What could cause the following symptom?:

Strong electric shock feeling in a small area on my right heel (nearest to the calcaneal nerve branch - see picture). Felt only when walking, not at rest.

The feeling is pulse like, not continuous. As I walk I get jolts of electric like pulses only in that area.

Yellow area on photo shows where symptom is located.

To this day, I can tap in between behind my thumb and forefinger and get that shock that you speak of. Years ago I had trauma to that hand. If you think it could be trauma, perhaps hot water foot soaks for increased circulation. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Have you used a fluoroquinolone antibiotic recently? (Cipro, Levaquin or Avelox)

These may interfere with tendons and cause a tendon rupture, and this can happen months or a few years after you stopped the drug.

I have pain in my left ankle, but it is where the nerve branches
off the peroneal nerve in your diagram.

You can go to a good podiatrist and get evaluated there.
There can be spurs in the foot, or compressions of nerves that
foot doctors are quite familiar with. You can also have gout, or pseudogout in the heel area. Tendonitis also occurs in the heel.

Tinel's sign is an electric sensation that results from tapping on a nerve that is aggravated or compressed. Check simple mechanical causes. The calcaneal nerve is very superficial and not well protected depending on how much fat is in the area. If you are bony and wearing shoes with a tight heel cradle (like a lot of athletic shoes have) then it just might be getting smooshed when you walk. Make sure you have enough room and consider cushioning the area.

Thanks, it does only seem to happen when my shoes are off.

Is it possible that it is from my spine? My neurologists doesn't think so.

Walking sounds mechanical to me...as opposed to standing which could be pressure from blood pooling in the foot or from swelling.

I would pay attention to what part of your stride is setting it off and that could give a clue. For example, I have surgical scar over my calcaneal and pretty much no fat there from trauma. When I heel strike and my foot is dorsiflexed I sometimes get a zinger where the nerve is pulled across a bony prominence.

Pinpointing the part of the walking motion might tell you if it is a stretch issue or a pressure issue.

As for the spine, I of course can't say, but it does seem intuitively that you might have additional symptoms if that were the case.

I think that is what my neurologist meant. Since it is so specifically located near the tip of the calcaneal nerve and is only an electric shock feeling without any other symptoms anywhere, it is not spine related.

It literally feels like a strong static shock like we all get when touching someone in dry weather.

It happens when pronating during weight bearing, during the midstance, and push-off. Zap-Zap-Zap.

I am nearly recovered from severe neuropathy of the hands and feet and this symptom is very new. My neurologist and I hope it is not the start of something new.

I hope it isn't the start of something new too.

Here are my thoughts for what they are worth. Having gone through 3 foot surgeries and a boatload of rehab have made me learn a bit too much about this kind of trouble.

When you say this is only with shoes off, during pronation, mid-stance and toe-off that sounds like a a lot of dynamic tension on the foot. The nerves are pulled at maximum stretch when the foot is flat on the floor, especially if your inner ankle tends to lean in which adds even more stretch.


You may need to wear a little something around the house that gives your heel a slight bit of rise, even just a half inch to take some of the tension off. If that gives relief it's good info to have and may be all you need to do.

As to why now...who knows? I think Mrs. D's podiatry suggestion is a good one or if you prefer a Foot and Ankle orthopedist. Note any changes to them that might be pertinent such as weight loss or gain, exercise changes or circulatory issues that could be causing any swelling.

Good luck,

Thanks a bunch

You can try to elicit the symptom to see if it is Tinel's sign.

Google link to images:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tine...HbTDARYQsAQIHw

You can use a wooden spoon handle or a similar thing. (doctor's have that little rubber hammer thing they use).
You tap the area near the zapping gently and see if it is a nerve thing. Gout makes crystals of uric acid in soft tissue, and the foot is a prime location due to poor circulation there. Pseudogout is calcium deposition.

Tinel's sign may come and go. I find that using the Morton's Epsom lotion, removes it for me in my hands. I tap about 2 inches away from my inner wrist to test whether I need the lotion on the inner wrist. Usually the lotion lasts a few days for me, to settle the nerve back down.

The Achille's tendon is a prime location for tendon sprains or other causes of tendonitis.