Enduring numbness and tingling in your body is uncomfortable, and it can also leave you concerned about your health. Numbness, or paresthesia, is usually a sign of a problem with nerves in the body, and is the result of various causes ranging in severity. Numbness and tingling can affect any area of the body, but is more common in areas that are prone to “falling asleep” like arms and legs.
Carrying the effects of numbness and tingling with you while you manage your daily life can feel inhibiting, but there are resources and treatment methods out there that can help you bring a sense of normalcy back into your routine.
There are licensed chiropractors, physical therapists, and pain treatment experts at Optimum Health Rehab in Buford to assist you in treating your numbness and tingling. These care specialists are skilled, experienced, and standing by to help you get started. The team at Optimum Health has years of familiarity with cases of numbing and tingling and is equipped to provide aid and relief with comprehensive diagnostics, widely utilized treatment methods, and innovative medical technology. Take control of your health with the resources available from our local team of professionals. To speak with a trusted member of our team, contact us online or call (678) 714-3053.
When Do I See a Doctor for Numbness and Tingling?
Numbness and tingling are typically temporary sensations and can go away on their own. In some instances, it may be easy to ignore these sensations and forget about the problem area altogether, but there are some cases in which it is essential that you visit an emergency care specialist or your primary care physician. Any time numbness and tingling occur without an obvious cause, like posture or firm seating, it can indicate serious problems with circulation and/or nerve functioning.
A doctor can perform a number of tests to nail down the root cause of your persistent or recurring numbness and tingling. If your doctor suspects you have central nervous system damage, a head injury, or may be exhibiting early signs of a stroke, you will likely go through a CT or MRI scan.
A visit with your doctor can provide you with resources to manage the uncomfortable sensation, offer peace of mind, and provide an avenue toward relief.
It is beneficial to know what doctor to see for numbness and tingling. In most cases, your primary care doctor will be able to personalize your analysis and treatment because of the previously established rapport, but emergency care may be crucial in some situations. In many cases where root causes aren’t clear or invasive surgery is the only recommended cure, it can be beneficial to work with alternative care specialists, including neurologists and chiropractors.
Lots of things can cause numbness and tingling, but it is important to seek medical attention in these situations:
- The numbness or tingling sensation came on abruptly
- You have very recently experienced a head injury
- The entirety of your limb (arm, leg, abdomen) is numb or tingling
- The numbness is accompanied by swelling or discoloration in the limb
If you are experiencing the following symptoms in addition to numbness and tingling, immediately seek medical care:
- Inability to move
- Extreme weakness
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Sudden headache
- Slurred speech or difficulty speaking
- Trouble swallowing and chewing
- Trouble going to the bathroom
Buford Numbness and Tingling Treatment Options
There is a creative variety of ways to solve numbness and tingling, such as creams, supplements, and exercise. Physical therapy, organized as part of a treatment plan by a licensed physician or chiropractor, is among the most common methods of productively treating numbness and tingling. The job of a chiropractic specialist is to manually manipulate the musculoskeletal structure and restore proper alignment, reducing pressure on nerves while improving function and mobility.
Optimum Health Rehab offers comprehensive treatment from chiropractic care and massage therapy to physical and regenerative medicine. Our licensed specialists are also equipped to handle personal injury and physical rehabilitation cases.
To treat the sensations of numbness and tingling, it is imperative that the root of the symptoms is treated and not simply covered up. As previously mentioned, numbness in the most common regions (arms, legs, hands, and feet) is typically caused by an abnormality in the nerves around the neck and spinal cord. Optimum’s rehabilitation center focuses on fully diagnosing and addressing the root cause of your condition with treatments for issues in the neck and back.
Numbness/tingling is a specialized area of practice that our team is prepared to treat, helping you restore normal functioning in many instances while building a foundation for wellness that can carry you into a healthier future.
What Doctor to See for Numbness and Tingling
To treat the symptom, it is imperative to first identify what is causing it. While there are an endless amount of causes for paresthesia, conducting diagnostics can be a simpler process with less variety.
Your primary healthcare provider may be able to identify paresthesia. They may however, also refer you to a neurologist for a more definitive diagnosis.
There are a few main testing methods that can help a medical professional effectively determine your diagnosis, such as:
- Blood testing: A nurse will take a sample of blood for a doctor to look for signs of deficiencies or abnormalities. This is typically one of the first tests your doctor will run.
- Imaging testing: X-rays, Ct scans, or MRIs can help your doctor better assess anything affecting your nerves and spinal cord. These scans are useful for identifying anything from a herniated disc to auto-immune disorders like MS.
- Nerve conduction velocity test: Also known as Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS), this test involves electrodes being placed over nerves which are then studied along with the muscles in place. The objective of this test is to track how the nerve signal is transmitted.
- Electromyography: EMG is used to diagnose some injuries and conditions that affect skeletal muscles and their associated nerves. This involves a small needle being inserted into the muscle to record electrical activity as the muscle rests and contracts.
What Causes Numbness and Tingling?
There are many causes for numbness and tingling. Many of the reasons are mostly harmless, like sitting on your legs for too long or sleeping on your arm. Others indicate serious issues, such as nerve impingement or a compressed spinal disc.
It would be impossible to list every cause for numbness and tingling, but this list of 9 categories comprises some of the most common reasons people experience it.
Peripheral Neuropathy
This term umbrellas many conditions that involve damage to the peripheral nervous system. This delicate system is responsible for communication between your central nervous system and the rest of your body. It is estimated that around 20 million people in the U.S. live with some form of peripheral neuropathy.
Low Vitamin Levels
Insufficient levels of vitamins like B1, B6, B12, folic acid, potassium, calcium, or sodium can cause dysfunctions in the body’s vital systems, potentially leading to symptoms like numbness or tingling. Your doctor can take a blood test to check for low vitamin levels. Other symptoms of low vitamin levels would include dizziness, low energy, and odd cravings. You can record your dietary habits and refer to a nutritionist or dietician to assess if nutritional imbalances are a likely possibility.
Injury
Many types of injuries can leave the victim with numbness or tingling. Any injury that reaches and affects nerves can cause this reaction. A neck injury can affect many areas of not only your neck but also your spine and arms. Injuries to your lower back can affect that area along with your hips and legs. Physical rehabilitation or chiropractic care specialists can help relieve injury-related paresthesia.
Certain Medication
Medication for a wide range of conditions, including medicines used to treat auto-immune diseases, cancers, and seizures, can cause paresthesia. Before trying any new medication, consult with your doctor about the potential side effects. If you are on any medication and suddenly begin to experience a numb or tingling sensation, call your doctor to discuss the most productive next steps.
Pressure on Spinal Nerves
Excessive pressure on the nerves of your spine can result in things like herniated discs or pinched nerves. Both conditions can cause numb or tingling sensations. This pressure causes said nerves to swell and can restrict or fully block blood flow. Massage therapy and chiropractic care are commonly used effective methods to treat both of these conditions.
Multiple Sclerosis
We all have a protective coating on our nerves, known as myelin, which allows electrical impulses to be transmitted fast and efficiently. Myelin is damaged in people with Multiple Sclerosis due to auto-immune attacks on the nervous system. Said attacks create lesions that can cause extreme pain or numbness, depending on the location.
Certain Infections
It is common for certain viruses or infections to cause numbness or tingling. These symptoms can be a result of HIV, Epstein-Barr, Hepatitis B and C, shingles, and more. To rule out infection, you want to look for any abnormalities in your urine, stool, behavior, diet, and sleep schedule. Irregular-colored urine (dark or unusual color), blood in stool, or unprovoked changes in behavior are symptoms that should be brought up with your doctor.
Animal Bites
Some animal or insect bites can lead to numb or tingling feelings. The symptom could result from damage to the nerves as well as toxins and infectious pathogens. This is a serious symptom that should be addressed by your doctor, along with coldness or a change of color around the afflicted area.
Certain Toxins
Most commonly, mercury poisoning from something as commonly consumed as fish can cause paresthesia. Lead, arsenic, and thallium poisoning in respective doses are all other toxins that are known to result in numbness or tingling as a side effect. Other symptoms may include coughing, trouble breathing, nausea or vomiting, a change in behavior, bleeding or swollen gums, fatigue, and a faint taste of metal.
Care, Comfort, and Relief With Optimum Health Rehab
Managing and trying to ignore your body’s abnormal sensations can be exhausting and overwhelming, but the extensive treatment options available make relief one step away.
Optimum Health in Buford offers numbness and tingling treatment to comprehensively care for many causes of this uncomfortable sensation.
A skilled chiropractor and care team from Optimum will work with you to personalize a course of action that seeks to reverse symptoms of numbness and tingling. Our staff is committed to providing aid to each patient that we see and is dedicated to their long-term wellness.
To get in touch with a trusted member of our team, contact us online or call (678) 714-3053.