How dangerous are goosebumps? For what reasons do they arise? Will treatment be required or can the matter be left to chance? Tingling in the legs and a feeling of coldness in the fingers are medically called acroparesthesia. Doctors have not yet determined the exact cause of this phenomenon, but there are some factors that provoke the feeling of goosebumps running down the leg. Only a doctor can determine whether it is worth starting drug treatment or whether it is enough to change your lifestyle. These can be both relatively harmless consequences of incorrect actions, and the first symptoms of a serious illness.
It would seem that the feeling of goosebumps is quite common. But is it so harmless?
What is acroparesthesia
The cells of our body are controlled by the nervous system and the cerebral cortex. Moreover, a person is not able to influence the ancient control mechanism (nervous system). Orders from the spinal cord/brain are transmitted through nerve fibers (a kind of branched electrical circuit in our body). When any part of this electrical network experiences external pressure (for example, an uncomfortable posture, prolonged immobility, injury, bruise, fracture) or is affected from the inside by a disease, the signals do not pass through. The nerve receives several different signals simultaneously, “loses its head” from overload and uses several commands at once: tingling, burning, numbness, goosebumps, etc. As a result, we have a bunch of unpleasant sensations in the legs or arms.
Acroparesthesia is a special case of paresthesia, a sensitivity disorder. This symptom is characterized by a feeling of sudden numbness and tingling (“needles” in the legs and arms), sometimes there is a burning sensation in the legs, and the sensitivity of the skin is slightly reduced. Experts say that such symptoms are most often observed in women, especially those who are exposed to cold for a long time or rapid changes in temperature (cold water when washing or other work-related reasons) and during pregnancy.
What happens with acroparesthesia
This symptom creates a whole bunch of unpleasant sensations:
- tingling in the legs and arms (the notorious goosebumps) is concentrated in the elbow (ulnar nerve) and in the lower extremities, but is not accompanied by paralysis or complete loss of sensation;
- the skin turns slightly pale due to insufficient blood flow;
- The sensitivity of the limbs may slightly decrease (if the loss of sensitivity is complete, then this is a symptom of serious problems);
- the feeling as if there are goosebumps or pins and needles in the legs, which occurs during long periods of immobility, quickly passes with the start of movement.
Unpleasant sensations go away while moving
Sometimes a dull, pressing pain may occur. Initially, problems arise in one or several fingers, sometimes even in individual phalanges. Over time, the discomfort spreads further. Some people experience goosebumps often, others less often, but, as a rule, they occur at night or in the morning. Sometimes the cause of such symptoms is a temperature change (including taking a bath that is too hot) or exposure to cold.
Causes of tingling in the legs
Physiological factors
Tingling sensations bother a person when wearing tight or ill-fitting shoes.
The feet are constantly pinched, blood circulation in them worsens, which is manifested by tingling and discomfort when walking. The symptom is observed even at rest, and after removing uncomfortable shoes, the feeling of tingling or crawling persists for several hours. Similar signs occur in women who often wear narrow shoes with stiletto heels. The second common reason is staying on your feet for a long time. At the end of the day, salespeople, waiters, and hairdressers usually experience stabbing discomfort in the calf muscles and feet, which is caused by fatigue. The symptoms are complemented by severe heaviness and pain while walking; the person complains that his legs “hum.” Tingling and other unpleasant sensations disappear only after a long rest.
Restless legs syndrome
This disease is characterized by painful tingling, numbness, itching and a crawling sensation on the skin. Symptoms occur mainly at night, as a result of which the person constantly wakes up and cannot rest properly. At first, the stabbing sensations are localized in the shin area and are asymmetrical in nature. Gradually the process spreads to the hips and feet.
A person suffering from restless legs syndrome does not experience pain, but various paresthesias are painful for him. To relieve tingling and discomfort, patients move their legs, bending them, turning them and shaking them. At the onset of the disease, symptoms appear 15-30 minutes after going to bed and do not last long. Gradually, the duration of discomfort increases, it occurs even during the day.
Polyneuropathy
Damage to the nerve endings initially manifests itself as symmetrical discomfort and “sock-like” tingling. Gradually, the symptoms give way to pain in the feet or a progressive decrease in tactile and pain sensitivity. Stitching sensations spread upward to the legs and thighs. Symptoms occur with metabolic polyneuropathies (diabetic, uremic, hepatic), toxic damage to peripheral nerves.
Tingling in the legs
Radiculitis
With a pathological process in the lumbosacral spine, patients usually experience tingling and paresthesia in the legs. Symptoms are most intense in the area of the buttocks and thighs. It is complemented by sharp “shots” of pain, which are provoked by awkward movements, turns and bends of the torso. Due to severe pain, patients walk slightly bent and the back muscles are constantly tense.
Anemia
Anemia is accompanied by coldness, tingling and heaviness in the legs. Symptoms occur with any type of pathology, but paresthesia and discomfort in the lower extremities are more specific for B12 deficiency and folate deficiency anemia. Patients are also concerned about general symptoms: weakness and increased fatigue, shortness of breath during exercise, pallor and dry skin.
Vascular lesions
The most common cause of tingling in the legs in older people is atherosclerosis obliterans. At first, the discomfort affects only the feet. Patients notice slight numbness, goosebumps, and minor stabbing pains. Gradually, discomfort spreads to the calf muscles. In addition to tingling, a painful burning sensation of the skin and sharp pain when walking long distances develop (intermittent claudication).
In addition to sensory disorders, patients notice dryness and flaking of the skin, hair loss. The clinical picture is complemented by a change in the color of the skin of the legs: at first it turns pale and becomes ivory, and as the process progresses it turns purple or bluish. If left untreated, the tissues are affected by trophic ulcers and gangrene.
A more rare cause of leg discomfort is thromboangiitis obliterans (Winiwarter-Buerger disease). With this disease, patients feel tingling and increased sensitivity of the feet to cold, pain in the calves when walking for a long time. Discomfort in the legs increases when wearing tight shoes and hypothermia. In the later stages of thromboangiitis, stabbing or burning pain is constantly felt.
How to respond to tingling and numbness in your limbs
The temporary sensation of goosebumps, which occurs as a result of an uncomfortable posture, exposure to temperature, or an excited state, does not go beyond the normal limits and disappears after removing the irritating factor. It’s enough just to change your position, warm your hands or feet and stop being nervous.
Gentle physical activity will help in the fight against numbness of the limbs
The same applies to phenomena caused by injuries or fractures. As a rule, after some time after removing the cast, the discomfort goes away on its own. A healthy young body recovers quite quickly, and if the fracture occurs against the background of serious chronic diseases, then it may take a much longer period to fully restore the functions of the nerve endings after removing the plaster. As a treatment in such cases, manual therapy, dosed exercise, and physiotherapy are recommended (with the permission of the attending physician!).
Asymmetrical problem
Some people experience numbness and tingling in only one limb. Most often, complaints arise of tingling in the left leg, while the right one feels normal. This condition may be associated with osteochondrosis of various parts of the spine (most often the lumbar) or be a consequence of damage to the intervertebral discs. Sometimes similar symptoms appear as a result of varicose veins, tunnel syndrome, or thrombosis. All of these diseases somehow affect the blood flow or nerve endings in the legs.
Unpleasant sensations in the legs may indicate problems with blood vessels
If goosebumps are associated with problems of the nervous system, then the person experiences the following difficulties:
- slight lameness in the left leg;
- when sitting, tingling or numbness appears in the entire left leg or just in the foot;
- numbness can affect the left lower leg, thigh, area above or below the knee;
- pain in the lower back, sacral spine or buttock muscles.
Tingling and pins and needles in the toes of the left foot can be caused by compression of the nerves at the level of the ankle, slightly above the knee joint, in the buttocks area. The appearance of an intervertebral hernia in the lumbar region is fraught with pinching of the nerve roots, which results in unpleasant sensations of weak legs, weakness or even pain.
Treatment
Help before diagnosis
To prevent episodes of tingling feet, you need to choose shoes that fit well and are comfortable. For comfortable wearing of high-heeled shoes and boots, women are recommended to buy special insoles. To reduce discomfort after a long day on your feet, take a warm bath (possibly with essential oils) and lightly massage your feet and calves.
To improve blood circulation and innervation of the lower extremities, regular walking at a slow pace is suitable. Be sure to choose comfortable sneakers or boots, do not overexert yourself or try to walk at too fast a pace. To eliminate the tingling sensation inherent in restless legs syndrome, patients are advised to give up alcohol and caffeine, take walks before bed, and develop their own sleep ritual.
Conservative therapy
Treatment of tingling that occurs against the background of obliterating diseases of the lower extremities includes antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants and antispasmodics. The drugs improve blood supply to the distal parts of the legs, relieve discomfort and pain, and reduce the tingling sensation associated with walking. Targeted delivery of drugs by subcutaneous or intravenous injections is practiced.
Treatment for restless legs syndrome or polyneuropathy includes psychotropic medications. To relieve painful symptoms, herbal sedatives, benzodiazepine anticonvulsants, antidepressants and antipsychotics are prescribed. If tingling interferes with sleep, modern sleeping pills are indicated. A course of B vitamins helps improve neuromuscular transmission.
To eliminate paresthesia, physiotherapeutic techniques are widely used. When drugs are administered locally using electrophoresis or phonophoresis, pain and tingling disappear faster. Exposure to UHF or magnetic waves improves blood supply and has a trophic and anti-inflammatory effect. For vascular disorders, hyperbaric oxygenation, balneological procedures, and ozone therapy are used.