You listen to hurricane warnings; are you listening to your feet?

If you have lived in Hilton Head or Bluffton long enough, you learn one thing pretty quickly: We take hurricane season seriously. The minute somebody draws a spaghetti model anywhere near South Carolina, we’re checking weather apps, filling the gas tank, finding flashlights and trying to remember where we put the batteries we bought during the last hurricane season.

Then there is always that one neighbor. You know the one. He somehow knows exactly where the storm is going seven days before the National Hurricane Center does. Around here, we understand warning systems.

But there is another warning system we are surprisingly good at ignoring: our feet.

Your feet are constantly sending information to your brain. They help you detect pressure, touch, pain, temperature and vibration, as well as where your feet are positioned beneath you. Most of the time, this happens so automatically that you never think about it, until something changes.

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when nerves outside the brain and spinal cord become damaged or stop functioning normally. Depending on which nerves are affected, symptoms can include numbness, tingling, burning, unusual sensitivity, weakness or problems with balance. And here is something many people don’t realize: Neuropathy isn’t only about what you feel. Sometimes the bigger problem is what you don’t feel.

Think about pain and temperature for a moment. They can be annoying, but they are also part of your body’s protection system. Hot pavement should make your feet say, “Nope! Too hot.” A sharp object should make them say, “Move!” A blister or sore should get your attention. But when sensation becomes reduced, those warning messages may not come through as clearly. That means someone with significant sensory loss may not notice a cut, blister, pressure area or temperature injury as quickly as someone with normal sensation.

It is a little like having a hurricane warning system with the volume turned down. The storm did not disappear. You just didn’t hear the alert.

Neuropathy can be sneaky because it often develops gradually. Maybe your toes tingle at night. Maybe your feet burn. Maybe they feel numb. Or maybe you describe the sensation the way so many patients do: “It feels like I’m walking on marshmallows.” Others say rubber, foam or thick socks, even when they’re barefoot. Those descriptions may sound funny, but the change in sensation is worth paying attention to.

We would never look at a hurricane warning headed toward Hilton Head and say, “I’ll worry about that in six months.” Yet people sometimes notice changes in their feet for months or even years and keep telling themselves, “It’s probably just age.”

Your nervous system deserves at least as much attention as the weather app. So this hurricane season, check the batteries, know your evacuation plan and keep an eye on the tropics. But pay attention to your body’s warning system, too.

If you’re dealing with numbness, tingling or burning, or your feet feel like you’re walking on marshmallows, your body may be trying to tell you something. It may be time to get evaluated for peripheral neuropathy. Start early, before a small problem turns into a bigger one.

After all, in the Lowcountry, we’ve learned an important lesson: Warnings work best when we actually listen to them.

Dr. Kenneth Horup, DC is a Chiropractic Physician at Discover Specific Chiropractic, Certified in Neuropathy.