Are you familiar with the unpleasant sensation of numbness in hands and feet? Do you wonder why this is happening and what it can testify about?
Do you sometimes feel numbness in your feet and hands?
Numbness, or hypoesthesia, is a problem which the residents of megacities often suffer from. It can occur due to poor muscle tone and occur, for example, if you are used to watching TV for a long time before bedtime, or if you fall asleep in an unnatural position. The body finds it difficult to regulate the blood flow in an unnatural position. When pinched by muscles and bones, a nerve is not able to transmit information to the brain. As a result, we lose the ability to feel our feet, hands, i.e. we cannot deliver commands to our limbs.
If numbness occurs rarely, there is nothing to worry about. Everyone can sit in an uncomfortable position and feel numbness. If numbness occurs more frequently, it is necessary to change the rhythm of life – to start doing exercises, to include such activities as hiking, to have a light run or contrast showers, and to start taking group B vitamins. If hypoesthesia begins to disturb you on a regular basis, you will not manage without a visit to the doctor. This may be a sign of problems in the body or a symptom of a serious disease.
Are you pregnant?
Numbness in feet can occur during pregnancy. In this case, there is no reason to feel worried. This may be due to metabolic disorders, the accumulation of water in the tissues or due to extra weight that puts extra pressure on the joints that are not accustomed to it.
Numbness can be a sign of some disease
If you constantly have problems with numbness in hands and feet, you should go through a medical examination.
You should visit a therapist and undergo a general and biochemical analysis of blood.
Visit a vascular surgeon, conduct duplex scanning of arterial blood vessels.
Visit a neurologist and get screened for scoliosis, degenerative disc diseases, hernias or pinched nerves.
Why do you need a medical examination?
The fact is that a serious health problem can hide under the guise of seemingly frivolous problems. Permanent numbness of the left hand may indicate heart problems. Numbness in two limbs and numbness in one side of your body (for example, your left arm and left leg) are also dangerous as they may be symptoms of cerebral blood circulation disorder, which may lead to partial paralysis.
To get rid of numbness in the limbs, it is necessary to cope with a major illness. Here you will need the help of an expert.
Numbness in legs can occur in case of:
osteochondrosis (changes in the spine lead to the spinal nerves being compressed; therefore it is urgently recommended to do sports and go for a massage);
hernia (the treatment usually requires serious measures or even a surgery; in lighter forms special massage and acupuncture therapy are prescribed);
atherosclerosis (it is often caused by bad habits and malnutrition, which you will have to care about);
rheumatoid arthritis (the inflammation of joints occurs when joints are deformed, causing the compression of nerves and leading to numbness);
Raynaud’s disease (a rare and grave disease in which the disorder of blood circulation in the limbs progresses with time and eventually leads to complete atrophy and gangrene; the disease can last for years and almost cannot be treated; prevention includes preventing hypothermia and stresses);
neuropathy (damage to the nerves of limbs).
How to treat numbness?
Treatment at home will facilitate the state if you resort to:
curative gymnastics (as a rule, it is a set of specific exercises recommended by a physician);
contrast baths;
massage.
To prevent numbness, do not forget to give up cigarettes, alcohol and excessive addiction to coffee.
