Numbness in the arms and legs: causes and treatment

MAIN CAUSES OF numbness in the extremities:

CARDIOVASCULAR CAUSES. The reason is poor circulation in the limb.
The cause of the disorder may be hypothermia, narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis), thrombosis, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, vascular stenosis. NEUROLOGICAL CAUSES. In cases where there is damage to the nervous system, numbness can occur throughout the body. Serious diseases such as encephalitis, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, myelitis, hypothyroidism destroy the nervous structure, which is why numbness is systemic. In cases where there is damage to the nervous system, numbness can occur throughout the body. Serious diseases such as encephalitis, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, myelitis, hypothyroidism destroy the nervous structure, which is why numbness is systemic.

ORTHOPEDIC REASONS. Loss of sensation in the arms and legs often acts as a concomitant symptom with various diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system.

RADICULITIS. This term refers to compression of the nerve root of the spinal cord. Depending on the location of the pinching, radiculitis can be cervical, thoracic, lumbar and lumbosacral. There is pain in the spine, which radiates to the limbs and is accompanied by a burning and tingling sensation.

TUNNEL SYNDROME. A special case of numbness in the hands. Occurs as a result of compression of the median nerve of the hand. Accompanied by pain in the wrist area.

OSTEOCONDRITIS OF THE SPINE. Degenerative changes in tissues lead to the formation of a hernia, which pinches the nerve endings. This causes numbness in the arms and legs. As a result, there may be a feeling of numbness and tingling in the legs, arms, hands, and feet.

This symptom can occur as part of damage to the nervous and cardiovascular systems of various etiologies. Among the most well-known causes of numbness in the hands are osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, tunnel syndromes, Raynaud's syndrome, neuritis, diabetic, toxic and other neuropathies, neurocirculatory dystonia, as well as more rare conditions - multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis of the vessels of the upper extremities, brain tumors and others diseases. In some cases, numbness and other unpleasant sensations can lead to a significant decrease in the quality of life, in others it can lead to complications such as necrotic changes in tissue (for example, in atherosclerosis), the addition of other symptoms in tumors of the nervous system - serve as a poor prognostic sign.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a chronic degenerative disease that affects the intervertebral discs with their gradual destruction (formation of prolapse, hernial protrusions) and the appearance of a clinical picture of compression, stretching of the spinal roots, spinal cord, as well as reflex irritation of the muscles and ligaments. Numbness in this case is usually observed only on one side (can be provoked by an incorrect position during sleep), as well as other symptoms: headaches, neck muscle tension, radicular pain syndrome. The main diagnostic methods include visualization methods of the cervical spine - radiography, CT and MRI, which make it possible to identify characteristic changes (instability of the affected segment, decreased height of the intervertebral disc, hernias, damage to ligaments and muscles). Treatment is usually symptomatic and includes physical activity, exercise therapy, manual therapy, physiotherapy, painkillers and muscle relaxants during exacerbations; in severe cases, surgical treatment methods are used.

One of the most common tunnel syndromes is compression of the median nerve (carpal tunnel syndrome). The reasons for the development of this neuropathy include factors that lead to a narrowing of the carpal tunnel, in which the median nerve passes. Numbness and unpleasant sensations in the form of tingling and burning are localized in this case in the area of ​​the thumb and index finger on the palm side. The main diagnostic methods include clinical (Tinel test) and electroneuromyography. Treatment can be conservative (using glucocorticosteroids, wearing an orthosis) or surgical - excision of the ligament limiting the canal.

Raynaud's syndrome is a condition that occurs as a result of dysregulation of vascular tone and is accompanied by spastic reactions of the small vessels of the hand in response to physical or emotional influence. The clinical picture is represented by attacks of vascular spasm in the area of ​​1-4 fingers with a characteristic change in the color of the skin (pallor, blueness and redness) with a feeling of numbness and burning. There is both primary Raynaud's syndrome and secondary - against the background of other diseases (scleroderma, SLE, dermatomyositis). Diagnosis is usually based on the characteristic clinical picture. For treatment, drugs are used - calcium antagonists, inhibitors of specific enzymes, prostaglandin analogues, vasodilators.

Late-stage diabetes mellitus can damage nerve fibers, leading to the development of both distal (lower limb) and proximal (upper limb) neuropathy. At the same time, sensitivity decreases, burning sensations, numbness and pain appear, especially at night, and in the future, damage to the motor nerves may occur with a decrease in strength in the limbs and deformation. Diagnosis in the later stages of the disease is usually not difficult and the diagnosis is usually already known to patients. In other cases, to make a diagnosis it is necessary to determine the glucose level, determine the function of internal organs that may be affected by diabetes (kidneys, retina, cardiovascular system), and also conduct electroneuromyography to confirm nerve damage and its severity.

Atherosclerosis of the vessels of the upper extremities at the first stage is manifested by cramps, numbness, burning and coldness of the extremities against the background of exercise, however, as the disease progresses (an increase in the atherosclerotic plaque and an increasing restriction of blood flow through the affected vessel), the symptoms persist at rest, and later without appropriate treatment Necrosis and gangrene of the fingers may occur. In addition to clinical examination, diagnostics includes visualization of blood flow disorders (contrast angiography, ultrasound examination methods). Radical treatment is carried out only by surgical methods (plaque removal, vessel plastic surgery, bypass surgery).

To diagnose and treat numbness in the hands, at the first stage you need to consult a general practitioner, who will help identify additional symptoms and prescribe the necessary examination methods and consultation with other specialists.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF NUMBITY

It is very important for the doctor to know what symptoms accompany the loss of sensitivity, what diseases are present, what is the duration, when it intensifies, whether it was preceded by injury or excessive physical activity, and whether there is back pain. All this information allows the doctor to make a preliminary diagnosis. To confirm it, additional diagnostic measures are prescribed. Treatment for numbness will consist of eliminating the identified cause, for example, straightening pinched nerve roots.

Why do my arms and legs go numb?

To answer this question, it is necessary to undergo a competent and comprehensive diagnosis at the Alan Clinic Center for Neurology and Orthopedics, where an integrated approach is used to identify problems when making a diagnosis.

Research methods applied to our center:

• consultation with a neurologist;
• special neurological tests;
• dynamic active and passive tests;
• special reflex tests;
• assessment of the condition of the musculoskeletal system, posture, gait, uniform distribution of load on joints, range of motion, stability and strength of the joint;
• making and explaining the diagnosis;
• selection of individual complex motivated treatment.

Prescribing examinations if necessary.

If necessary, the doctor may also prescribe:

• MRI;
• Ultrasound;
• X-ray;
• lab tests;
• ENMG;
• VEP;
• puncture and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

When is numbness normal?

Typically, numbness includes a number of features:

• complete loss of skin sensitivity of the limb,

• may sometimes be accompanied by painful hypersensitivity,

• feeling of an arm/leg like cotton wool, not belonging to a specific person and not connected with him,

• motor function is preserved, but significantly impaired (it seems to the person that he controls the limb solely by the power of thought),

• loss of muscle tone, such as the inability to put weight on a numb leg,

• the condition goes away after changing position, when normal blood circulation is restored,

• the appearance of “goosebumps” on the skin when blood again begins to flow into the numb area,

• As blood flow is restored, severe pain and burning may occur, which will subside as soon as circulation in the numb area returns to normal.


What to do if your fingers or toes go numb?

A timely visit to a neurologist will allow you to undergo the necessary diagnostics in time and establish the correct diagnosis. In particular, we are talking about the following procedures:

• general clinical analysis of blood and urine;
• MRI of the brain;
• determination of blood sugar levels;
• ECG.

The cause of severe weakness and numbness in the hands may be one of the following diseases:

• myelitis;
• myopathy;
• polyneuropathy;
• spinal cord tumor;
• herniated disc of the cervical spine.

If you have such symptoms, you will have to undergo the following diagnostics:

• general blood and urine analysis;
• study of the level of CPK in the blood;
• EMG;
• MRI of the cervical spine.

The following problems and diseases can cause weakness and numbness in the legs:

• lack of vitamin B12;
• syringomyelia;
• multiple sclerosis;
• vascular diseases;
• infections;
• various hereditary diseases;
• compression of a spinal cord disc by a tumor or herniation.

As you can see, weakness in the limbs or numbness of the face can be a sign of very serious and dangerous diseases, so you should not put off visiting a neurologist. To do this, you can visit the First Neurology Children's Center, where experienced specialists work who can quickly and accurately determine the causes of health problems.

Diagnosis of numbness, burning, tingling sensations

If a person, at some point, begins to worry, his quality of life deteriorates, he begins to visit doctors of various specialties. And if doctors rule out somatic pathology, then an in-person joint consultation with a psychotherapist and a neurologist is necessary, since these sensations are more common with any disorders of the nervous system.

The sensation of numbness, burning, tingling in various parts of the body is a consequence of disruption of the autonomic nervous system. As a rule, such sensations are quite common in anxiety-neurotic syndromes complicated by autonomic reactions (disruption of higher nervous activity) and various neurological changes. At the biological level, the central nervous system gives the wrong impulse to the peripheral nervous system, and these unpleasant sensations appear, which destabilize the person’s mental state even more. The person begins to worry about what perpetuates this pathological reaction of the nervous system. It turns out to be a “vicious circle”.

Differential diagnosis

Also, numbness and tingling in various parts of the body can be a pathology of sensations in the form of so-called senestopathy. The unpleasant, painful, sometimes unusually painful affective tone of the sensations of senestopathies, as a rule, is consonant with an anxious-depressive mood. These sensations are long-lasting, occur in short bursts and are always difficult for people to bear.

It is very important to note that the occurrence of senestopathies is not associated with local disorders, which can be established by standard diagnostic research methods.

As a rule, at the onset of the disease, with manifestations of senestopathy syndrome, sensations most often have a certain localization and similarity to the manifestations of general somatic diseases. Subsequently, these sensations lose their strict localization, become diffuse, and acquire an unusual, and often pretentious, character.

The above disorders in the form of numbness or tingling in various parts of the body can be symptoms of various mental disorders, ranging from neurotic disorders to severe psychotic illnesses.

If we are talking about an anxiety-neurotic disorder (a breakdown of higher nervous activity), then, as a rule, neuroses are borderline mental states and, with adequate therapy, they are reversible and the prognosis is quite good.

To accurately determine the condition, you need the correct diagnostic basis and consultation with a psychotherapist, who, using the results of the examination, will be able to prescribe treatment; as a rule, complex therapy is needed here:

- medicinal, to restore the biological functions of the brain,

- psychotherapy in order to destroy pathological behavior patterns and recreate healthy ones.

Most often, patients with disruptions of higher nervous activity complain of numbness in the extremities, part of the head (especially the scalp), fingers and toes.

The tingling sensation most often occurs in a less localized area of ​​the body and is described by patients, in most cases, as “tingling here and there.”

Example of patient complaints of tingling sensations and feelings of numbness

Such complaints are the most common in the practice of modern psychotherapists and neurologists.

Male, 35 years old. Married, has a prestigious job, no bad habits. I was examined by almost all doctors and got an appointment with a psychotherapist by accident.

For example, we specifically chose a case that does not have a somatic connotation in the form of the consequences of any diseases, for example, alcoholism, drug addiction, vascular changes, brain injuries, etc.

In this case, the manifestation of the patient’s complaints is based on a disruption of higher nervous activity as a result of high psychophysical stress, since these are the patients who make up the largest number among those seeking medical help with similar symptoms.

The patient had a large folder with him with various studies and test results. He came to the appointment accompanied by his wife, who insisted on his conversation with the doctor. His attitude towards the conversation with the psychotherapist is extremely negative.

“I came to you at the insistence of my wife, although I don’t understand how my goosebumps and lack of sensitivity in the back of my head can be related to psychiatry. I know for sure that I am mentally healthy and I have a certificate from a psychiatrist. I have a driver's license and I have a gun." ...

The patient could not calm down for a long time and did not want to have a constructive conversation with the psychotherapist. But, after some time, the doctor finally convinced him to complain about his condition and together figure out the reasons for the decline in his quality of life.

“It started when I began to feel a tingling and pinching sensation in my arm. At first I thought that I was sleeping incorrectly. Then it began to be felt more and spread to the neck and face. It feels like they are being pricked with small needles. It doesn't hurt, but it's very annoying and distracting. I went to the therapist, donated blood for lipids, coagulation, biochemistry, etc. and everything turned out to be normal, so he sent me to a neurologist.

The neurologist sent me first to an MRI, then to an EEG, CT, and ultrasound. Diagnosed with: polysegmental osteochondrosis, scoliosis, functional instability of the cervical spine, vertebral artery syndrome against the background of polysegmental osteochondrosis, Vertebrogenic dorsalgia, narrowing of the vertebral arteries with insufficiency of blood flow of 60%. He prescribed treatment, which I took for 8 months. The result, if you say that it is zero, then this is not true, because it got worse, which is also a result. During this time, the back of my head began to go numb, and goosebumps spread to my stomach. I quit treatment with this neurologist and went to another one. Another made his own diagnosis (transient ischemic cerebrovascular accident), and the result was the same, I went to another - compression of the left vertebral artery in the precranial segment with a local hemodynamic shift at the level of the Atlanta loop, stenosis less than 50%. Then to another, and another. In total, I visited six neurologists who diagnosed me and treated me, but nothing changed, except that the area of ​​numbness on the back of my head grew, and I no longer felt half of my head, and I began to feel tingling sensations in different places.

I can’t even say where I haven’t felt these tingling and goosebumps. The location could change 2-3 times a day. I was treated by neurologists for more than 2 years.

Then they recommended me to a good cardiologist. And again there were various examinations, diagnoses and treatments: sugar was normal, microelements (magnesium, potassium, calcium) were also normal, vitamins were normal. ECG, 24-hour Holter monitoring, ultrasound, etc. His treatment was as useless as that of others.

I visited an endocrinologist, a nephrologist, and an ophthalmologist; I probably went through all the doctors, leaving only the gynecologist and you. I’m talking to you now. I have been going to doctors for four years now, but there is no improvement. I also saw a psychologist, but I just messed with my brain, but it was of no use. I was already tired of being treated, and none of the treatments helped me. Should I go to the gynecologist now?”

It was a story of treatment and torment of a man. The psychotherapist began to find out the circumstances and possible causes. We will present this story in the abstract.

“Yes, I remember, just before it all started, I was having serious difficulties at work. I had to work almost for days, with great nervous overload. It was not always possible to get enough sleep. That’s when I thought that I was sleeping in an uncomfortable position, and this was making my hand go numb. Then everything returned to normal, but these goosebumps sensations remained. I went to a neurologist, assuming it was nervous, but apparently I was wrong.

Now I am worried about dizziness, almost every day. Not strong, most often mild, a feeling of slight intoxication or slight unreality.

A little, in the evening, my head starts to hurt, it’s hard to focus. Sometimes my wife or child says something, but I cannot understand the meaning of what was said. I seem to understand what they said, but I don’t get the meaning.

Headache - in the form of a hoop, also not severe, appeared quite recently, more with pressure on the right and numbness of the head from behind, from the back of the head, right on half of the head.

From time to time I hear some noise in my ears, sometimes in the left ear, sometimes in the right ear (a week on the left, a week on the right). There is a tingling sensation all over the back, like needles. It feels as if I’ve been sitting or lying down, even though I’m not lying down.

My sleep is a little disturbed. I have trouble falling asleep, I constantly have thoughts, and I wake up before the alarm clock or can’t get up in the morning.

Yes, I get up in the morning without sleep, often during the day I feel exhausted and want to sleep.

We tried to do the massage ourselves, but after it the sensations of numbness and tingling intensified, it was better not to touch it.”

Causes

Many factors cause a person to experience numbness. In addition to a neurological disorder, the causes may also be: uncomfortable posture, medications, toxins, abnormal levels of certain vitamins and minerals, radiation therapy, insect bites, etc. In any case, the treatment of numbness depends directly on getting rid of the factor influencing it appearance.

If the numbness is caused by an injury, then most likely it is due to the influence of damaged tissue on the nerve, for example, they put pressure on it or pinch it. Treatment of numbness in this case is coordinated with the recovery process after injury. Pressure on the nerve also occurs under a number of specific conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tumor, enlarged blood vessels, infection, etc.

Skin rashes (and other skin lesions), frostbite, and herpes zoster may also cause paresthesia as an associated condition.

In all other cases, numbness is a symptom of a disease, including:

• diabetes mellitus,
• Raynaud's syndrome,
• multiple sclerosis,
• atherosclerosis, hypothyroidism,
• autoimmune thyroiditis,
• stroke, etc.

Physical therapy can help a patient cope with the feeling of numbness even if their medical condition cannot be completely cured (for example, diabetes).

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Causes of numbness in the legs (legs, thighs, buttocks) and toes

• Pain in the lower back, buttocks and legs, numbness of the lower back and posterior thigh: lumbar osteochondrosis, listhesis of the lumbar vertebrae, herniated disc, pinched sciatic nerve (sciatica), atherosclerosis of the femoral blood vessels, cauda equina syndrome.

• Numbness with impaired motor function: polyneuropathy, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis.

• Numbness of the feet and legs, pain with muscle tension, difficulty walking, the appearance of swelling and then ulcers: atherosclerosis, obliterating endarteritis (closing of the lumen of the arteries), varicose veins, thrombophelitis, consequences of diabetes mellitus.

• Numb toes: arthritis of the big toe, radiculoneuritis, suspected tumors or tuberculosis of the spine.


How to treat numbness?

All existing treatment methods, both ultra-new and traditional, which the Alan Clinic Center for Neurology and Orthopedics uses in its work, are safe and exclude surgical intervention.

The treatment process is always a comprehensive program with an individual approach to each of our patients. The treatment methods used, consisting mainly of non-drug methods, are acceptable even for the treatment of infants, pregnant and lactating mothers.

We have at our disposal the following methods:

• Manual therapy
• Osteopathy is treatment done by a doctor, with a gentle effect on the musculoskeletal system, nervous and vascular systems, and internal organs.
• Medical massage
• Acupuncture - exposure to biologically active points with microneedles.
• Laser reflexology is a painless effect on reflexogenic zones and points.
• Tsubotherapy is a gentle effect on the reflex points of the body.
• Pharmacopuncture is the introduction of medicinal drugs of natural origin to the source of the problem.
• Plasma therapy is the introduction of the patient’s own purified blood into the site of the disease.
• Isometric kinesiotherapy - individual gymnastic techniques/exercises, according to indications, with elements of joint massage.
• Kinesiotherapy using the Exart installation
• Kinesio taping
• Ozone therapy is treatment with active oxygen.
• Physiotherapy
• Physiotherapy with enzyme preparations
• Medical droppers
• Hirudotherapy - treatment with leeches.
• Botulinum therapy is treatment with botulinum toxin.
• Intra-articular injection of synovial fluid endoprostheses
• Intra-articular blockades

All methods are recognized by official medicine, and doctors using them have appropriate certificates. The decision on the need to use certain medications during the course of treatment is made by the doctor, based on the complexity and severity of the disease, concomitant diseases, as well as the diagnosis.

Causes of numbness of the head, face, lips

• The skin on a certain area of ​​the face goes numb: trigeminal neuralgia, herpes zoster, Bell's palsy (accompanied by pain behind the ears and increased hearing).

• Numbness of the entire head with decreased muscle tone and impaired movement of the muscles of the face and larynx: stroke.

• Numbness of the head: migraine, hypertensive crisis, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors.

• Numbness of the lips and tongue: allergic reaction to foods, consequences of accidental ingestion of chemicals (acid, alkali), injuries and pathologies of jaw development, neuralgia of the glossopharyngeal nerve (with irradiation to the throat and ear), stroke, transient ischemic attack, brain tumor, fungal infections oral cavity, vitamin B12 deficiency (B-deficiency anemia), long-term use of hormonal steroids, active smoking.


When should you see a doctor?

Most often, numbness is a transient and quickly passing condition. However, you should be wary if such sensations are repeated too often (for example, your arm goes numb every night or your leg goes numb every time you sit for a long time) or seem inadequate to the situation (there is no mechanical compression, but there is numbness). In the first case, it may be enough to change uncomfortable furniture to more ergonomic and orthopedic furniture, but it is better to seek advice from a neurologist, since numbness may be a symptom of a serious disease of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.