Tingles

Tingles and numbness are common sensations that we all feel on a sporadic basis. Tingles often occur in our limbs and especially in hands and feet. There are several different reasons that tingles may sporadically occur in your body.

Remaining seated in one place for a long time (particularly sitting on the floor), injury to your nerves (common in the lower back), pressure on spinal nerves from a herniated disk, lack of circulation and blood supply to an area, abnormal levels of calcium, potassium and sodium. Additional reasons are medical and the tingles may be associated with certain types of medication and radiation therapy. Other medical conditions that cause the tingles are carpel tunnel syndrome, migraines, diabetes, seizures, stroke, multiple sclerosis, transient ischemic attack (TIA) and underactive thyroid.

The tingles usually aren't anything to worry about too badly unless they are associated with another medical emergency. For instance, weakness and paralysis may occur with the tingles and you should contact a hospital in this situation. The same is true if you develop the tingles with a head, neck or back injury. Other more extreme medical emergencies involving the tingles are if you cannot control the movement of your arm or leg or you lose bladder and bowel control, you lose consciousness briefly or you develop slurred speech, weakness or difficulty walking. All of these symptoms may mean that the tingles are the result of a much more serious condition.

Less serious conditions involving tingling that you may still want to discuss with a doctor including tingling that has come from nothing obvious like your hand or foot "falling asleep" or if you have pain associated with it in your neck, forearms or fingers. If you have tingling that worsens while you walk or if you develop a rash or other unusual symptoms at the same time.