You must have felt a numbness or tingling sensation in your arms or legs after sleeping on your arms or sitting with your legs crossed over a period of time. The medical term for such a pricky feeling is Paresthesia. It primarily affects your legs, arms, hands, and feet, although it can occur in any body part.
Paresthesia is relatively common, where you can feel numbness and a tingling sensation if you:
Standing or sitting for a long time
Fall asleep on your arm
Sit crosslegged
What are the symptoms of numbness and tingling?
Normally, people experience temporary instances of numbness or tingling when a nerve gets pressured and a feeling of pins and needled when the pressure is released. But, in some situations, it can turn into a more serious condition.
In all cases, constant pressure is placed on the nerves, creating a blockage and restricting blood supply. The pressure can prevent the nervous system from carrying electrical impulses that transmit feeling. This causes a loss of sensation or numbness in the pressed area. Sometimes the blockage can cause false signals, creating a tingling feeling.
When the pressure is lifted, the blockage to the nervous system is removed, allowing the nerve cells to receive impulses again. You can experience pins and needles as the nervous system regains function.
Sometimes, you can get stuck in the numbness and tingling feeling, causing a chronic paresthesia symptom. Chronic paresthesia can occur because of an underlying neurological disease or permanent nerve damage.
You can experience paresthesia symptoms in the following cases:
Structural conditions
A pressured nerve is a common reason for the numbness and tingling feeling. Nerves can get pressured because of:
A tumor or infection
Swelling or an infection of the spinal cord or brain
Scar tissue
Enlarged blood vessels
Ligaments, tendons, and the soft tissues surrounding them
Medical Reasons
Numbness or tingling sensations can also be a symptom of other serious medical conditions like:
Diabetes
Multiple Sclerosis
Seizures and stroke
Ministroke or Transient Ischemic attack
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
Migraines
Underactive thyroid
Raynaud’s Phenomenon that causes reduced blood flow to the fingers and toes
Hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis
Damaged Skin
Any damage to the skin caused because of a rash, inflammation, or extreme change in temperature can cause numbness or a tingling sensation. Example-frostbite or shingles.
Some other reasons you can experience numbness or tingling sensations can be:
Insect, tick, mites, spider bites
Seafood toxins
Radiation therapies
Medications like chemotherapy
Deficiency in vitamin B like B1, B6, B12, and Folic acid
Abnormal levels of sodium, potassium, and calcium in the body
Injuries, such as from playing sports or having a car accident
In extreme cases, such numbness and tingling sensation can indicate a serious medical condition if such feelings are accompanied by the following additional symptoms:
Feelings of weakness and severe pain
Slurred speech
Vision problems
Lack of control over bladder and bowel movements
Inability to move or walk
Injury to the head, neck, or back
Confusion or inability to think clearly
Loss of consciousness, even when it is for a short time
Dizziness, a muscle spasm, or an unexplained rash
Diagnosing Numbness and Tingling Sensations
To accurately diagnose the underlying reason behind the numbness and tingling sensation, your doctor would look at your medical history and consider if you have had any recent-
Infections
Injuries
Vaccinations
Your doctor shall conduct a physical exam and order specific tests like:
Complete blood count
Vitamin level test
Thyroid count test
Nerve conduction tests
Toxicology tests
Depending on your symptoms, your doctor can also order specific imaging tests like:
X-Ray
CT Scan
MRI
Ultrasound
Angiography of your arteries
What are the treatments for numbness and tingling sensations?
The treatment for numbness and tingling sensation would depend on the underlying conditions that have caused the issue. For instance, if you are experiencing discomfort because of carpal tunnel syndrome or back pain, your doctor will treat the disease by showing you some gentle exercises.
When the numbness and tingling sensation occurs because of a specific medical condition, treating the medical issue is needed to treat the physical discomfort fully.
Depending on your symptoms, your doctor can treat the numbness and tingling sensation using the following treatments:
Gentle exercises
Vitamin supplements
Topical remedies like creams and ointments
Wearing splints or braces
Lifestyle changes like modifying your diet
As numbness can cause a decrease in feeling in the affected area, take precautions while being near extremely hot objects as you might get burned if not careful. Also, exercise caution while dealing with sharp objects till the condition has been treated.
How can a chiropractor help with numbness and tingling?
Unpleasant sensations like numbness and tingling sensations in the hands and feet often arise because of pressured or injured nerves.
Chiropractic Care
As chiropractic care deals explicitly with the issues of the central nervous systems, you need to consult a well-known chiropractor to solve the underlying problem and correct such uncomfortable sensations.
Misalignment of the spine can lead to pinched nerves, carpal tunnel syndrome, and migraine issues, all of which can cause numbness and tingling sensation in your body. Such misalignment can cause nerve interferences that obstruct blood flow and affects communication between the brain and the rest of the body, causing nerve sensations.
Exercises and Home Remedies
In addition, your chiropractor can recommend specific exercises and home remedies in the form of the application of ice to resolve your condition.
If you feel numbness or tingling sensation in your hands and feet, the best course of action you can take is to consult a highly experienced chiropractor.
Spinal Adjustments and Manipulations
A chiropractor can use specific techniques to make adjustments to the spine to correct the misalignments while reducing nerve interference. Spinal manipulation can be used to resolve bulging discs and misaligned joints can be adjusted to relieve pressured nerves.
While making the spinal adjustments, the chiropractor applies gentle force to the areas of the spine to align the vertebrae to their original position. Such chiropractic practices provide instant relief for patients from uncomfortable sensations and provide a sense of calmness.
Realignment of the spine can reduce blockages and open up the blood flow to allow the body to function effectively. Regular and persistent chiropractic practices can cure patients of distressing numbness and tingling sensations and help recover their overall health and wellness.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage can be used to relieve pain and inflammation.
Visit Accident Care Chiropractic if Your Experiencing Tingling Sensations
At Accident Care Chiropractic, we can accurately diagnose the underlying medical issue causing the numbness and tingling feeling and provide the best care to help you make a complete recovery.
Our service area extends to Portland, OR; Vancouver, Salem, Hillsboro, and beyond. So if you are experiencing numbness or tingling sensation in any area of your body, including your hands and feet, reach out to us today to schedule a consultation!
