Tingling is a sensation that many of us have experienced. It is the sensation experienced when a limb that has fallen asleep starts to wake up. It is common to experience this sensation when you place undo pressure for a prolonged period of time on a specific part of your body. For instance, standing or seating too long or leaning too heavily on a limb can cause tingling; however, when this sensation occurs in parts of the body without an apparent cause, it could be coming from a pinched nerve
Pinched nerves commonly cause numbness and tingling. For instance, a neck injury could be the cause of tingling in an arm or a lower back injury could be the cause of tingling down the back of your leg (sciatica.) Herniated disks, arthritis of the spinal joints, vertebral misalignment (subluxation) and other types of spinal involvement are also a potential cause. Tingling that is not related to a pinched nerve in the spine may be caused from nerve interference in areas where inflammation, commonly around joints, can cause nerve irritation. For instance, carpal tunnel syndrome can cause numbness or tingling in your wrist, fingers, hand, or forearm.
Other maladies, which can cause a tingling sensation are: Migraine headaches, B-12 deficiency (a nutritional disorder) diabetes, underactive thyroid conditions, multiple sclerosis, transient ischemic attacks, or stroke. Certain medications and toxic substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and lead can also cause numbness and tingling. Numbness and tingling can also be a result of radiation therapy (a type of cancer treatment.)
A Doctor of Chiropractic can help determine where your symptoms of tingling are coming from. With the use of adjustments and physical modalities such as heat, exercise, stretching, ultrasound, and massage, if needed, your chiropractor may be able to help you improve or eliminate your problems with tingling or numbness altogether.