- Frequent numbness in arms and legs - causes
- What diseases does frequent numbness of arms and legs indicate?
- Frequent numbness of arms and legs and neurological diseases
- Numbness of hands during pregnancy
Frequent numbness in the arms and legs can be caused by a variety of reasons. Typically, the characteristic tingling sensation appears in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. The constant pressure on the nerves and blood vessels in the legs causes the appearance of "ants", which disappear when you change position. However, numbness in the limbs can also be one of the symptoms of the disease. Find out what causes the frequent numbness of the arms and legs and what disease it may be a symptom of.
Frequent numbness in the arms and legsis a loss of feeling due to disturbances in the blood supply or pressure on the nerves. These symptoms may be accompanied by burning or even pain in the arms and legs. Usually, people who lead a sedentary lifestyle complain about "ants", and long sitting in one position hinders the blood supply to the limbs (especially the legs). However, sometimes frequent numbness in the arms and legs may indicate a medical condition. Find out what are thecausesof frequent numbness of the cancer and legs.
Frequent numbness in arms and legs - causes
Frequent numbness of arms and legs in he althy people may be the result of improper diet. Tingling and numbness in the limbs may be a symptom of a deficiency of B vitamins (which are important for the proper functioning of the nervous system), as well as magnesium and calcium. Then there are also muscle tremors or painful leg cramps that often wake up from sleep. In order to get rid of these troublesome ailments, you should supplement your diet with food products rich in these nutrients. At the same time, you need to limit the consumption of coffee and strong tea, which "flush" vitamins and minerals from the body.
Numbness in the limbs may be caused by sitting in the same position for a long time. Usually there is a characteristic tingling sensation. In such a situation, it is enough to straighten the limb and raise it above the level of the heart to restore proper blood circulation.
Numbness may also occur in the event of nerve conduction damage as a result of exposure to intense thermal stimuli, e.g. burns, frostbite.
What diseases does frequent numbness of arms and legs indicate?
- Dyskopatia
Nerves from different levels of the spine are responsible for the innervation of the arms and legs. If there are degenerative changes in the vertebrae, and consequently to the wrong onenerve conduction, limb numbness may appear. Degenerative changes in the lumbar and sacral spine cause numbness of the feet, and changes in the cervical vertebrae cause numbness in the hands.
The reason for these ailments may also be herniated discs, i.e. disk. Too much pressure from the vertebrae may bulge the fibrous ring surrounding the nucleus pulposus. As a consequence, the nerves coming out of the spinal cord or the spine in the cervical vertebrae are put under pressure, resulting in numbness in the hands.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
Working long at the computer and the associated unnatural flexing of the hands can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, which is manifested by sharp pain in the wrist and numbness in the hands.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
The symptoms of RA are pain and swelling in the joints of the arms and legs, the characteristic morning stiffness in the joints, as well as muscle aches and, in the initial stage of the disease, numbness in the hands.
- Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the destruction of articular cartilage and, consequently, the destruction of the entire joint tissue. Osteoarthritis most often affects the hip, knee and spine, but it can affect virtually any joint, including those in the arms and legs.
- Lesions in the skeletal system
- bone cancer-pressure on the nerve, caused by a growing tumor in the area, may cause numbness in the limbs;
- Paget's disease - an infection or a defective gene prevents proper bone growth and development. If such changes are observed in the area of the spine, muscle pains, joint pains and numbness in the limbs appear.
- Cardiovascular diseases
The essence of this ailment is a disturbance in the blood supply to the extremities. Therefore, its cause may be numerous irregularities in the functioning of the circulatory system:
- heart attack - if numbness of only the left hand is accompanied by short-term heart pain (specifically, stabbing retrosternal pain), it may mean an impending heart attack;
- peripheral blood vessel disease is a disease in which the blood vessels in the legs are narrowed, restricting blood flow. The reason for this isatherosclerosis . Fat plaques in the blood vessels reduce blood flow to the legs, which results in numbness;
- A seizure of transient cerebral ischemia (TIA) is characterizedshort-term (lasting less than 24 hours) occurrence of symptoms of brain damage due to transient ischemia of the nervous tissue of the brain;
- systemic vasculitis is a disease in which the walls of blood vessels become damaged as a result of an inflammatory process. Vascular damage can lead to thromboembolic disorders, which can manifest itself, inter alia, in numbness in the limbs.
- Brain Disorders
- ischemic stroke may be indicated by simultaneous numbness in the arm of the leg on only one side of the body; - brain tumor - a developing tumor may compress the spinal nerves, causing numbness in the limbs; - meningitis.
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome, also known as acute inflammatory polyneuropathy, is a disease of the peripheral nervous system. As a result of nerve conduction disturbance, the feet and hands become numb, which gradually covers more and more areas of the body. Later, you can observe a weakening of the muscles of the limbs, which is manifested, for example, by difficulty climbing stairs, standing on your toes, clenching your hands and raising your hands. IMPORTANT! The onset of disease symptoms is often preceded by an infection of the upper respiratory tract or the digestive system.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
It is a disease that leads to an inflammatory process in many tissues and organs. If the disease affects the brain and nervous system, they usually appear, inter alia, headaches, numbness and pain in the arms and legs, seizures.
- Lead poisoning
Nerve conduction damage from exposure to toxic substances such as lead can cause limb numbness.
- Malabsorption Syndrome
Deficiency of B vitamins may result not only from improper diet, but also from diseases that prevent proper absorption (e.g. celiac disease).
Frequent numbness of arms and legs and neurological diseases
Multiple Sclerosis
Numbness and trembling of the hands in young people can be caused by multiple sclerosis.
Epilepsy
In the course of epilepsy, the so-called focal (partial) seizures, which include convulsions in the arm and a feeling of numbness.
Paresthesia
Paresthesia, also known as misguided sensation, is the sensation of tingling, numbness in the limbs. Sensory disturbance is most often caused by damage to peripheral nerves. Paresthesia can also manifest as a feeling of feeling cold or hot on the skin.
Neurosis
Numbness in the arms and legs may be caused by a nervous state of nervousness. This type of stimulation of the central nervous system "transmits" to other organs, which may be manifested by numbness or trembling in the limbs.
Migraine
The most common symptom of migraine is numbness in parts of the face, but sometimes there is also a tingling sensation in the hands.
Neuropathy
Inflammation of the peripheral nerves disrupts the transmission of motor and sensory information along the nerve fibers, resulting in pain, numbness, tingling or a burning sensation in the limbs .Depending on the causes of nerve damage, we can distinguish neuropathy:
- drug-induced - nerve damage can be caused by drugs such as: e.g. isoniazid, nitrofurantoin, anti-cancer drugs;
- alcoholic-most alcoholics suffer nerve damage, resulting in numbness in the lower limbs;
- diabetic neuropathy -is a complication of diabetes, as a result of which the nerve endings are destroyed .The first symptoms of the disease are tingling in the feet and hands and reduced sensitivity to temperature. A little later, numbness appears, as well as the alternating sensation of cold or hot.
Another cause of limb numbness may beleprosy- an infectious disease of the skin and nerves. It occurs mainly in underdeveloped countries. Infection occurs through prolonged and direct contact with a sick person, and one of the early symptoms is numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
Numbness of hands during pregnancy
Numbness in the handsin womenpregnantcan be caused by hormonal changes that lead to water retention in the body. There is swelling in the wrist joint capsule, through which numerous nerves pass. This puts pressure on individual nerves, which is manifested in a feeling of numbness in the hand.