Numbness in the legs

Numbness legs

Many people are aware of the numbness in their legs, but few are aware of the very serious causes behind this seemingly harmless phenomenon. The numbness in the legs should not be dismissed lightly and needs especially in case of repeated occurrence of a medical examination.

contents

definition
symptoms
Causes of numbness in the legs
diagnosis
Treatment for numbness in the legs
Alternative treatments

definition

A feeling of numbness in the legs is a sensory disturbance in the area between the hip and the sole of the foot, which may be associated with impairments in the perception of pain, pressure and temperatures or paralysis symptoms.

The numbness is characterized by a reduced sensitivity to pressure and pain. (Image: schwede-photodesign / fotolia.com)

symptoms

The numbness of the legs may be localized, for example, only in the thigh, or may affect the entire leg, according to the different causes of the discomfort. Mostly, the symptoms are acute, but the numbness in the legs can also become a chronic condition. They are often associated with tingling in the limbs and walking difficulties. The numbness in the legs may also be accompanied by sore feet. The numbness often occurs only in certain positions (long sitting, legs crossed). According to the different causes of the symptoms numerous other accompanying symptoms can be observed, which also provide an indication of the cause of the numb feeling in the legs.

Causes of numbness in the legs

The numbness is usually based on an impairment of the supplying nerves. For example, in a herniated disc, the nerve tracts are trapped in the spinal canal. As a result, sufferers not only suffer from severe low back pain or back pain but also often pain and a numb feeling in the legs. If a nerve is pinched, numbness, along with the typical tingling (paresthesia), pain and paralysis, is one of the leading symptoms. If the sciatic nerve is trapped, the symptoms are particularly common in the legs. Many sufferers complain of severe sciatic pain that reaches from the back to the legs. This is sometimes the case with a herniated disc as well as an acute lumbago (Lumbago).

The supplying nerves of the legs can also be pinched at other bottlenecks on their way through the body, with a corresponding nerve compression more often affects the nerve tracts that arise from the plexus lumbosacralis (a network of nerves in the lumbar and cervical spine). These are, for example, trapped in the context of a so-called Meralgia paraesthetica by the inguinal ligament and the affected suffer from hip pain often on a numbness on the outside of the thigh. The so-called piriformis syndrome, describes a narrowing of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle in the pelvic area. This compression can cause severe buttocks pain, leg pain and also a numb feeling in the legs.

But not only entrapment of the nerves but also diseases of the nervous system may bring with it a recurring numbness in the legs. For example, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease can be mentioned here. A disease of diabetes or too high blood sugar can also damage the nervous system and thus trigger appropriate complaints. The resulting so-called diabetic neuropathy relatively often brings as one of the first symptoms a numbness in the legs with it. Also so-called polyneuropathies, which manifest as a disease of several nerves of the peripheral nervous system, are to be mentioned as a possible trigger of numbness in the legs. The polyneuropathies can be due to very different causes - for example, alcohol abuse, infectious diseases, vitamin B12 deficiency or rare diseases such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and Churg-Strauss syndrome. In addition, acute poisoning may result in impaired nervous system associated with numbness in the legs.

Circulatory disorders are also a potential trigger for numbness in the legs. They may be indicative of general heart failure, but may also be an expression of acute vascular occlusion (thrombosis) or, in the worst case, even a heart attack. If patients suddenly experience fat legs or are accompanied by symptoms such as chest pain, heart pain or chest pain, heart stuttering and palpitations, a doctor should be consulted immediately. A chronic circulatory disorder of the legs is often due to arteriosclerosis or diseases of the cardiovascular system such as coronary heart disease.

Another possible trigger of numbness in the legs is the so-called fibromyalgia, which affects the muscle fibers in different parts of the organism as an incurable chronic disease. The numbness in the extremities is one of the numerous side effects that can bring a fibromyalgia with it.

A one-sided numbness of the legs may be the result of a stroke. This causes not only severe headaches, blurred vision and speech disorders, often a half-sided paralysis, which can drag into the legs.

In rare cases, the compression of the nerves and associated numbness in the legs is also triggered by benign or malignant tumors that press on the nerve tracts in the brain or the spinal canal. Bruising and fractures, for example as a result of an accident, may also be associated with nerve compression.

diagnosis

By describing the symptoms, their intensity and the situations in which the numbness in the legs occurs, it is often possible to anticipate the underlying causes of the symptoms. A physical examination provides further clues. Sampling and some simple movement tests can often be a relatively safe way to diagnose. Supplementary blood tests in the laboratory provide information on inflammatory processes in the organism, a possibly existing vitamin deficiency or even on diseases such as multiple sclerosis and the Churg-Strauss syndrome.

Sensitivity and reflex testing are used to diagnose a polyneuropathy. Measurements of nerve conduction velocity are also used for this purpose. To detect compression of the nerves, imaging techniques such as sonography (ultrasound), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or classic X-rays are also used. The combination of imaging techniques (especially ultrasound) and blood tests also serves to secure the diagnosis of possible vascular occlusions in the legs.

Treatment for numbness in the legs

The therapy is fundamentally based on the causes of the complaints and can therefore be extremely different. In most cases of a pinched nerve, the combination of massage, physiotherapy and acupuncture promises a successful treatment. In addition to the feeling of numbness, sufferers also suffer from pain. Pain-relieving medications can be used. However, it may only be possible to eliminate the symptoms with the help of a surgical intervention. For example, in rare cases of herniated disc surgery is required. In diseases such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis can be achieved on the basis of today's available medical options, no cure and therapy is therefore focused on alleviating the symptoms and slowing down the course of the disease.

If the numbness in the legs due to circulatory disorders due to an acute vascular occlusion, it is attempted to dissolve it with the help of drugs. Anticoagulant and blood-thinning preparations should also facilitate blood flow. So-called compression stockings serve the same purpose. If the circulatory disturbance is due to cardiac insufficiency, surgery may be required here as well, for example by placing a bypass or implanting a pacemaker.

Benign ulcers that constrict nerves, as well as malignant tumors, are surgically removed in most cases. In the case of malignant tumors, the other two instruments of cancer therapy, radiation and chemotherapy, may also be used.

Alternative treatments

In the case of discomfort caused by pinched nerves, natural medicine focuses not only on acupuncture, but also on manual treatment methods such as osteopathy, chiropractic or Rolfing. According to their holistic approach, complaints in other parts of the body, such as neck tension, are taken into account and included in the treatment.

In order to alleviate possibly existing pain in pinched nerves, various herbal remedies, homeopathic remedies and Schüssler salts are used. Against numbness as a result of circulatory disorders is increasingly the hydrotherapy (for example, Kneipp castings, treading water) used. Since muscle-related nerve compression and the associated numbness are also related to the acid-base balance or hyperacidity of the organism, the naturopathic treatment furthermore often aims to achieve a corresponding balance here again.

Yoga, tai chi or qigong exercises can positively support the treatment of numbness in the legs and have a preventative effect. However, already irritated nerves should urgently be spared and not further strained. Naturopathy also offers no promising therapeutic approaches for certain causes of the symptoms, such as a cancer, so that there is no way past the classic cancer therapy. The above-mentioned operations for heart problems or a herniated disc are also the only option in case of doubt. Naturopathy is therefore not to be understood as a substitute for a conventional treatment, but rather as a supplement. (Fp)

Picture 1: neurole - Rolf