The tingling sensation in the legs and feet can happen simply by misplacing the body or may be a sign of diseases such as a herniated disc, diabetes or multiple sclerosis, or by a fractured limb or an animal bite .
This symptom may arise alone or accompanied by other symptoms, and a specific treatment may be necessary for the disease.
1. Poor body positioning
One of the most common causes that causes tingling in the legs and feet is sitting, lying or standing in the same position for a long time, such as sitting on a leg, causing poor circulation and compression of the nerve in place.
What to do
Ideally, you should change your position frequently and stretch at least once a day to stimulate circulation by day. In addition, one should go for long trips, or people who work all day sitting, should take some pauses to walk a little.
Watch the following video and see what to do to prevent tingling in the legs and feet:
2. Herniated disc
The disc herniation consists of a protrusion of the intervertebral disc that causes symptoms such as back pain and numbness in the spine, which can radiate to the legs and toes and cause tingling.
What to do
The treatment consists of administering analgesics, muscle relaxants or anti-inflammatories to relieve pain and inflammation, physical therapy, and in more severe cases may have to resort to surgery. See more about treatment.
Peripheral polyneuropathy
Peripheral polyneuropathy is characterized by changes in the nerves of the body, causing the person to feel a lot of pain, tingling, lack of strength or lack of sensitivity in some specific regions of the body.
What to do
The treatment is done according to the needs of each person and with the disease that causes neuropathy, and consists of pain relief with anesthetics and physiotherapy, which is a great option to rehabilitate the affected areas.
4. Panic Attacks, Anxiety and Stress
Extreme stress and anxiety can cause symptoms such as tingling of the hands, arms, tongue and legs and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as cold sweats, heart palpitations and chest or belly pain.
What to do
In these cases one should try to keep calm and regulate breathing in order to improve blood circulation. If this is not possible, a doctor should be consulted because treatment may be necessary. See other ways to calm the mind.
5. Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease characterized by an inflammation, in which the layers of myelin that cover and isolate or neurons are destroyed, thus damaging the transmission of messages that control the movements of the organism such as talking or walking, leading to disability. In addition to causing a sensation of tingling in the limbs, this disease can also manifest involuntary movements in the muscles and difficulty walking.
What to do
Multiple sclerosis has no cure and the treatment has to be done for a lifetime, which consists of taking drugs to decrease the progression of the disease, such as Interferon, Fingolimode, Natalizumab and Glatiramer Acetate, corticosteroids to reduce intensity and time and medication to control symptoms, such as analgesics, muscle relaxants or antidepressants. See more about treatment for multiple sclerosis.
6. Beriberi
Beriberi is a disease caused by deficiency in vitamin B1 that can cause symptoms such as muscle cramps, double vision, confusion and tingling in the hands and feet. Learn more about this disease.
What to do
The treatment of this disease consists of taking vitamin B1 supplements, eliminating alcohol consumption and increasing the consumption of foods rich in this vitamin, such as oat flakes, sunflower seeds or rice, for example.
7. Fractures
During treatment of a fracture, as the limb is long immobilized and as it is slightly compressed due to the placement of ice, it may feel tingling in that place. Tingling in the legs is more frequent when the fracture occurs in the hip.
What to do
One thing that can help reduce the tingling sensation is to keep the limb slightly raised in relation to the body whenever possible, however, if you feel much discomfort you should go to the doctor.
rest with raised limb
8. Diabetes
Diabetes can cause poor circulation, especially in the extremities of the body such as hands and feet, and tingling can be a sign of the onset of wounds or ulcers in the feet or hands.
What to do:
In these cases it is very important to monitor blood glucose levels frequently, be careful about eating and take walks of at least 30 minutes a day to help improve blood circulation.
9. Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a serious neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of the nerves and muscle weakness, which can lead to death. In most cases it is diagnosed after an infection caused by a virus, such as dengue or zika, for example. One of the most common symptoms is tingling and loss of sensitivity of legs and arms. See more about this disease.
What to do
Usually the treatment is done in the hospital, with a method that consists of the filtration of the blood, in order to remove the antibodies that are attacking the nervous system, or injecting antibodies that act against those antibodies that are attacking the nerves, reducing their inflammation. See more about treatment.
10. Bite of animals
The bite of some animals such as bees, snakes or spiders can cause tingling in the place, and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as swelling, fever or burning, for example.
What to do
The first thing to do is try to identify the animal that caused the injury, wash the place well and go to the emergency room as soon as possible.
11. Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is characterized by the accumulation of fat plaques inside the arteries, which occurs over time, which can block blood flow and cause a heart attack or stroke. Most of the symptoms only arise when the vessel blocks, and can be chest pain, breathing difficulties, leg pain, fatigue and tingling, and muscle weakness at the site that has poor circulation. Learn more about atherosclerosis.
What to do
Atherosclerosis plaque will form due to high cholesterol, advancing age and obesity, so improving nutrition, consuming less saturated fats and sugar and practicing physical exercise regularly, can help prevent plaque formation. It is also very important to go to the doctor immediately as soon as the first symptoms appear.
