434. Numbness and Tingling

Numbness   and   Tingling

Causes

There are many possible causes of numbness and tingling:

• Sitting or standing in the same position for a long time
• Injuring a nerve (a neck injury may cause you to feel numbness anywhere along your arm or hand, while a low back injury can cause numbness or tingling down the back of your leg)
• Pressure on the nerves of the spine, such as from a herniated disk
• Pressure on peripheral nerves from enlarged blood vessels, tumors, scar tissue, or infection
• Shingles or herpes zoster infection
• Lack of blood supply to an area (for example, from atherosclerosis or frostbite)
• Other medical conditions, including:

1] Carpal tunnel syndrome (pressure on a nerve at the wrist)

2] Diabetes

3] Migraines               

4] Multiple sclerosis               

5] Seizures      

6] Stroke

7] Transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a "mini-stroke"

8] Underactive thyroid

Raynaud's phenomenon

1] Abnormal levels of calcium, potassium, or sodium in your body  

2] A lack of vitamin B12 or other vitamin                 

3] Use of certain medications            

4] Nerve damage due to lead, alcohol, or tobacco    

5] Radiation therapy              

6] Animal bites

7] Insect, tick, mite, and spider bites                         

8] Seafood toxins

Home Care

Your doctor should find and treat the cause of your numbness or tingling. Treating the condition may make the symptoms go away or stop them from getting worse. For example, if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or low back pain, your doctor may recommend certain exercises.
If you have diabetes, your doctor will discuss ways to control your blood sugar levels.
Low levels of vitamins will be treated with vitamin supplements.
Medications that cause numbness or tingling may need to be switched or changed. Do not change or stop taking any of your medicines or take large doses of any vitamins or supplements until you have talked with your doctor.
Because numbness can cause a decrease in feeling, you may be more likely to accidentally injure a numb hand or foot. Take care to protect the area from cuts, bumps, bruises, burns, or other injuries.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Go to a hospital or call your local emergency number if:

·         You have weakness or are unable to move (paralysis), along with numbness or tingling

·         Numbness or tingling occur just after a head, neck, or back injury

·         You cannot control the movement of an arm or a leg or you have lost bladder or bowel control

·         You are confused or have lost consciousness, even briefly

·         You have slurred speech, a change in vision, difficulty walking, or weakness

Call your doctor if:

• Numbness or tingling has no obvious cause (like a hand or foot "falling asleep")
• You have pain in your neck, forearm, or fingers
• You are urinating more often
• Numbness or tingling is in your legs and gets worse when you walk
• You have a rash
• You have dizziness, muscle spasm, or other unusual symptoms

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

Your health care provider will take a medical history and perform a physical examination, carefully checking your nervous system.
Medical history questions may include:

·         What part or parts of your body have numbness or tingling? The trunk? Your legs or feet? Your arms, hands, or fingers?

·         Which side of your body is involved?

·         Which area of that body part? For example, is your inner thigh, calf, or foot affected? Your palm, fingers, thumb, wrist, or forearm?

·         Does the numbness or tingling affect your face? Around your eyes? Your cheeks? Around your mouth? Is one or both sides of your face involved?

·         Does the part of your body with numbness or tingling change colors? Does it feel cold or warm?

·         Do you have other abnormal sensations?

·         Do you ignore everything on the affected side?

·         How long have you had the numbness or tingling?

·         When did it start?

·         Does anything make it worse, such as exercise or standing for long periods of time?

·         Do you have any other symptoms?

Your doctor may also ask you questions to determine your risk for stroke, thyroid disease, or diabetes, as well as questions about your work habits and medications.

Blood tests may include:

1] Complete blood count ( CBC)                  

2] Thyroid function tests

3] Measurement of vitamin levels                  

4] Heavy metal or toxicology screening

5] Electrolyte level (measurement of body chemicals and minerals)

Imaging tests may include:

1] Angiogram (a test that uses x-rays and a special dye to see inside the blood vessels)

2] CT angiogram                                

3] CT scan of the head           

4] CT scan of the spine

5] MRI of the head                

6] MRI of the spine               

7] Vascular ultrasound

8] X-ray of the affected area 

9] Ultrasound of neck vessels to determine your risk for TIA or stroke

Other tests that may be done include:

• Electromyography and nerve conduction studies to measure how your muscles respond to nerve stimulation
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to rule out central nervous system disorders
• Cold stimulation test may be done to check for Raynaud's phenomenon

Alternative Names

1] Sensory loss;          

2] Paresthesias;           

3] Tingling and numbness;     

4] Loss of sensation

How to Cure Numbness in Your Feet & Toes

Numbness in your feet and toes can be caused by many different conditions and is often accompanied by a tingling feeling.
Numbness can be as uncomplicated as your foot going to sleep or as serious as diabetes or multiple sclerosis.
It is necessary to address numbness in your feet and toes not only because it can affect your ability to walk, but it can also be a symptom of a much more serious condition.
Utilize these tips to cure numbness in your feet and toes.

Steps

# First determine when and where you first discovered the numbness.

1 Did the numbness occur soon after a change in any medication?

2  Was it after a fall or head, spine or back injury?

3   Have you been checked for diabetes?

4  Exactly where is the numbness?

5. How long has the numbness lasted?

6  Is the numbness complete ?

7 Refrain from wearing shoes that do not fit well. High heels or shoes that pinch the toes can cause numbness. Insert insoles into shoes that you cannot bear to get rid of if they are uncomfortable.

8  Avoid high impact exercises if they cause numbness in your feet and toes.

9  Lose weight to reduce numbness in your feet and toes. Extra pounds and obesity can contribute to numbness in your feet and toes.

10  Change positions if you notice your feet or toes going numb. Sitting cross-legged or with your legs crossed for extended periods of time can cause feet and toes to go numb. Changing positions allows circulation to return to pinched off arteries and blood vessels

11  Wear compression hose or socks to increase feeling in toes and feet. Compression hose and socks help stimulate circulation, which can decrease numbness.

12  Massage your feet and toes when numbness occurs. Rubbing can create increased circulation, which can lessen numbness.

13 Elevate your feet and toes to avoid numbness. Elevation of your limbs provides for more blood circulation and helps to reduce swelling, which can help to deter numbness from occurring.

 14  Take medicine that can work to reduce swelling. Swelling can cause numbness. Medications to try include acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

15  Reduce your alcohol consumption. Alcohol can increase numbing sensations to limbs, including feet and toes. Reducing your regular intake of alcohol can help to deter numbness.

16  Warm your feet with a heated blanket or heating pad. Exposure to the cold can cause numbness and tingling. Warm your feet to get rid of numbness.

17  Consult a doctor to diagnose repeated and prolonged numbness in feet and toes. A number of conditions can cause numbness.

Test for arthritis. Arthritis can cause numbness, along with pain, to joints in your feet and toes.

Check for diabetes. Ask your doctor to test you for diabetes. Diabetes often causes numbness and other complications in the feet.

Determine if your numbness is related to pregnancy. Pregnancy often causes swelling of the feet and toes, which can cause numbness.

Look for signs of poor circulation. Poor circulation often causes numbness in various extremities, including the feet and toes.

Consider the possibility of multiple sclerosis. One of the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis is numbness of the hands or feet.

Identify an injury. Injuries to the feet, toes or ankles can cause numbness to occur. A doctor can diagnose an injury and treat it to relieve numbness.

Visit with a chiropractor. Various injuries or trauma to the back and neck can cause numbness in the feet and toes. A chiropractor can make adjustments to your body to get rid of the injury and the numbness.

Personal Care Chiropractic Clinic: Leg Pain or Numbness/Tingling

Leg pain or numbness/tingling is usually the result of either nerve pressure or compromised blood flow somewhere between the low back and the feet. When a nerve is pinched it will usually result in shooting pain that travels down the leg. Often times it feels as though the pain wraps over the leg. This usually occurs down one leg but may occur in both. Nerve pressure may also result in a painful ache in part of the leg or sensations of numbness and tingling. When blood flow to the leg is compromised the result is usually numbness or tingling that may effect the whole leg or foot. These symptoms in the legs and feet may be alleviated by a change in position. The most common causes of nerve pressure or blood flow compromise to the leg include:
1. Bulging or herniated disc
2. Foraminal encroachment (narrowing of the holes where the nerves exit the spine)
3. Peripheral entrapment (pressure on the nerve or blood vessels away from the spine)
Leg pain, numbness or tingling can be very serious and should not be left untreated. Delay of care can result in permanent damage. Dr. Thiry has extensive knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of leg pain and numbness/tingling.
 1. Bulging/Herniated Disc- is a condition where the soft inner portion of a disc bulges out the side or rear of the disc. A disc is the soft tissue that acts as a shock absorber and spacer between the vertebrae in the spine. When the disc becomes damaged or weak the soft center can push to the outer edges of the disc creating a bulge. In the more severe cases the disc may rupture allowing small pieces of disc that break free. The most common cause of disc herniation is the result of improper lifting, but may also occur in a spine with degenerative arthritis and weakened discs.
Symptoms- Include low back pain, stiffness, restricted movement, pain into the hip, pain into the leg, pain into the feet, numbness/tingling in the legs or feet, weakness in the legs or feet. These symptoms may be constant, or the may be present with certain positions or activities. Often the pain, weakness, or numbness/tingling are located in specific sections of the leg or foot, but rarely may consume the whole leg or foot at once.
Treatment- Dr. Thiry uses an extensive spinal and neurologic examination to determine the location of the damaged disc in the low back. In some case x-rays and MRI may be needed to further evaluate the extent of damage. If it is determined the disc and related symptoms will be helped with chiropractic treatment, Dr. Thiry will use his years of experience to determine the proper course of care. This treatment may include chiropractic treatment, lumbar traction, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, heat or ice therapy, as well as stretching and strengthening exercises. In some cases the patient may need to be referred to another health care professional for additional care.
The Benefits of having the proper care is faster pain relief, expedited reduction of other symptoms and a reduced risk of having chronic symptoms lasting a lifetime.
 2. Forminal Encrochment- is a condition where the holes on the sides of the spine become narrow or smaller and put pressure on the nerves which pass through them. The nerve pressure may occur with certain head positions or movements. The most common cause of foramina encroachment is spinal degenerative changes which leads to loss of disc height and bone spurs that protrude into the foramen. Both result in narrowing of the hole and potential nerve pressure.
Symptoms- Include low back pain, stiffness, restricted movement, pain into the hip, pain into the leg, pain into the feet, numbness/tingling in the legs or feet, weakness in the legs or feet. These symptoms may be constant, or the may be present with certain positions or activities. Often the pain, weakness, or numbness/tingling are located in specific sections of the leg or foot, but rarely may consume the whole leg or foot at once.
Treatment- Dr. Thiry uses an extensive spinal and neuroligic examination to determine the location of the foramial narrowing. In some case x-rays and MRI may be indicated to further evaluate the extent of damage. If it is determined the condition can be helped with chiropractic treatment Dr. Thiry will use his years of experience to determine the proper course of care. This treatment may include chiropractic adjustments, lumbar traction, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, heat or ice therapy, as well as stretching and strengthening exercises. In some cases the damage is to severe and the patient may need to be referred to another health care professional for additional care.
The Benefits of having the proper care is faster pain relief, expedited reduction of other symptoms and a reduced risk of having chronic symptoms lasting a lifetime.
 3. Peripheral Entrampent- is a condition where the nerves or blood vessels are pinched or pressured in an area away from the spine. This may include the hips and pelvis, muscles in the pelvis and legs, the path through the knee or the ankle. When the muscles in the hips pelvis or legs become tight or inflamed it may lead to pressure on the nerves or blood vessels that pass through them. The bones in the hips, pelvis, knee or ankle may be misaligned resulting in less space for the nerves or vessels to pass. Inflammation in these joints may also lead to nerve of blood vessel pressure.
Symptoms- often include pain or numbness and tingling into the legs and feet. Often symptoms will increase with certain positions or activities. These symptoms may also be relieved by certain positions. When the nerve is compromised symptoms usually are in specific parts of the legs or feet. When the blood vessels are pressured the symptoms often affect the whole arm or hand.
Treatment- Dr. Thiry uses an extensive low back, hip, pelvis, leg and foot examination to determine the location of the nerve or blood flow disturbance. Occasionally an x-ray or MRI may be indicated. If it is determined the condition can be helped with chiropractic treatment Dr. Thiry will use his years of experience to determine the proper course of care. This treatment may include chiropractic adjustments, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, massage therapy, Graston therapy, ice or heat therapy, extremity adjustments.
The Benefits of having the proper care is faster pain relief, expedited reduction of other symptoms and a reduced risk of having chronic symptoms lasting a lifetime.

 

CALL FOR YOUR LEG PAIN, NUMBNESS/TINGLING EVALUATION TODAY!
Leg Pain and Numbness: What Might These Symptoms Mean?

Leg pain can range from a mild nuisance that comes and goes, to debilitating pain that makes it difficult to sleep, to walk or engage in simple everyday activities. The pain can take many different forms – some patients describe the pain as aching, searing, throbbing, or burning, and it can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as a pins-and-needles sensation, and/or leg or foot numbness or weakness.
Leg pain may be caused by a problem in the leg, but often it starts with a problem in the lower back, where the sciatic nerve originates, and then travels along the path of the nerve (called sciatica).
For this reason, diagnosis of anyone with leg pain, foot pain, and/or leg or ankle or foot weakness or numbness, should include an examination of the lower back.

Leg Pain Symptoms and Descriptions

Not all leg pain derived from low back problems presents the same way. Leg pain caused by a low back problem is often accompanied by additional symptoms, such as leg numbness or weakness, or foot pain, and the type of leg pain experienced may vary widely from patient to patient.
Some typical descriptions of leg pain and accompanying symptoms include:

Burning pain. Some leg pain sufferers experience a searing pain that at times radiates from the low back or buttocks down the leg, while others complain of intermittent pain that shoots from the lower back down the leg and occasionally into the foot. Words that patients use to describe this type of burning leg pain include radiating, electric or shooting pain that literally feels like a jolt. Unlike many forms of low back pain that can often be a dull ache, for many, leg pain can be excruciating and nearly intolerable. This type of burning pain is fairly typical when a nerve root in the lower spine is irritated, and it is often referred to as sciatica.

Leg numbness or tingling. Anyone who has had a leg or foot ‘fall asleep’ and then gradually return to normal can imagine what numbness in a leg would feel like. Not being able to feel pressure, or hot or cold, is unnerving. Unlike the short-lived numbness of an asleep limb, numbness coming from a low back problem can be nearly continuous and can severely affect a person’s quality of life. For example, it can be difficult or almost impossible to walk or drive a car if one’s leg or foot is numb. Typical symptoms can range from a slight tingling sensation to complete numbness down the leg and into the foot.

Weakness (foot drop) or heaviness. Here, the predominant complaint is that leg weakness or heaviness interferes significantly with movement. People have described a feeling of having to drag their lower leg and foot or being unable to move their leg as quickly and easily as needed while walking or climbing stairs, for example, because of perceived weakness or slow reaction. Patients with foot drop are unable to walk on their heels, flex their ankle, or walk with the usual heel-toe pattern.

Constant pain. This type of pain is normally felt in the buttock area, so it is not technically leg pain but it may accompany some form of pain felt in the legs. It may also be pain that occasionally radiates past the buttock into the leg. This type of pain is usually described as “nerve pain,” versus an aching or throbbing pain. It is typically present only on one side, and is commonly called sciatica or lumbar radiculopathy. It may often be relieved by stretching, walking or other gentle movement.

Positional leg pain. If leg pain dramatically worsens in intensity when sitting, standing or walking, this can indicate a problem with a specific part of the anatomy in the low back. Finding more comfortable positions is usually possible to alleviate the pain. For example, bending over may relieve pain from spinal stenosis, while twisting (as in a golf swing) can

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