Amyloidosis can affect some unexpected parts of the body. When amyloid proteins build up in your body, they can harm any number of organs, as well as your nervous system. This can cause a wide variety of symptoms associated with amyloidosis, including shortness of breath, easy bruising, and others.

Your hands and feet can also be affected by amyloidosis. Foot-related symptoms can include discomfort, swelling, walking difficulties, and more. In this article, we’ll explore some of the foot-related symptoms that can occur with amyloidosis. Bear in mind that these symptoms aren’t universal: A person with amyloidosis may experience one, several, or none at all.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider about how to feel better.

1. Burning or Tingling

Amyloidosis can cause your hands and feet to feel like they are burning or tingling. You might feel a pins-and-needles sensation, like when you temporarily lose circulation to part of your body. “My hands, feet, and legs constantly tingle and throb!” one member of MyAmyloidosisTeam shared.

In amyloidosis, these sensations are usually caused by amyloid neuropathy. This happens when amyloidosis affects your nervous system, specifically the peripheral nerves (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord). The amyloid proteins get deposited on or near your nerves, which affects how they function. Amyloid neuropathy is often responsible for many of symptoms affecting the feet.

2. Pain

Some people also experience foot pain related to amyloidosis. This can be the burning sensation noted above, or it can involve different types of pain.

Most of the time, foot pain associated with amyloidosis is nerve pain. The pain can be variable, from sharp and stabbing to dull and aching, and often worse at night.

One MyAmyloidosisTeam member who experienced this said, “Today is just nerve pain in my feet.”

Specifically, most people experience pain when their small fiber nerves are affected by abnormal protein deposits. These nerves are more likely to be affected early in a person’s journey with amyloidosis. They don’t have a protective covering, called a myelin sheath, that other nerves have. This allows amyloid protein deposits to affect them faster.

3. Increased Sensitivity to Touch

Some people might find that their feet are more sensitive to being touched than they used to be. This can make all of the sensations in your feet feel more intense than they otherwise would. This can involve a wide variety of sensations, like sensitivity to temperature or to shoes and socks. You won’t necessarily feel pain because of this increased sensitivity, but you might find it distracting or find that it makes life more difficult (e.g., wearing shoes or socks becomes very uncomfortable).

If your feet are more sensitive to touch because of amyloidosis, it's due to amyloid neuropathy, as discussed above.

4. Swelling

Swollen feet can also be a sign of amyloidosis. This may come along with swelling (also called edema) in other areas of your body, like it did for the MyAmyloidosisTeam member who shared, “Both my feet and ankles were so swollen and painful.”

Swollen feet are usually caused by amyloid protein deposits in your kidneys, which makes your kidneys not work as well. Reduced kidney function causes fluid retention and further leads to swelling. Heart involvement can also cause swelling in amyloidosis. You may experience swelling in your ankles and your calves, in addition to in your feet.

5. Numbness

When you’re living with amyloidosis, you may feel like your feet have gone numb. One MyAmyloidosisTeam member said, “Feeling good except numbness in feet.”

Numbness in your feet can also be connected to amyloid deposits affecting your nerves. In this case, it’s likely that your medium or large nerve fibers are affected. These are the nerves that help you sense where your joints are and that pick up on the vibrations that happen when you move your feet or touch them against something. Numbness can increase the risk of injuries, as the person may not feel cuts or blisters.

6. Weakness

People living with amyloidosis may experience overall weakness, which can include weakness in their feet and legs. You may find that your muscles feel tired or sore more quickly than they used to, or that you can’t do as much with them before you need to rest. This can make all sorts of things harder, like balancing, lifting, and more.

Once again, this symptom is related to amyloid neuropathy. If you're experiencing weakness, it’s usually because your largest nerve fibers are now being affected by amyloidosis. This is most common after you have been living with amyloidosis for a while.

This weakness can be directly connected to amyloid deposits in these nerves. However, these same amyloid deposits in the same area can also be connected to muscle loss. You may also feel weaker because you have less muscle mass in your feet than you used to.

7. Trouble Walking

Sometimes, people diagnosed with amyloidosis will find that they have trouble walking. While this doesn’t just involve your feet, they’re a key part of the process. They’re the base that you quite literally stand on, as well as acting to absorb shock every time you put your foot down. Gait abnormalities can develop, such as a shuffling gait or foot drop.

When you have trouble walking because of amyloidosis, it’s usually related to nerve damage from amyloid deposits. Some of the other symptoms listed here, like numbness, tingling, and weakness, may also make it more likely that you’ll struggle to walk sometimes. When your nerves aren’t working well, it may be harder for your feet to respond the way they need to for walking.

8. Falling

You might also find that you fall more when you’re living with amyloidosis. This may happen when you’re doing something more challenging, but it can also happen in everyday life when you’re just walking around. Increased falls put you at greater risk of fractures and other fall-related injuries. You should implement fall prevention strategies, such as using handrails and removing tripping hazards.

Difficulty with balance, which can lead to falls, can happen because of nerve damage in your feet due to amyloid neuropathy. It makes sense that, if you're more likely to struggle when walking, as discussed above, you would also be more likely to fall.

Talk to Your Doctor

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away. If you’ve already been diagnosed with amyloidosis, it may help them figure out how your disease is progressing. It may also tell them that you need a new treatment or that it’s time to add additional treatment options to your regimen.

If you haven’t been diagnosed with amyloidosis, your doctor will probably want to run some tests. They’ll need to figure out why you're experiencing these symptoms. That way, they can get you the right treatment for your needs. If it turns out that you're living with amyloidosis, they’ll help figure out what type of amyloidosis you have. Then they can get you the help you need to slow the disease down and improve your daily life.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyAmyloidosisTeam is the social network for people with amyloidosis and their loved ones. On MyAmyloidosisTeam, members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with amyloidosis.

Do you experience symptoms of amyloidosis in your feet? How does that affect your daily life? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.