird Tingle/Crawl Feeling When Touched in Heel

[sTeaLth]

I have had crawling tingles off and on for about a year now in different spots on both feet. I’ve labeled it sciatica and it does disappear for days at a time. I sit a lot for work and recreation. A few days ago my left heel start doing this weird feeling almost like it’s half asleep. It only bothers me if I brush my finger across it, or have on a sock that rubs it, wear shoes, walk, etc. If I just sit or something, I forget about it until something hits it. Basically, it makes that weird crawl feeling for a second or two and then goes away. Very bizarre. I’m curious if this is also related to what I think is my other sciatica issues. Anyone have some experience with this?

 

[mollyfin]

trapped nerve maybe? Never experienced it myself but it sounds like when you knock your funny bone or something.

 

[sTeaLth]

Seems that way almost. It is improving slightly every day so I guess it must be going away. ‍ Here is to hoping it doesn’t turn into full blown anxiety.

 

[sTeaLth]

I avoided checking my heel for the feeling for about three days. I stepped differently so it wouldn’t cause the feeling and never touched it on purpose to see if it would vibrate/tingle. I finally checked it after three days and it had pretty much totally gone away. Then a few days later it was back again. Though it still is not present when I first wake up, it does show up after I’ve been up for an hour or so.
I’m not sure what is going on but I’m trying not to panic. It’s likely a nerve pinched… but my mind keeps going to MS. I have had a feeling of something tickling my toes in both feet for almost a year that comes and goes and my mind is sure that this is the next stage of major issues. Any reassurance or clear heads would be appreciated. I don’t want to spiral in this… it’s just anxiety again… right?

 

[sTeaLth]

I went to a chiropractor yesterday and told him what was going on and my ultimate fears. He said it doesn’t sound like a neurological issue at all. He said it sounds like my sciatic being pinched or trapped or worst case I have a slipped disc that could require physical therapy or surgery. He doesn’t think it’s the latter but it’s hard for me to believe a simple pinched nerve could cause tickling in my toes and my heel to feel a tickle/vibration when stepped on or touched. I’m going to try to rest in his opinion and stretch/workout a lot more and see if it doesn’t relieve it.

 

[Iugrad91]

Why is it hard for you to believe when you aren’t a doctor? If the doctor told you that’s probably what it is then I’d believe them. We aren’t experts. We also have a hard time believing anxiety can cause all sorts of sensations and symptoms, yet here we all are finding out every day that most of what we worry about is indeed anxiety.

 

[sTeaLth]

Why is it hard for you to believe when you aren’t a doctor? If the doctor told you that’s probably what it is then I’d believe them. We aren’t experts. We also have a hard time believing anxiety can cause all sorts of sensations and symptoms, yet here we all are finding out every day that most of what we worry about is indeed anxiety.

You're not wrong. it is just getting my body to believe what I know to be true. Its easier said than done. I know if I ignore it and stop focusing on it, it almost goes away entirely and I have much greater peace. Today has been a good day though. Believing it will continue. Thanks.

 

[Iugrad91]

Yep, you know it’s not something serious you just need to convince your brain of that. It takes time and repetition to get the “what if’s” to slow or stop. Keep working on it!

 

[sTeaLth]

Thanks. I have looked up issues with this type of feeling in the heel and there is simply nothing linking it to life threatening things. Almost guaranteed it is a pinched nerve either due to tension, a possible spur, or worst case... a slipped disc. None of these things worry me too much. Neurological issues are what I fear most and it seems like I can't find a link when when I really try to find something.

 

[Fraser]

Not that long ago I lost feeling in my heel completely; it was just numb all the time. That dissipated over the course of 3 or so months and eventually I was left with what you are experiencing. I have pelvic floor dysfunction which irritates nerves that run to my foot, and do stretches and exercising for my pelvic floor dysfunction has helped relive that.

 

[sTeaLth]

Not that long ago I lost feeling in my heel completely; it was just numb all the time. That dissipated over the course of 3 or so months and eventually I was left with what you are experiencing. I have pelvic floor dysfunction which irritates nerves that run to my foot, and do stretches and exercising for my pelvic floor dysfunction has helped relive that.

Thank you! I am currently trying to eat better, exercise more, and do lots and lots of stretching. My chiropractor told me the other day to just stretch like crazy.

 

[Fraser]

Thank you! I am currently trying to eat better, exercise more, and do lots and lots of stretching. My chiropractor told me the other day to just stretch like crazy.

I find these type of slump stretches really "hit the spot".

Slump Sciatic Nerve Glides

Directions: Sit on a chair or table with a slouched posture and place your hands behind your back. Drop your head down and extend your knee until you feel any pain, pulling or stretching. Once you...

www.thestudentphysicaltherapist.com

 

[sTeaLth]

I find these type of slump stretches really "hit the spot".

Slump Sciatic Nerve Glides

Directions: Sit on a chair or table with a slouched posture and place your hands behind your back. Drop your head down and extend your knee until you feel any pain, pulling or stretching. Once you...

www.thestudentphysicaltherapist.com

I’ve started doing these and they seem to help. Though, the feeling doesn’t go away it does seem to stretch the right areas. What exactly do your heels feel like now? My feeling is almost the same as how your feet feel after jumping off of too high an area, or slapping your hand against a hard and flat surface… minus the pain. It just gets thst momentary tingle/prickle/vibrate feeling. Super odd and very disconcerting.

 

[Fraser]

I’ve started doing these and they seem to help. Though, the feeling doesn’t go away it does seem to stretch the right areas. What exactly do your heels feel like now? My feeling is almost the same as how your feet feel after jumping off of too high an area, or slapping your hand against a hard and flat surface… minus the pain. It just gets thst momentary tingle/prickle/vibrate feeling. Super odd and very disconcerting.

If I draw my attention to it, my left sole has a very mild tingling/burning sensation that is often stronger or weaker, but usually there a bit in some capacity. When it is strong, it feel like my foot is a bottled of carbonated water. My pelvic floor issues are not fully resolved, in a larger part because as the symptoms abate I spend less time actually doing the work I need to do to resolve it. It's really something I need to fold into my every day life in a consistent way.

On the other side, one of the issues with health anxiety is focalizing on symptoms and being anxious about health symptoms as long as they are present. With tingling, it is a symptom that can be manifested by attention to a specific region of the body. Multiple studies have shown this by, for instance, hooking up nonfunctioning electrodes to a person's hand's and telling them that there is a minor electric current. Sure enough, they feel it, even though there is no current. The wild thing is, they aren't faking, the brain literally feels the tingling simple out of anticipation.

This might seem weird, but do you suffer from constipation and/or flat stools? If so, you may have pelvic floor dysfunction.

 

[sTeaLth]

If I draw my attention to it, my left sole has a very mild tingling/burning sensation that is often stronger or weaker, but usually there a bit in some capacity. When it is strong, it feel like my foot is a bottled of carbonated water. My pelvic floor issues are not fully resolved, in a larger part because as the symptoms abate I spend less time actually doing the work I need to do to resolve it. It's really something I need to fold into my every day life in a consistent way.

On the other side, one of the issues with health anxiety is focalizing on symptoms and being anxious about health symptoms as long as they are present. With tingling, it is a symptom that can be manifested by attention to a specific region of the body. Multiple studies have shown this by, for instance, hooking up nonfunctioning electrodes to a person's hand's and telling them that there is a minor electric current. Sure enough, they feel it, even though there is no current. The wild thing is, they aren't faking, the brain literally feels the tingling simple out of anticipation.

This might seem weird, but do you suffer from constipation and/or flat stools? If so, you may have pelvic floor dysfunction.

Yea, I have definitely experienced creating symptoms over the the last few years. Twitching was a horrible one. I could almost make anywhere on my body twitch if I focused enough. This is different. I don't know what brought on the heel feeling but now my mind won't stop thinking about it and it causes anxiety as a result. In turn, I am sure the anxiety makes it worse than it actually is. not to mention testing constantly has to make things worse.

I had a bad night emotionally and now this already present anxiety is bringing me pretty low. I just want to feel happy and normal with no body weirdness that could be sinister death symbols. I'm finding myself as low as I have been in some time today. Heel tingling shouldn't be too big of a deal but I am convinced it is horrible because I can't relieve it. It even is present first thing in the morning now, which it wasn't when it started two weeks ago. That makes me convinced it is getting worse. :-/

 

[Fraser]

Yea, I have definitely experienced creating symptoms over the the last few years. Twitching was a horrible one. I could almost make anywhere on my body twitch if I focused enough. This is different. I don't know what brought on the heel feeling but now my mind won't stop thinking about it and it causes anxiety as a result. In turn, I am sure the anxiety makes it worse than it actually is. not to mention testing constantly has to make things worse.

I had a bad night emotionally and now this already present anxiety is bringing me pretty low. I just want to feel happy and normal with no body weirdness that could be sinister death symbols. I'm finding myself as low as I have been in some time today. Heel tingling shouldn't be too big of a deal but I am convinced it is horrible because I can't relieve it. It even is present first thing in the morning now, which it wasn't when it started two weeks ago. That makes me convinced it is getting worse. :-/

I literally puked from HA last night and then, when I got out of bed this morning, the first thing I did was puke again. I am similarly not well with it at the moment, but for different reasons.

Not long ago, I was in your position and worked up over the same symptoms. I also felt it in the morning and more than once I woke up with my heel feeling like an electrical storm. Anxiety alone doesn't account for that, but it did make it worse and it certainly made my quality of life worse. You should start to address the health anxiety itself as well if you haven't yet. It might seem kind of dumb and ineffective at first, but filling out this sheet at least once a day could start to help.

It's funny, because when I was in your position I thought exactly like you are now. Now that I'm in the throes of another issue, i can see how I was overacting to my numb heel but I can't think my way out of my current issue... yet. I also need to put the work in.

 

[sTeaLth]

I took yesterday to try and ignore it, stretch often, and rest my mind. This morning it’s gone, though it may come back. These respites give me hope that it’s actually my nerve.

 

[Fraser]

I took yesterday to try and ignore it, stretch often, and rest my mind. This morning it’s gone, though it may come back. These respites give me hope that it’s actually my nerve.

Oh man, it's your nerve. It might be a combination of more than one, and it might come and go, but a tingling foot from a compressed nerve is super common.

 

[sTeaLth]

The last few days it’s been almost entirely gone. I’ve been not checking for it, which helps anxiety. Moisturizing my feet every day, which seems to help a lot actually. And I’ve been doing stretching every day. It’s once again totally gone in the mornings and barely there if at all through the day. I’d say I’ve found the culprit and will continue to focus on mediation while ignoring it for anxiety sake. Thanks for your help. I’ll message back in a few weeks on any updates.

 

[sTeaLth]

I was doing solid. The feeling had vanished with moisturizing my feet and stretching often. I went on vacation on Tuesday and have been doing those two things less, though not stopped entirely. The problem is that I kept checking. Every day at least a couple times. Well, today we went on a 5 mile hike in the mountains and my left leg sciatic is really bothering me. Aaaaand, the issue returned. I can feel it when touching my heel and some when walking again. It isn’t as worrisome this time as this almost definitely proves my sciatic is to blame. Still, frustrating that it won’t go away for good and give me peace. ‍ It allows that “what if” to linger.
I noticed a few days ago that my left thigh muscle has a slight bulge to it that isn’t on the right. In all honestly it is probably from constantly stretching that leg and doing weird things with it to try and relieve the heel issue. But of course that’s adding to my background concern. Bah! How do we ignore symptoms and just live anyway. I find it hard to enjoy things when I’m concerned about something. Even something as silly as my sciatic nerve making my heel pulse when touched in a specific way. Stupid!