Numbness can be caused by poor circulation, nerve injury, medical treatments, and serious health conditions. Changing positions can relieve occasional numbness, while medical treatment may be needed for more severe cases. Heart attacks and strokes can also cause numbness, requiring immediate emergency care.
Numbness, or paresthesia, is a marked decrease or loss of sensation in the skin often accompanied by a tingling sensation in the nerve endings. Among the many causes of numbness are poor circulation, standing or sitting in one position for long periods of time, pressure or injury to the nerves in the back of the neck and extremities, and serious health conditions such as stroke and heart attacks. Numbness can also be caused by some medical treatments themselves, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and some drug and alcohol treatments.
In most cases, the occasional numbness can be attributed to physical pressure on an area of the body. This numbness can be relieved by simply changing positions and moving more often. It is common for people to experience numbness from sitting or standing at work for long periods of time, or from crossing their legs while sitting. This numbness is sometimes referred to as a “falling asleep” of a limb, although in reality it is a temporary loss of blood supply. Getting up to stretch or change positions will generally restore sensation within minutes.
Other causes of numbness can include past injury to the bones, ligaments, and nerves of the back, spine, neck, and extremities. This is common when someone suffers a serious physical accident, such as a car accident or sports injury. It’s also common to develop numbness from repetitive use of the hands, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome. The numbness of this strain can often be managed with a careful course of medical treatment, which may include muscle relaxers, massage, exercise, and physical therapy. Additionally, chiropractic care has been shown to reduce numbness when other treatments don’t work well. More severe cases can be corrected with surgery.
Numbness can also be caused by cancer treatment and vitamin deficiencies. A doctor can suggest treatments to relieve numbness symptoms on an individual basis. In some cases, however, the causes of numbness are difficult to treat and patients may have to learn to live with this uncomfortable feeling for long periods of time. This is especially true for patients undergoing radiation therapy, receiving medical treatment for a drug or alcohol problem, or suffering injuries too severe for surgery and medication.
More serious causes of numbness include a heart attack or stroke. This type of numbness generally starts on one side of the body, then quickly radiates to the other side of the body as the nervous system tries to protect vital organs. Patients experiencing this type of numbness should seek immediate emergency care. Numbness caused by a stroke can persist for many months and even years after this incident.
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