Numbness or tingling

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Numbness or tingling

Numbness is the inability to feel normal sensation when your skin is touched. It may feel like the part you touch does not belong to you. Tingling (paresthesia) is a pins-and-needles sensation, like when your foot falls asleep. An occasional, slight tingling in a limb that lasts only briefly is not generally a concern. It is normal to have mild, temporary changes in feeling when you have swelling. Home treatment may help relieve swelling that can cause numbness or tingling.

When numbness or tingling persists or affects both sides of the body, it is a more serious symptom. Numbness or tingling may mean nerves have been injured, stretched, or pinched or that swelling is putting pressure on nerves. This can occur from:

• Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, or peripheral neuropathy.
• Sudden weakness or numbness with a loss of function in one area of the body, which can occur in conditions such as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke, migraine headache, ruptured or herniated disc, or pinched nerve. These conditions need immediate medical evaluation.
• A tumor or infection around the spine (rare).

Numbness and tingling are more serious when:

• You have a complete loss of feeling.
• You have symptoms of impaired blood flow (pale, white, blue, or cold skin).
• Your symptoms don't go away.
• Your symptoms get progressively worse.
• Your symptoms go away but keep coming back.
• You have muscle weakness (not just because of pain).

Credits

Last updated:	August 04, 2008
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer