Body numbness facts

Sitting in one position for too long may cause numbness in one part or complete body. It is very common to feel numbness of the fingers, hands, arms or legs. This is nothing you should be worried about, but in some cases numbness in the body may indicate serious medical problem.

In some cases, it is best to seek for some medical assistance. These include: numbness followed by weakness and/or paralysis, head, neck or back injury-provoked numbness and skin rash associated with numbness. If the numbness affects your fingers, forearms or your neck visit your doctor. Frequent urination and numbness should be reported to your doctor. Consult your doctor in situations where you can’t find any explanation for the numbness or your symptoms suddenly become worse.

What Can Cause Body Numbness?

As already stated in the article, sitting or standing in one position for long can numb your body. Lack of vitamin B12 can also cause numbness, as well as some drugs and radiation therapy.

Infection with herpes zoster (shingles) may also be the reason to feel as if some parts of the body are numb. If the blood supply was cut for some reason from the part of the body, patients usually experience this as the numbness of that specific area. Different nerve injuries could lead to numbness in the surrounding area or in some other parts of the body connected to the nerve.

Pressure on the spinal nerves or some peripheral nerves are known to lead to numbness. If your body becomes numb in the sleep or the situation worsens at nighttime, you might be dealing with peripheral neuropathy. Consummation of tobacco, alcohol or lead can provoke nerve damage and cause tingling and numbness of the body. Carpal tunnel syndrome is yet another explanation of the numb sensation in the body and it has been found to be very common in pregnant women.

Numbness can also be caused by certain health problems of the patient. Diabetes, underactive thyroid gland or multiple sclerosis (MS) are some of the conditions associated with numbness in the body. Another thing you should be aware of is possibility that numbness in the left or right side of the body can be a sign of stroke.

Numbness Treatment

Discovering the exact cause of the problem is the first step and your doctor may need several tests and exams to diagnose the root cause of your numbness. After proper diagnosis, he or she will recommend treatment options for your case.

Vitamin deficiencies are usually treated with some supplements. Since numbness can also be side effect of certain medications, doctor will advise quitting those drugs. Diabetes patients must control their blood glucose level carefully, in order to avoid numbness and all other health complications.