What causes chronic pins and needles? – Home GP for chronic pins and needles in Fuengirola

You may have fallen asleep with your arm pinned below you or you kept your legs crossed too long and have a “pins and needles” feeling in your limbs, fingers, or feet. That feeling of prickling, burning, tingling, numbing, itching or “skin crawling” is called paresthesia. While it may feel odd, it’s usually painless and harmless. But sometimes it can be a sign of a more serious medical problem, it is essential that you know when to seek help. In this article we talk about the causes of pins and needles and when to call our home GP for chronic pins and needles in Fuengirola.

Causes of chronic pins and needles

Paresthesia is caused by nerve strain. For example, when that pressure is gone— you ‘re uncrossing your legs— the sensation goes away.

However it may not go away in some situations, or if it does, it returns frequently. That’s called chronic paresthesia and can be a symptom of a medical disorder or damage to the nerves. Chronic paresthesia can be caused by:

• An injury or incident that did damage to the nerves
• A stroke or mini-stroke— if blood supply to the brain is cut off and damage occurs
• Multiple sclerosis— a central nervous system disease which affects how your body feels
• Diabetes-a blood sugar disorder that over time can damage your nerves
• A pinched nerve (often from injury or overuse in your back, shoulder, or arm)
• Sciatica— pressure on the sciatic nerve (ranging from your lower pelvis to your buttocks and legs), a common pregnancy problem that typically causes numbness and pain in the back or legs.
• Carpel tunnel syndrome— when the tiny tunnel running from your wrist to your lower palm is too narrow, causing discomfort and numbness in your forearm, wrist, hand and fingers
• A lack of certain vitamins , especially low levels of vitamin B12, which is essential for nervous health
• Alcohol abuse
• Some medicines— such as certain types of chemotherapy that cause nerve irritation or damage, as well as certain antibiotics, HIV and anti-seizure medicines

When to cal our home GP for chronic pins and needles in Fuengirola

Most pin and needle cases are temporary, and the feeling disappears after the pressure is removed from the affected area.

If you have pins and needles constantly, or if it keeps coming back, call our home GP for chronic pins and needles in Fuengirola. This may be a indication that the underlying health problem is more severe.

For example a trapped or compressed nerve can cause prolonged pins and needles, such as:

• A compressed ulnar nerve – the ulnar nerve begins in your neck and runs down to your elbow from the inside of your upper arm.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome – pain, numbness and a burning or tingling feeling in the hand are caused by pressure build-up in the narrow tunnel running from the wrist to the lower palm (carpal tunnel).
• Sciatica – pain is caused by inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve that goes through the back of your pelvis, through your thighs, and down to your feet from both legs.