Have you felt a tingling sensation in your hands while it feels numb? It always happens to me, not just in my hands but also in wrist, feet, legs and arms. I noticed that I usually feel this in my legs when sitting for a long period of time, or when crossing my legs or sometimes remaining in the same standing position for a long time. I will have to wait for it to pass after a minute or so otherwise, it would be very difficult to walk with it in your legs. I surmised that lack of blood supply to an area or part of the body (some which I mentioned above) is what causes it but I didn't bother to know any further, until yesterday. Gabby was complaining that her left hand hurts. I asked her to describe what she felt in her hand and she said it felt like there were needles poking her hand and that she couldn't feel anything. You know kids, we need to build up their vocabulary! ( sometimes parents need it too! LOL.) So I taught her the exact words to describe what she was feeling. She asked "why?", so I explained that the blood in her hand couldn't circulate very well because she was lying on it for a long time. Then she popped out another "why?". And so the never ending quest for an answer begun. LOL! Don't you just love kids??? I do. I learn a lot from them. Really!
And so I read about it. Numbness and tingling are unusual sensations that can happen in different parts of the body, but often in our hands, arms, legs or feet. In the medical field it is called Paresthesia, other names are Sensory Loss or Tingling and Numbness. There are many possible causes, one of which is the lack of blood supply to an area specially when pressure is put to it (so I was right. LOL!). That's basically the explanation to the common tingling and numbness that we experience. However, those who have or may be having an existing medical condition such as diabetes, migraines, multiple sclerosis, injury to a nerve, pressure on the spinal nerves, Vitamin B12 deficient, also experience this as these conditions also causes tingling numbness. So if tingling numbness happens to you often, you better consult with your doctor.
