
© SKI Publishing
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Paresthesias
Can Be a Pain for Backpackers
By
Christine Dobrowolski, DPM
It's a clear, crisp
morning and the scenery is breath-taking. Your legs feel solid as you
begin to hike on your annual backpacking trip with old college
friends. All the running after work, weight lifting at the gym, and hiking
on the weekends has paid off, as the miles slip by. All of the sudden there's
a sharp, bizarre pain in your right foot. Climbing up the switchbacks is grueling
enough without this burning and numbness. It's like nothing you've felt before.
The First Aid kit you so carefully pieced together seems useless now. The burning
worsens with each step, and electrical pain shoots from the ankle to the toes.
As you sit down to yank off the hiking boot, pull the sock, and free the confined
toes, a feeling of anxiety comes over you. What is this pain? Will it worsen
if I continue? Will I be able to make it through the rest of the trip?
A study in The Journal of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine found 34% of
backpackers hiking seven or more days experience "paresthesias", yet
many backpackers are unaware of the warning signs of this fairly common problem.
A paresthesia is an abnormal sensation that occurs in the extremities. Paresthesias
are described as tingling, burning or prickling sensations. Numbness commonly
accompanies these sensations and sharp electrical pain can be experienced as
well. There are many causes of paresthesias including diabetes, under active
thyroid, vitamin B12 deficiency, stroke or even certain medications, but paresthesias
in backpackers typically result from nerve damage due to excess pressure on nerves.
The pack can place pressure on a nerve and over an extended period of time the
pressure will irritate and damage the nerve, eliciting numbness or a burning
sensation. Continued hiking up and down uneven and steep terrain places excessive
pressure on nerves, also causing irritation and resulting in burning or tingling
sensations.
In the study, 81% of the backpackers experienced numbness. Their greatest risk
factor for the development of paresthesias was a distance of over 2000 miles.
Another contributing factor was the duration of the daily hike. Those backpackers
who hiked for longer hours each day were more likely to develop paresthesias.
Surprisingly, backpack weight, initial body weight, multivitamin use and the
types of shoes or boots worn were not significant factors in the development
of paresthesias.
Should you be worried? If weakness or paralysis of the extremity, associated
confusion, loss of consciousness, slurred speech or vision changes accompany
the numbness and burning, then this may present a true medical emergency. Most
likely, these symptoms will not accompany the paresthesias. In The Journal of
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine study, 98% of the backpackers who experienced
paresthesias had complete resolution of their symptoms in 30 days after their
backpacking trip was complete.
If you do experience these symptoms, you need to first assess why you have developed
the sensations. Is the backpack pinching one of the nerves? Adjusting the backpack
may help relieve some of these symptoms. You can relieve burning and tingling
sensations in the leg by resting, removing the shoe and massaging the calf and
the foot. Anti-inflammatory medications (like ibuprofen) may help. If you experience
these symptoms, it is recommended that you decrease your daily mileage. If the
symptoms persist, you may need to shorten the overall trip. In most cases, paresthesias
are transient and self-limiting. By altering your pack, your shoes or your mileage,
the paresthesias will resolve on their own. If you continue to experience the
paresthesias after the backpacking trip, your should visit your doctor. A persistent
burning pain on the bottom of your foot could represent tarsal tunnel syndrome.
Although only 6% of backpackers with paresthesias had tarsal tunnel syndrome,
this problem may be more likely to persist after the trip. Similar to carpal
tunnel syndrome in the wrist, tarsal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the nerve
that supplies the bottom of the foot. This may be due to rotation in your feet
and in some cases can be controlled by orthotics and may be preventable for future
backpacking trips.
Christine Dobrowolski
is a podiatrist, runner, and author of "Those Aching Feet:
Your Guide To Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Foot Problems," available
via her publisher, SKI Publishing, and at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.
Articles
by Dr. Christine Dobrowolski, DPM
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