What Causes Tingling Hands & Feet? Here's the answer

Tingling or paresthesia is a sensation of numbness or numbness that is often experienced by many people. Generally, this condition occurs as a result of sitting or sleeping for too long and often targets the hands and feet. In general, tingling and numbness are generally not dangerous cases. However, that doesn't mean you can ignore this condition.

Because, the condition of tingling can also be an indication of various health problems. Especially if the pins and needles are chronic, or prolonged. Therefore, know what causes tingling hands and feet.

Causes of Frequent Tingling

Based on its duration, pins and needles are divided into two types, namely temporary and prolonged. Temporary paresthesias are often caused by pressure on a nerve or poor circulation over a short period of time. This condition can occur when a person falls asleep on their hands or sits with their legs crossed for too long.

Meanwhile, chronic paresthesia may be a sign of nerve damage. The two types of nerve damage are radiculopathy and neuropathy. The following describes the two types of nerve damage:

1. Radiculopathy

Radiculopathy is a condition when the nerve roots are compressed, irritated, or inflamed. This condition can occur when a person has:

Hernia nucleus pulposus (HNP) or herniated disc that presses on and pinches nerves.

narrowing of the canal that transmits nerves from the spinal cord to the extremities or limbs.

A radiculopathy that affects the lower back is a lumbar radiculopathy. Lumbar radiculopathy can cause paresthesias in the legs or feet. In more severe cases, compression of the sciatic nerve can occur and can cause leg weakness. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve that starts in the lower spinal cord.

Meanwhile, another type of radiculopathy, namely cervical radiculopathy, involves the nerves that provide sensation and strength to the arm. If a person has cervical radiculopathy, they may experience:

• Chronic neck pain.
• Paresthesia or tingling of the upper extremities.
• Arm weakness.
• Hand weakness.

2. Neuropathy

Neuropathy occurs due to chronic nerve damage. The most common cause of neuropathy is hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. Other possible causes of neuropathy include:

• Trauma or hard impact.
• Repetitive motion injuries.
• Have an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Have a neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis.
• Have kidney disease or liver disease.
• Having a stroke.
• Have a tumor in the brain or near a nerve.
• Have a bone marrow or connective tissue disorder.
• Hypothyroidism
• Deficiency or deficiency of vitamins B-1, B-6, B-12, E, or niacin.
• Excessive intake of vitamin D.

In addition, several other conditions can also be a cause of neuropathy, namely:

• Infections, such as Lyme disease, shingles, or HIV.
• Use of certain drugs, such as chemotherapy drugs.
• Exposure to toxic substances, such as chemicals or heavy metals.
• Nerve damage can eventually lead to permanent numbness or paralysis.
• Insect or animal bites.

Factors That Can Also Increase the Risk of Tingling

Anyone can experience paresthesias or tingling sensations. The risk of radiculopathy may increase with age. In addition, you may also be more prone to pins and needles if:

• Performing repetitive movements that repeatedly put pressure on the nerves, such as typing, playing a musical instrument, or playing sports such as tennis
• Drinking a lot and eating a bad diet leads to a deficiency in vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12 and folate.
• Have type 1 or 2 diabetes.
• Have an autoimmune condition.
• Have a neurological condition, such as multiple sclerosis.
• Have a habit of consuming alcoholic beverages and eating patterns that are not balanced. This is because this has a high risk of causing vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamin B12 and folic acid.

How to find out the cause of tingling?

If you often experience pins and needles for a long time, you should immediately check your condition with a neurologist. The goal is that the doctor can immediately do the treatment from the start, if the tingling is related to the underlying condition. In the act of diagnosing pins and needles, the doctor will conduct medical interviews regarding medical history and ask about what activities the sufferer is doing.

In addition, it is also important for people with pins and needles to tell their doctor what over-the-counter or prescription drugs they are taking. The doctor will then consider known health conditions to help with the diagnosis. For example, if you have diabetes, your doctor will look to see if you have nerve damage, or neuropathy.

Furthermore, the doctor may also do a complete physical examination. this examination may also include a neurological or nerve examination. To support this examination, blood tests and other laboratory tests such as a spinal tap test can also be done by the doctor.

However, if your doctor suspects a problem with your neck or spine, they may recommend imaging tests. For example, such as CT scans, MRI scans, or X-rays.

Depending on the results, they may refer a person experiencing pins and needles to a specialist, such as a neurologist, orthopedist, or endocrinologist.

Treatment that can be done

Treatment for tingling will depend on the cause of the paresthesia. For example, if you have a repetitive motion injury, some lifestyle adjustments or physical therapy may address the problem.

Meanwhile, in cases of chronic pins and needles, paresthesia symptoms cannot go away on their own. If they go away, the symptoms may reappear soon. As a result, this condition can interfere with daily activities. Therefore, it is important to find out the root cause.

Can Tingling Be Prevented?

You can't always prevent paresthesia or tingling. However, you can reduce the frequency of its appearance. Here are a number of ways you can do this:

• Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages. If you decide to consume it, know the safe limits of alcoholic beverages.
• Stop smoking habit.
• Eat healthy balanced nutritious food.
• Maintain ideal body weight.
• Avoiding repetitive movements that can put pressure on the nerves.
• Take regular breaks if you frequently do repetitive movements.
• Get up and move around periodically if you've been sitting for long periods of time.
• If you have diabetes or another chronic disease, be sure to regularly check your health. Therefore, monitoring and disease management can reduce the risk of developing chronic paresthesia due to the underlying disease.

Complications Due to Tingling

If you experience numbness and tingling, you may feel a reduced level of sensitivity in the affected area. Because of this, you tend to feel a change in temperature or pain. This means that you can touch something without realizing that it poses a risk to your skin.

Be careful because this condition is quite dangerous. Make sure you take precautions to protect yourself from accidental burns and injuries from pins and needles.

Can Tingling Be a Sign of a Stroke?

Many people often question whether tingling hands are a sign of a stroke or not. In fact, tingling in the feet or hands can be one of the symptoms of a mild stroke.

Usually pins and needles due to stroke occurs due to blockages in blood vessels in the brain, which result in local nerve damage. Not only pins and needles, there are other stroke symptoms that you also need to watch out for, namely:

• Numbness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially one side.
• Disorientation or confusion.
• Difficulty speaking.
• Difficulty understanding.
• Blurred vision. Apart from being an indication of a stroke, this condition can also be a symptom of a corneal ulcer.
• Difficulty walking
• Dizzy.
• Lose balance.
• Loss of coordination.

These symptoms usually last a few minutes or less than 24 hours.