Tingling and numbness in the limbs are symptoms that should not be underestimated

by Shirley Marie Bradby

October 08, 2019

Tingling and numbness in the limbs are symptoms that should not be underestimated
Advertisement

It can sometimes happen when you wake up, but also during the day, to feel tingling or numbness in your limbs, but also in other areas of the body.

In most cases, these are trivial circulation problems or a temporary situation produced due to prolonged sitting or lying in a particular position.

However, when these symptoms occur very often or do not disappear after a few hours, it is better not to neglect them but to investigate the situation.

Let's look at the possible reasons, keeping in mind that the information reported in this article is informative and does not replace the opinion of a doctor and that for any doubts, it is always better to consult a specialist.

via Healthline

Pexels

Pexels

The temporary or prolonged insensitivity of an area of ​​the body is usually caused by poor blood supply to the affected area or by compression/dysfunction of the localized nerve endings.

At the origin of this condition, there may be negligible disturbances or instead very serious pathologies, so it is better to never ignore these signals because they can also be alarm bells indicating major problems.

Diabetes, hypothyroidism, and rheumatoid arthritis can also be manifested with numbness in the limbs, skin or areas of the face. This is due to nerve damage and the swelling and degeneration of tissue following the deterioration caused by these diseases.

One person in 500 may also be affected by a particular condition known as "cervical rib syndrome", which causes an extra spur to develop on the seventh cervical vertebra which compresses the blood vessels producing the sensation of numbness or tingling in the hands.

This numbness can also be generated by pathologies such as cervical osteochondrosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, brachial plexus neuralgia or venous thrombosis.

When the condition of numbness and tingling happens suddenly and also affects the face, it could be a transienischemic attack (TIA) aka stroke.

Advertisement
Anatomography/Wikimedia

Anatomography/Wikimedia

In situations where the numbness is mild and is caused by a trivial nerve compression or circulatory failure, one can try to improve things by adopting some strategies. The first thing to do is change your shoes; then you can change your posture and then perform some very helpful movements.

  • In the case of sciatica, it can be helpful to lie on the floor, remaining on your side, bringing your knees close to your chest and then stretching them out;
  • In the case of carpal tunnel, use a clamp between the thumb and the forefinger or use a rubber stress ball that is not too hard;
  • In case of cervical stiffness, you can relieve this discomfort by lying on the floor with your legs crossed, tilt the head to the right and to the left maintaining the position on each side for a few seconds.

Zephyris/Wikimedia

Zephyris/Wikimedia

As already mentioned, before undertaking any treatment, including physical exercises, it is always advisable to consult your doctor, to understand the real problem and all its manifestations.

Advertisement