Are you worried about your Numbness?
Nerve damage is the most likely cause of numbness. Our nervous system is divided into two areas, a central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord and a peripheral nervous system comprised of a series of branches that spread out through our bodies reaching into the limbs. The symptoms or areas affected by numbness will depends upon which nerve you have damaged and whether it affects a single branch, multiple branches, or the entire body. There are a wide variety of possible causes ranging from brain and nervous system conditions such as herniated disc, spinal cord injury and stroke, to trauma or repetitive strain injuries like carpel tunnel syndrome and frostbite, to chronic conditions like diabetes, even infectious diseases such as syphilis could be the culprit.
If your symptoms are mild or appear related to the side effects of medications, or cold weather or repetitive actions like using a computer for long periods or construction work, particularly using machines that vibrate strongly, it will be possible to try to reverse the numbness you are experiencing. Look at the list below for some helpful tips to relieve your symptoms.
- If you are performing repetitive tasks, it is important to take regular breaks
- Take over the counter pain killers like paracetamol or ibuprofen
- Wear suitable clothing, try to keep your hands and feet warm in cold weather
Numbness is a common symptom that can apply to a very wide range of different conditions. If it is affecting your quality or life or causing you significant worry or discomfort you should consider making an appointment with your doctor, who will take a detailed history, examine the affected area, and possibly perform various tests to arriving at the correct diagnosis. If you are unsure if you require a simple consultation with your GP or immediate emergency medical care, please refer to the lists below for additional guidance.
Seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of the symptoms below
- The onset of your symptoms is sudden or acute
- You experience numbness following a recent head injury
- If you experience numbness that covers an entire limb
- If your numbness is accompanied by additional symptoms such as, weakness and paralysis, confusion, difficulty talking, dizziness or sudden and severe headache
Book a consultation with your GP if you have any of the symptoms below
- Your numbness appears gradually, over time
- The numbness has affected both sides of your body
- The loss of sensation is intermittent
- If your numbness is because of a repetitive action or task
- The numbness is confined to a small area such as fingers or toes
Here at VIDA we have expert clinicians on hand to help diagnose and treat your condition. To find out more about these services, we recommend visiting the following pages:
- Acoustic neuroma
- Alcohol use disorder
- Amyloidosis
- Brachial plexus injury
- Brain aneurysm
- Brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation)
- Brain tumor
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- Diabetes
- Fabry's disease
- Frostbite
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Herniated disk
- Leprosy
- Lyme disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system
- Peripheral nerve injuries
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Porphyria
- Raynaud's disease
- Shingles
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Spinal cord injury
- Spinal cord tumor
- Stroke
- Syphilis
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Transverse myelitis
- Vasculitis
- Vitamin B-12 deficiency