What Causes Numbness in The Body?
There are various causes of numbness in the body. Knowing them enables us to understand what is happening and can guide our diagnosis. Numbness, tingling, or paraesthesia are general terms used to describe a sensation that numbs, tingles, or “goes to sleep” of an area on the skin surface or inside the mouth, nose, throat, or limbs. Sometimes it happens so quickly that we cannot pinpoint its exact location before it disappears again.
Carcinoma (cancer) that may grow into the spinal cord if untreated
Tumour pushing down on the brainstem, where several nerve tracts lie close to each other
Carotid artery disease; this restricts blood flow to the brain and can cause symptoms similar to those of stroke (e.g., sudden-onset dizziness or weakness in one arm)
Multiple sclerosis (MS), which damages myelin sheaths around most nerves in the central nervous system, especially in older people; leading to numbness in the extremities, problems with vision, and even limb paralysis.
Essentially it is an inflammation that damages the insulation of all nerve fibers crossing certain areas in your body causing signals to be transmitted poorly or not at all.
Sclerosis is a thickening and hardening of tissue (such as in the brain). A good example would be multiple sclerosis (MS), where sclerosed patches may compress nerve cell bodies, axons, and their myelin sheaths; causing symptoms similar to those seen in carotid artery disease.
Numbness on one side of the body:
The man woke up in the middle of the night with numbness on one side of his body.
He wasn’t able to move his arm correctly. He was rushed to the hospital where a doctor told him that he had had a stroke.
– A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical emergency! If a person experiences symptoms of a stroke begin first aid, call an ambulance and start CPR immediately if the patient collapses or stops breathing! The most common symptoms are:-
sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body or face; loss of balance and coordination; confusion, trouble speaking or understanding new difficulties seeing in one or both eyes sudden severe headache with no known cause drowsiness, confusion, seizures and losing consciousness for brief moments.
Numbness on the right side of the body causes:
The man, who had numbness on the right side of his body, began to read his medical record. He saw that he was diagnosed with a tumor in the brain.
– A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue in the body that can be either benign (not cancer and not spreading) or malignant (cancer and spreading).
– Benign tumors usually do not cause any problems and do not spread anywhere else in the body after they are removed [disease]. The only harm they can cause is by pressing against nearby organs. They cannot grow back once they are surgically removed [disease].
Numbness and tingling:
The man went to a medical center and they did magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of his head. They saw that there was a tumor in the white matter of his brain. The doctor told him that they could do surgery to remove it, but he would have some numbness and tingling on one side of his face afterward.
– “White matter” is the myelin sheath surrounding axons in the central nervous system, including those joining cranial nerves from the spinal cord and neurons within the brain.
Numbness right side recovery time:
The man had surgery to remove his tumor five days later. Afterward, he began physical therapy so that he wouldn’t lose any more feeling movement than necessary. It has been 6 months since the surgery and he has recovered pretty well.
– A physical therapist (PT) is a health care professional who helps patients recover from injuries or illnesses by providing treatments that improve strength, balance, mobility, and/or function using hands-on techniques such as massages and joint movements.
– Someone who is recovering from a stroke, surgery, or just general weakness might have to do physical therapy for some time. People might be allowed to go home once they can walk on their own and can take care of themselves. They may also need help with certain tasks such as shopping, cooking, or cleaning.
“the most common symptoms are sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body or face; loss of balance and coordination; confusion, trouble speaking or understanding new difficulties seeing in one or both eyes sudden severe headache with no known cause drowsiness, confusion, seizures and losing consciousness for brief moments.”
Numbness treatment:
The man has been going to physical therapy sessions once a week and doing some exercises on his own at home. He is walking better and thinks he will make a full recovery.
– The drugs used for treating stroke can limit the amount of damage your brain sustains during a stroke, decrease the severity of a stroke, improve recovery after a stroke, or even help prevent one from happening again. They may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as control risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and elevated blood pressure that affect your chances of getting another type of cardiovascular disease such as heart attack or heart failure.
Numbness medicine:
The man read up on what happens after you remove a tumor in white matter and saw that there is scarring in the brain. He read that his neurologist prescribed him medicine that is supposed to limit the scarring process and improve how he feels after this whole experience.
– Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) describes a condition of elevated cell activity, generally caused by the dissolution of tumor cells in dephosphorylation (the breakdown of phosphates in cells). It occurs when large numbers of cancerous cells die rapidly, releasing their contents into the body. The result may include hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels), metabolic alkalosis, hyperkalemia (high potassium levels), and tissue damage.
– Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of ionizing radiation to kill cancerous cells and shrink tumors.
– The man read that there is a drug called 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) that his doctor prescribed for him to take at home. The 5-FU can kill remaining cancer cells and decrease swelling that could come from the tumor lysis syndrome.
Numbness on one side of the body not stroke:
Don’t panic if you feel like you’re having a stroke or experience sudden numbness, loss of vision, or speech problems on one side of the body. It could be an “isolated transient ischemic attack (TIA),” also called a ministroke—a brief interruption in blood flow to the brain.
– A transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes known as a ministroke, is caused by a lack of blood flow to areas of the brain that control movement, sensation, or thinking for less than 24 hours. This temporary interruption in blood supply causes no permanent damage to your brain cells themselves, but it can produce symptoms similar to those experienced during a stroke.
what causes numbness and tingling in arms and hands:
There are many possible causes of numbness and tingling in arms and hands, including – Carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms include numbness, aching, or burning sensations in your thumb, index finger, middle finger, or ring finger. You may also have “pins-and-needles” feelings that extend up into the forearm to the elbow.
Numbness hand:
The man read about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) which is caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through a narrow passageway at the wrist known as the carpal tunnel. People with CTS often have pain and tingling in their fingers along with weakness in their grip strength because of damage to muscle tissue.
Over time, the condition can permanently damage the nerve and cause permanent problems such as loss of normal sensation (numbness) or muscle wasting.
– The numbness in your hands could be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a narrowing of the wrist joint where nerves and tendons pass through to reach muscles in your hand and fingers.
The problem often results from trauma, repetitive motions, and arthritis. It usually affects both sides of the body at once, but it’s more common on one side than the other. This article explains how this condition develops and what you can do about it.