Have you ever felt that you’ve lost all sensation from one of your limbs? Have you ever experienced pins and needles in your feet or hands when you move? The unusual discomfort you’re feeling is tingling or numbness.
You may experience numbness and tingling in any part of your body, like your hands, feet, arms, and legs. Many things can lead to numbness and tingling in your extremities, ranging from simple things like staying in one position for too long to severe diseases. Chiropractic care is one of the many ways to manage numbness and tingling.
Here are some things you should know about it, its causes, when to get urgent care, and different numbness and tingling chiropractic treatments.
Numbness and Tingling: What Causes Them?
Here are some of the things that may cause numbness and tingling:
Skin Damage
Skin irritation, injury, or rash can also cause tingling and numbness. Shingles and frostbite are two examples of skin conditions that can damage the skin and lead to this discomforting sensation.
Staying In One Position for Too Long
Staying in one position for too long is one of many causes of foot numbness and tingling. Sitting or standing in one place for too long or falling asleep on your arm puts pressure on your nerves. The numbness and tingling it causes usually disappear once you get up and move.
Medications and Treatments
Some medications and treatments can lead to nerve damage, causing numbness and tingling in areas of your body. These include:
- Chemotherapy
- HIV medications
- Anti-infection drugs like metronidazole or dapsone
- Heart or blood pressure drugs like amiodarone and hydralazine
- Anticonvulsants like phenytoin
Vitamin Deficiency
An unhealthy diet or lack of vitamin absorption can lead to vitamin deficiencies. Some vitamins are involved in nerve health. Not having enough of the following will lead to numbness and tingling:
- Vitamin B1, or thiamine
- Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine
- Vitamin B9, or folate
- Vitamin B12, cobalamine
- Vitamin E
Toxic Substances
Neurotoxins are a broad category of substances that damage your nervous system. You may feel tingling in your hands or feet if you get exposed to neurotoxins like:
- Acrylamide, a chemical used in various industries
- Heavy metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic
- Hexacarbons in solvents and glues
- Ethylene glycol, found in antifreeze
Insect or Animal Bites
Some diseases transmitted by insect or animal bites can cause numbness and tingling. One example is Lyme disease, which is transmitted through an infected tick’s bite. The infection can lead to nerve damage and tingling sensations in the extremities if not treated.
Nerve Pressure
A nerve under pressure is another one of many causes of foot numbness and tingling. Some things that may put pressure on a nerve or nerves include:
- Ligaments and surrounding soft tissue
- Inflammation or swelling of the brain or spinal cord
- Enlarged blood vessels
- Infections
- Scar tissue
- Tumors
Medical Conditions
There is a plethora of medical conditions that can cause tingling and numbness. Examples include:
- Stroke
- Migraines
- Ministrokes, or transient ischemic attack
- Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Diabetes
- Seizure disorders
- Atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries
- Raynaud’s phenomenon, which reduces blood flow to extremities like fingers and toes
- Neuropathy, or nerve damage
When To Get Medical Care
Everybody can feel tingling or numbness once in a while, which usually disappears in a few minutes. However, it’s best to consult a doctor when it doesn’t disappear or if the sensation comes with dizziness, muscle spasms, or rashes.
The numbness or tingling you’re feeling may also indicate a severe medical condition or injury that needs urgent medical care. Seek immediate medical attention or have someone call for emergency services if you experience the following:
- Inability to move or walk
- Back, neck, or head injury
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Severe weakness or pain
- Vision problems
- Loss of control over your bladder or bowels
- Slurred speech
Experiencing numbness and tingling after a chiropractic adjustment is also not normal. This might be due to nerve problems that need immediate medical help.
How Can A Chiropractor Help With Numbness and Tingling
Chiropractic care is an excellent way to manage the numbness or tingling you’re experiencing. It’s a holistic approach to improving your overall health and recovery, allowing you to return to your regular way of life. Chiropractic care can help ease your discomfort through:
Personalized Treatment Plans
Chiropractors will ask you about your medical history and any history of numbness. They may also run tests to determine the best treatment plans that suit your condition and needs.
Easing Muscle Tension
Too much pressure on any part of the body can cause tingling and discomfort. Chiropractic procedures can help reduce the pressure on your lower and upper limbs, preventing tingling and numbness.
Holistic and Preventive Care
Chiropractic care is based on the principle that prevention is better than cure, allowing you to focus on your health and wellness. It also doesn’t involve medications and invasive medical procedures like surgery, ensuring natural healing.
Ease Neuropathy
Neuropathy, or nerve damage, is the most common cause of numbness and tingling. Can a chiropractor help with neuropathy? Yes, they can. Doctors of chiropractic for hand and feet numbness or tingling examine the spine, joints, and connective tissues for problems they can treat with manipulation and other methods, providing relief for neuropathy symptoms like numbness.
Numbness and Tingling: Chiropractic Treatments
A doctor of chiropractic for hand and feet numbness or tingling may use any of the following to address the numbness and tingling you’re experiencing:
Acupuncture
This Chinese practice divides the body into several zones and pressure points. They insert needles in these areas to trigger the release of hormones and endorphins, relieving the tingling or numbness you’re feeling.
Spine Alignment
Misalignments in the spine can cause tingling and numbness in any part of your body, affecting the communication between your body and brain. Chiropractors can realign your spine to help improve the function of your nervous system and reduce the numbness in your extremities.
Key Takeaway
Numbness is the temporary loss of sensation in any part of your body, but you’ll mostly feel it in your extremities, like the arms, hands, legs, and feet. Various factors can cause tingling and numbness, like nerve damage, infections, medications, and severe health conditions. Seek immediate medical help if you experience numbness and tingling after a chiropractic adjustment, lose consciousness or control over your bladder and movement, or experience slurred speech, severe pain, or slurred speech. These may be signs of a severe underlying condition that needs immediate treatment.
Keep numbness and tingling away with Advanced Chiropractors Group.
Our affiliate chiropractors in Vail provide various chiropractic treatments that help address the causes of numbness and tingling. They can also answer more in-depth questions like “how can a chiropractor help with neuropathy?” and inquiries about numbness and tingling chiropractic treatments. Call us, and we’ll connect them to you as soon as possible.
