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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Shooting Pain In Heels Followed By Spasms?

I get random sharp shooting pain in my heels sometimes and sometimes in my leg. They don t happen every night in fact I may go 5 or 6 days in between the Symptoms, but when they do happen its very painful a short burst often followed by a spasm in that foot or leg. What is it?
Wed, 10 Feb 2016
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

It is possible that the pain and spasm may be related to issues with the nerves in the area.
Abnormal function of the nerves is called neuropathy.

There are different possible causes such as: (1) vitamin b12 or folate deficiency
(2)diabetes
(3)trauma
(4)liver or kidney disease
(5)infections such as shingles
(6)neurological diseases such as ms or stroke
(7)side effect of medication
(8)exposure to toxins
(9)idiopathic- cause is not known

To determine the exact cause, you would need blood tests (eg diabetes screen, liver and kidney function, complete blood count)

Imaging may be needed eg an xray of the lower back. This would be to determine if there is any compression or damage of the nerves to the legs and feet.


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What Causes Shooting Pain In Heels Followed By Spasms?

HI, thanks for using healthcare magic It is possible that the pain and spasm may be related to issues with the nerves in the area. Abnormal function of the nerves is called neuropathy. There are different possible causes such as: (1) vitamin b12 or folate deficiency (2)diabetes (3)trauma (4)liver or kidney disease (5)infections such as shingles (6)neurological diseases such as ms or stroke (7)side effect of medication (8)exposure to toxins (9)idiopathic- cause is not known To determine the exact cause, you would need blood tests (eg diabetes screen, liver and kidney function, complete blood count) Imaging may be needed eg an xray of the lower back. This would be to determine if there is any compression or damage of the nerves to the legs and feet. I hope this helps