Have you ever felt like your skin was crawling, or if you’ve ever felt numb or itchy for no apparent cause? You may have had paresthesia.
This sensation is most common in the legs, feet, hands, and arms.
But what is paresthesia? It is a very common concept but many people may not know about it medically. Keep on reading this article to gain more knowledge.
Table of Contents
What is Paresthesia?
It is a condition that almost everyone has occasionally.
When someone oversleeps on their hand or spends too much time sitting with their legs crossed, temporary paresthesia frequently follows.
The persistent pressure on the nerve prevents it from sending impulses, which causes the numb sensation related to a limb “falling asleep.”
The nerve system becomes hyperactive after the block is removed as it is permitted to resume normal operation, which causes unpleasant tingling.
According to the top reviewed Neurosurgeon in Lahore, Dr. Muhammad Yasir Mukhtar “Chronic paresthesia is more difficult to treat. It usually results from neuropathy, or nerve injury, and can be either continuous or intermittent.”
This condition typically shows signs of neuropathy, which is a disorder of the nerves. However, there are a variety of potential paresthesia causes, some of which are more severe than others.
As in the instance of your foot dozing off, paresthesias typically disappear over time. However, if they are brought on by an ongoing medical condition, they could not go away.
Let’s discuss the paresthesia causes, potential meanings, and remedies for paresthesias.
Paresthesia Causes: Why the Numbness Occurs?
Paresthesia typically results from nerve injury or compression (pressure, entrapment).
Paresthesia can be a sign of a wide range of illnesses, ailments, or disorders that harm the nerves.
Any activity that produces sustained pressure on a nerve or group of nerves, such as sitting cross-legged or riding a bicycle far, might result in temporary paresthesia.
Along with mild to severe orthopedic issues, diseases and disorders that harm the neurological system can also cause this.
Paresthesia may occasionally be a sign of a serious or life-threatening disorder that needs to be assessed as quickly as possible in a hospital emergency room.
Causes Due to Orthopedic Problems
Paresthesia can result from mild to severe orthopedic problems that harm or destroy the nerves, such as:
- Neck or back pain
- Fractured bones or an overly tight cast
- Dystrophic disc disease
- Disc herniation
- Nerve compression or entrapment, such as that caused by carpal tunnel syndrome
- Osteoporosis
Causes Due to Neurological Reasons
Several conditions and illnesses that harm the nerves can cause paresthesia, including:
- Alcoholism
- Venous malformation arteries (tangled knot of arteries and veins that presses against the spinal cord)
- Brain cancer
- Diabetic nerve injury
- Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain due to a viral or bacterial infection)
- Lead poisoning and other heavy metal poisoning
- Multiple sclerosis (a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord)
- Radicular neuropathy (a disorder of the peripheral nerves from your spinal cord)
- Long after the skin rash has disappeared, shingles (Varicella zoster) can still result in chronic pain or numbness.
- Tumor or spinal cord injury
- Stroke
What are the Symptoms of Paresthesia?
Any area of the body can have paresthesia, although it most frequently impacts the hands, arms, legs and feet.
It could be short-lived or persistent. The symptoms of paresthesia include numbness, weakness, tingling, burning and cold.
Having chronic paresthesia might hurt like a stabbing. This could cause the affected limb to become clumsy.
It might be challenging to walk when paresthesia affects your legs and feet.
Who is at Risk for Paresthesia?
Paresthesia can happen to anybody at any time. With age, your chance of developing radiculopathy rises. You can also be more vulnerable to paresthesia if you:
- perform repetitive movements that repeatedly compress your nerves, such as typing, playing an instrument, or playing a sport such as tennis
- Nutritional deficiencies, particularly vitamin B-12 and folate deficits
- An autoimmune disease, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or a neurological illness like multiple sclerosis
How is Paresthesia Diagnosed?
If you experience prolonged paresthesia without a clear cause, consult a doctor.
Be ready to discuss your medical background. Mention any repeated movement-intensive activities you engage in. List any prescription or over-the-counter medications you take as well.
Your doctor will take into account any existing medical conditions you may have while making a diagnosis. For instance, if you have diabetes, your doctor will want to find out if you have neuropathy or damage to the nerves.
Your doctor will likely do a thorough physical examination. A neurological examination will probably be part of this as well. They may be able to rule out some conditions with the use of blood testing and other laboratory procedures, such a spinal tap.
Imaging tests like X-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans may be advised if your doctor suspects you have a neck or spine issue.
Depending on the findings, they might suggest that you see a neurologist, orthopedist, or endocrinologist.
Treatment Options!
According to the top reviewed Orthopedic Surgeon in Lahore, Dr. Abubakar Atiq Durrani “The underlying cause of paresthesia will determine the course of treatment. The main problem will typically be successfully treated, which will also alleviate any paresthesia-related subsequent symptoms.”
When you walk around or change positions, temporary paresthesia brought on by prolonged sitting or sleeping in an uncomfortable position usually goes away.
Treatment for Orthopedic Paresthesia Causes
Treatment options for paresthesia brought on by an injury or orthopedic issue include:
Braces or Splints
To stabilize and momentarily immobilize a strain or sprain that is causing numbness, use braces or splints.
Long-term Immobilization
Long-term immobilization is necessary to allow neck or spinal fractures—which could cause paresthesia—to heal.
Medications
Medications, such as cortisone injections, can treat the numbness brought on by herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, or other diseases that cause nerve compression.
Physical Therapy and Exercise
Exercise and physical therapy can help to build muscles and alleviate symptoms, such as paresthesia, brought on by a herniated disc, osteoporosis, or damage to the bones and muscles.
Surgery
Surgery to treat severe pain and numbness brought on by nerve compression and entrapment, such as carpal tunnel release or spinal fusion.
Treatment for Neurological Paresthesia Causes
Paresthesia could be a sign of a severe neurological disorder. These underlying disorders may be treated by doctors using the following methods:
Alcohol Abuse Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation for alcohol misuse is used to address alcohol addiction, which can result in alcoholic neuropathy, a side effect of alcohol consumption that causes nerve damage.
Increase your knowledge on how to protect your loved ones from drug abuse and addiction.
Brain Tumors Treatment
Treatment for brain tumors that may be causing paresthesia symptoms may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or targeted therapy.
Diabetes Management
Diabetic neuropathy is a consequence of diabetes that damages nerves, most frequently in the legs and feet. Diabetic neuropathy can be treated and managed using diet, exercise, insulin, medications, and weight loss to stop it from progressing.
Medications
Medication, such as those first prescribed for depression or stroke that seeks to restore the balance of the brain’s pain-signaling network.
Surgery
Surgery to treat or prevent stroke, which can result in paresthesia and other nerve problems, such as aneurysm repair or carotid endarterectomy.
Vitamin B12 Supplementation
To treat numbness brought on by a vitamin B12 deficiency, take vitamin B12 tablets.
This may be the outcome of pernicious anemia, a disorder in which the body is unable to properly absorb vitamin B12, resulting in an abnormally low production of red blood cells and potential neurological damage.
Read more about the importance of vitamin B12 for your health.
What is the Outlook for Paresthesia?
Temporary paresthesia typically goes away in a short period of time.
If those unusual sensations don’t go away or return too frequently, you may have chronic paresthesia.
If the symptoms are severe, it may make daily tasks more difficult. Finding the root of the problem is crucial, for this reason. If necessary, don’t be afraid to get a second opinion or consult an expert.
The underlying cause determines how severe and how long-lasting chronic paresthesia will be. Sometimes, addressing the underlying issue resolves the issue.
In order to change your treatment plan, let your doctor know if your current course of treatment isn’t working.
A Last Word!
Depending on what is causing the symptoms, a person with paresthesia may or may not have a good prognosis. Most of the time, a pinched nerve that lasts only a short while doesn’t result in permanent harm.
However, if the pinched nerve persists, it may cause irreparable harm, chronic pain, and loss of function and sensation.
Surgery could be required to solve an issue in some instances where medical care and therapy have failed.
If you are concerned about occasional paresthesia, make sure to consult a well-known neurologist via Healthwire’s platform, to satisfy your queries.
