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Numbness of hands and feet
Many people have experienced hands and feet numbness, some are caused by incorrect postures. However, some numbness of the hands and feet is due to illness.
Numbness and paralysis are two different causes
Paralysis and numbness feeling are very similar, but numbness and paralysis are totally two different symptoms, and they may not appear at the same time. “Numbing" refers to abnormal feelings or slow response to stimuli such as cold, heat, and pain; as for “paralysis", it refers to a sense of weakness, which is a movement problem.
Paralysis of the hands and feet is a very vague description. There are many reasons for the numbness or paralysis of the hands and feet, or the simultaneous appearance of both symptoms. From the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, peripheral nerves to muscles, any part of the entire area have problems may affecting the hands and feet. If the cause is from the motor nerve issue, the patient will experience “paralysis" and weakness; If affect the sensory nerve, there will be “numbness".
Since any part of the cause, from the brain to the muscles, may cause numbness of the hands and feet, doctors need to find out the cause. In addition to the main symptoms of the numbness of the hands and feet, it is necessary to consider the accompanying symptoms to diagnose the possible cause.
Causes of frequent numbness of hands and feet
If the patient suffers from numbness of hands and feet due to brain disease, there may be changes in consciousness, cognitive function abnormalities, visual abnormalities (such as diplopia, visual field defects, etc.), crooked face, slanted mouth, language barriers, unstable walking, and severe headaches. Symptoms such as dizziness and numbness of the hands and feet are usually persistent and obvious. Common causes include stroke or brain tumors. In addition, viral infections, such as enterovirus, herpes virus, or tuberculosis bacteria, may also affect the central nervous system. In addition to weakness in the hands and feet, fever and other infection symptoms may also occur.
If the hands and feet are numb due to spinal cord disease, urination and defecation will be difficult. Due to the small diameter of the spinal cord, numbness and paralysis usually occur at the same time. Causes include degenerative bone spurs, herniated discs or compression caused by tumors, spinal cord inflammation, vitamin B12 deficiency or infection, etc.
If it is caused by peripheral nerve damage, it can be divided into local or systemic peripheral neuropathy. Common local neuropathy includes carpal tunnel syndrome, or sciatic neuropathy. As for the peripheral neuropathy of the whole body, the longer the nerve, the easier it is to cause problems. The lumbar spine to the feet are the longest peripheral nerves in the human body. Therefore, patients often experience numbness from the feet, and it often occurs symmetrically, that is, both feet will have symptoms. The most common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. Other causes of peripheral neuropathy include various autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus, cancer or cancer treatment chemicals or chronic alcoholism.
Many people worry that numbness of hands and feet may be due to stroke or diabetes. In fact, most numbness of hands and feet is benign, but it is clear that numbness of hands and feet is often one of the symptoms of stroke or diabetes. In addition to the path from the brain to the muscles, which leads to numbness of the hands and feet, some patients have numbness of the hands and feet due to a certain specific posture for a long time. Such patients usually need to adjust the posture to improve, but if the symptoms persist for a long time, no improvement or even worsen symptoms, you must consider consulting a neurosurgeon. Doctors will further use X-rays, computed tomography (CT SCAN), and magnetic resonance (MRI) to perform more examinations to find out the cause of the illness and provide treatment protocol.
If the patient has symptoms of numbness in the hands and feet and does not improve for a period of time, he should seek medical attention as soon as possible to find out the underlying cause.
