Numbness and Leg Pain

If you’ve ever stayed in the same position for too long and had your leg or feet erupt in pins and needles when you stood up then you know how uncomfortable it can be. While situations like this aren’t uncommon and have no lasting risk, if you’re experiencing ongoing numbness in your legs or feet there could be a serious problem. In cases like this, there is often a condition like fibromyalgia, diabetes, herniated discs or other conditions leading to these symptoms. If you’ve been experiencing conditions like this and wonder if you need to see a specialist, this article may shed some light.

What Causes Leg and Foot Numbness?

While we’ve mentioned a few things that can be responsible for numbness in your feet and legs on a temporary basis, we’re going to explore some that can lead to ongoing conditions of this type. First, we’d like to introduce you to a term, transient paresthesia. This is the clinical term for temporary numbness in the feet and legs such as that caused by sitting in the same position too long.

Longer-term experiences can come from a condition such as diabetic neuropathy, a direct result of damage to the nerves caused by diabetes. The symptoms that patients with this condition experience include tingling, pain, and numbness in the feet. Severe cases of this condition can cause these symptoms to extend to the feet.

Sciatica is another condition that can cause these kinds of symptoms. This nerve runs through the legs from the lower back and produces numbness and tingling when it becomes compressed or irritated. Sciatica has many causes but can be treatable.

Another potential cause of these symptoms is Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, a condition that results from the nerve that runs along the side of the ankle and down the backside of the leg becoming squeezed, compressed, or damaged. The term refers to the narrow space this nerve travels on the inside of the ankle.

Peripheral artery disease or PAD is another potential cause of these symptoms when the arteries it’s named for narrow and reduce the amount of blood flow available to the lower extremities. Cramping in the hips and legs is common in these patients when ascending stairs or walking. A few moments of rest will usually relieve these symptoms.

Alcohol use is another source of these symptoms when consumption is taken to excess. The toxins that naturally occur in alcohol can attack the nerves in the feet and legs resulting in damage that causes numbness.

If you are experiencing symptoms like these and want to begin the process of trying to relieve or at least identify their cause it’s time to make an appointment with a specialist. If you live in the Chalfont, PA area you can call Delaware Valley & Spine and make an appointment with Todd Bromberg. They’ve been helping patients like you tackle nerve and spine concerns with expert care. With the proper treatment, the symptoms can be relieved or eliminated, allowing you to live a fuller life.