Can it also manifest as a sensation of heat?

A burning or searing sensation can occur even if the actual skin temperature is not high. You should check for accompanying numbness, decreased sensation, or changes in balance.

What is being checked?

Since causes vary, including diabetes, nutritional deficiencies, medications, and nerve compression, they are distinguished through neurological examinations and necessary tests.

Why can the sensation of temperature differ from the actual skin temperature?

If the way peripheral nerves transmit stimuli changes, you may feel a burning sensation even if the skin is not hot, or a chilling sensation even if it is not actually cold. Therefore, we check for decreased sensation, pain, and changes in muscle strength along with sensations of heat or cold.

Why is it especially important to examine the feet?

If sensation is dulled, you may notice wounds or burns late. If you have diabetes or decreased sensation in your feet, you should check your skin color, wounds, and swelling daily, avoid direct hot compresses, and receive necessary medical evaluation.

What is needed when receiving Korean medicine treatment concurrently?

You should first share the results of the cause diagnosis, blood glucose and related tests, medications being taken, and neurological evaluations. Based on this, we determine the extent to which Korean medicine treatment can help with remaining discomfort and overall systemic condition.

Peripheral neuropathy is not diagnosed based on the sensation of temperature in the hands and feet alone

Peripheral neuropathy is a medical category encompassing various conditions where nerves outside the brain and spinal cord are damaged. If sensory nerves are affected, numbness, burning, pain, or decreased temperature sensation may occur; if motor nerves are affected, decreased muscle strength, spasms, or changes in gait may appear.

Commonly confused terms and their differences: Symptoms of hands and feet feeling hot or cold can arise from vascular, skin, joint, or thyroid issues in addition to nerve problems. While Han-yeol (heat-cold) pattern identification is a branch used during consultation to examine the distribution of current symptoms, the cause and extent of nerve damage are confirmed through neurological examinations and necessary tests such as blood tests and nerve conduction studies.
Information to record before your visit: Please indicate where the symptoms first started (fingers/toes) and the extent to which they spread upward, differences between both sides, whether they worsen at night, and any changes in sensation, muscle strength, or balance. Prepare your diabetes levels, alcohol consumption, chemotherapy history, infections, autoimmune diseases, medications, and family history, and check your feet daily for wounds, burns, or pressure from shoes.
Scope of this material: NINDS data was used to explain the types, symptoms, causes, and testing scope of peripheral neuropathy. This page is not a criterion for diagnosing the cause of neuropathy as Han-yeol or for choosing painkillers, supplements, or Korean herbal medicine. Rapidly progressing muscle weakness, difficulty breathing or swallowing, new urinary disorders, or infected foot wounds require prompt medical evaluation.

Official References

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): Symptoms, Causes, and Tests for Peripheral Neuropathy

Medical staff who wrote and reviewed this article

Choi Yeon-seung

Chief Director of Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic

The meaning of peripheral neuropathy, the scope of differential diagnosis, and patient guidance expressions have been reviewed. The last review date is August 25, 2026.

Graduated from Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine
Providing Korean medicine treatment since 2010
Symptom treatment from the perspective of heat-cold balance and constitution

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Check the guides where these terms are used

Symptom and Disease GuidePeripheral Neuropathy

Symptom and Disease GuideNumbness in hands and feet / Numbness in feet

Heat and Cold ColumnIf there is heat in the soles of the feet, is it diabetes? Causes to consider when blood glucose is normal

When you experience burning sensations in the soles of your feet without a diabetes diagnosis, we explain the difference between blood glucose tests and neuropathy tests, check for thyroid issues, vitamin B12 deficiency, or nerve compression, and describe the direction of Korean herbal medicine and acupuncture treatments.

Heat and Cold ColumnMy hands and feet feel burning: Why do I feel heat when test results are normal?

For those who feel persistent heat in the palms, soles, and face despite no abnormalities in hospital tests, we provide the causes from a Korean medicine perspective and criteria for self-checking.

Medical GuideWhere should I start checking when sensations of heat and cold recur?

Even if there are no clear abnormalities in tests, recurring sensations of heat and cold are a definite discomfort. By gathering information on the area, time of day, duration, and accompanying changes such as sleep, sweat, and digestion, we can examine the branches of symptoms more precisely from the perspective of heat and cold and determine the direction of Korean medicine treatment.

Medical GuideWhat should be checked when only specific areas, such as the back, hands, or feet, feel hot or cold?

The perceived temperature and the actual skin temperature may not be the same. To safely examine skin, nerve, and vascular issues as well as the remaining sensation of cold or heat after testing, we must separately analyze the affected area, differences between left and right, rashes or swelling, numbness or sensory loss, and the influence of posture and sleep.

Comparison of similar terms

Symptom ExpressionBurning sensation in hands and feet

Sujok-beonyeol is a term that groups together heat sensations and burning in the palms and soles. In addition to Korean medicine explanations such as deficiency heat, causes related to nerves, blood vessels, and hormones must be distinguished first.

Medical TerminologyDifferential Diagnosis

Differential diagnosis is the process of distinguishing possible causes one by one through examination, testing, and monitoring progress, rather than determining a disease name based on a single symptom. This is the first and most necessary step for both sensations of heat and cold.