Numbness
Numbness is defined as numbness and loss of sensation in a part of the body. Some may describe it as a sensation of tingling or burning. The numbness may affect one side of the body or two symmetrical limbs. The numbness may occur temporarily and may be temporary. Due to chronic medical condition, such as foot cramps, which occur as a complication of diabetes.
Symptoms of foot numbness
The patient suffers from foot weakness, weakness of the feeling of his foot, and lost sense of it, and may feel a prick like the prick of pins and needles, and thus may lose the balance of the patient, It is worth mentioning that the emergence of some symptoms with foot numbness requires immediate medical review, including:
- breathing difficulties.
- Feeling dizzy.
- Feeling confused.
- Difficult to speak.
- Severe headache.
- Loss of bladder and bowel control.
- Enzyme that occurs in many parts of the body.
- Tinnitus occurs after exposure to a head injury.
Causes of numbness of the toes
There are several reasons for feeling numbness in the toes, including the following:
- The pressure of the nerve directly on the foot due to wear inappropriate shoes, and this is the most common cause.
- Vitamin E deficiency, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and niacin, but it should be noted that an increase in vitamin B6 leads to numbness of the limbs.
- Diabetic neuropathy.
- Frostbite: When the toes are exposed to severe cold, the skin and tissues exposed to severe cold are damaged and become stiff, and the patient may suffer from numbness. It is worth mentioning that the fingers, chin, nose, hips, ears may be Also susceptible to cold.
- Alcoholism: Alcohol causes nerve damage, which can cause neurological disorders resulting in foot numbness. Alcoholics also suffer from poor eating habits, causing some important nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin B1, which in turn promotes the development of peripheral neuropathy (Peripheral neuropathy). The patient feels numbness in the limbs.
- Guillain-Barré syndrome: A syndrome in which the immune system attacks the nerves of the body, causing damage to it. This syndrome is rare, but if it occurs, the patient suffers from numbness in the limbs as primary symptoms of the syndrome.
- Disc Herniation.
- Lyme disease is a disease that causes inflammation in the human body and is caused by a bite of a small insect called Deer Tick that carries the bacteria that cause the disease. One of the symptoms of this disease is numbness of the limbs.
- Multiple sclerosis: One symptom of MS is the feeling of numbness in the foot. Multiple sclerosis is an immune disease in which the immune system destroys the protective layer that encapsulates the nerves, thereby impairing the functioning of the brain and spinal cord.
- Peripheral Arterial Disease.
- Peripheral vascular disease (Peripheral Vascular Disease).
- Sciatica is the pain caused by the pressure of the sciatic nerve extending from the lower back through the pelvic area and the hip to the feet. It usually affects one side of the body, one symptom of numbness and numbness of the infected foot.
- Shingles: A disease caused by the varicella zoster virus that causes a rash along the affected nerve.
- The spinal cord is exposed to an injury.
- Vasculitis.
- One of the side effects of chemotherapy used in cancer treatment.
Diagnosis of numbness
The doctor can not diagnose the patient without a physical examination, take a sufficient history of his condition, the nature of his work, and know whether the family member is suffering from any neurological disorders, and whether the patient suffers from an infectious disease, and other information that gives A sufficient vision of the life of the injured, and may require the conduct of some medical tests, including the following:
- Blood tests: A blood sample is taken from the patient to examine liver and kidney function, to detect a deficiency in the vitamins involved, to evaluate blood sugar status, and to gain an impression of the immune system and other conditions.
- Examination of cerebrospinal fluid: which contributes to the detection of antibodies associated with peripheral neuropathy.
- Muscle electrical activity test: This is done by electromyography (EMG).
- Nerve conduction velocity test (NCV).
- Computed tomography (CT) and abbreviation (CT).
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
- A biopsy of the patient or biopsy of the skin to determine the status of nerve endings in that part.
Treatment of numbness
Peripheral nerve cells can regenerate themselves unless they are killed and destroyed. Treatment of numbness depends primarily on the exact diagnosis and proper treatment of the cause. If the cause of numbness is a lack of vitamins, the deficiency is compensated by taking appropriate supplements. If the cause of numbness is neuropathy Diabetes; the control of blood sugar limits the problem, as well as the move away from alcohol would control the numbness of the limbs, it is worth noting that to follow a healthy lifestyle by exercise, eating balanced and healthy food, This will improve blood circulation and thus blood flow through the blood vessels, leading to proper nutrition and maintenance of peripheral nerves. Sometimes doctors may resort to the use of depressive drugs and epileptic drugs : seizures) for treatment of numbness of limbs if needed.