Numbness / Tingling Legs
Temporary leg numbness can happen for many reasons, from a herniated disc to crossing your legs too much. Alternatively, chronic leg numbness could be a sign of something more serious that involves your venous system.
You can get numbness in your leg from nearly a dozen things. Among the most common causes of leg numbness are poor posture, spinal stenosis, sciatica, fibromyalgia, diabetes, injury, multiple sclerosis, and even alcohol abuse.
You could have a problem with your blood vessels if you’re experiencing ongoing leg numbness without an easily known cause.
Two primary conditions can affect leg sensations: Venous Insufficiency and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).
Venous Insufficiency, Peripheral Artery Disease, and Leg Numbness
Let’s break down the leg numbness conundrum, step by step.
Blood vessels in your legs work hard. Taking blood back to your heart requires them to fight gravity and distance. Those tiny valves in your veins stop blood from spilling backward as the blood flows through them. Having these valves fail can cause blood to have a harder time going up, which can cause spider veins and varicose veins, as well as leg cramps and numbness.
One of the side effects of varicose veins is numbness, which is often accompanied by symptoms like aching, burning, and pressure. It’s alarming when your limbs go numb, and it can make your pain worse. Legs and feet with poor circulation can get varicose veins.
Because of poor blood flow, legs and feet suffer from oxygen deprivation when their nerves and tissues aren’t getting enough blood flow. Oxygen deprivation can cause numbness and tingling. Your brain gets confused when one of your sensory nerves is compressed from a cramped position. As soon as the pressure’s gone, the nerve starts working again, which results in the uncomfortable (and sometimes painful) pins and needles feeling. In addition to decreasing oxygen in your extremities, varicose veins can pinch or press on your sensory nerves. Because of this, you may feel numb and tingly.
When it comes to PAD, patients suffer from numbness in their limbs because of poor blood flow caused by narrow arteries. You can’t deliver oxygen-rich blood to your legs because you have atherosclerosis (fat deposits in your arteries).
Leg Numbness: What to Do and How to Fix It
Our first priority in treating your leg numbness is figuring out whether your blood circulation is damaged. We do this through a number of tests, a review of your symptoms, and advanced tools, such as a nerve conduction velocity/electromyography (NCV/EMG) test or an ultrasound, which helps us gain a better idea of what’s actually happening.
Within 10 minutes, ultrasounds create images of the inside of the body. With this pain-free, non-invasive test, you can identify the source of leg numbness. With the help of a gel, sonographers move the device over the target area. The tissues and organs in your body bounce sound waves. The reflected sound waves then show on a computer screen as clear images. A doctor will use an ultrasound to determine why you are experiencing a numb feeling in your legs.
Our goal is to restore feeling to your legs by looking at your vascular problems. We usually start small with life changes and medications, but if your numbness continues, we may recommend something more aggressive.
The minimally invasive techniques we offer are vein ablation, massage therapy, and acupuncture therapy. One can get rid of numbness with these outpatient procedures by directing your blood to healthy vessels and tackling the affected veins.
We still want you to do your part, so follow our tips and make some life changes, like getting more exercise, wearing compression socks, and spending less time sitting.
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Wellness and Pain is Here to Help
An expert should properly diagnose and treat leg numbness. Whether you’re experiencing numbness or pain, or a related feeling, Wellness and Pain can help. If it’s affecting your life, contact us or come see us right away. Your situation can be diagnosed easily with an ultrasound, and treatments can then be offered according to your situation. Living a more active life will make you feel better and put you on the course to better health.
Treatments for Numbness or Tingling Legs
Physical therapy
Physical therapy
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Vein Ablation
Vein Ablation
Vessel ablation – formally known as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) – is a minimally invasive and ...
Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy
Pain including Muscle Tension, Back and Shoulder pain, Repetitive stress injuries, Headaches, Neck p...
Acupuncture Therapy
Acupuncture Therapy
A traditional Chinese medicine technique that is used to stimulate energy flow and promote healing. ...
Chiropractic Services
Chiropractic Services
Flexion-distraction therapy is a specific gentle technique performed on a segmented table that moves...