Tingling in the legs

Tingling in the legs: what they are

In the medical field, the tingling in the legs is known as "paresthesia in the lower limbs": it is a symptom common to many diseases of varying severity. Patients suffering from tingling in the legs often complain of numbness or insensitivity to the lower limbs which, in the harmless forms, tend to regress spontaneously after a few seconds or minutes.

In the more serious variants, however, the tingling in the legs can mask an underlying pathology: the numbness in the limbs is sometimes described as painful, burning, throbbing or accompanied by a particular "pungent" sensation (similar to needles that sting the skin) .

Although they may occur in any area of the body, prickles tend to prefer lower limbs (ie legs, feet and fingers) and sometimes upper ones.

Causes and related diseases

As mentioned, the tingling in the legs is a symptom that is common to many diseases, even serious ones. Remember, however, that the tingling in the legs can also be harmless and depend, for example, on taking an incorrect posture for a relatively long period of time.

The temporary lack of blood flow at the level of the legs can favor the appearance of pins and needles: often, this phenomenon occurs by assuming an incorrect position during sleep, or by sitting with the legs crossed for a long time without moving the limb.

However, in some cases, the tingling in the legs is a warning of important diseases, sometimes even very serious ones. When the annoying perception of numbness in the legs becomes a frequent condition, which lasts for several minutes, the patient should immediately contact the doctor to investigate the cause that arises there.

The tingling in the legs can be a light on:

Iron deficiency anemia : a rather devious disease, iron deficiency anemia does not generally begin with any specific symptom. As the disease progresses, iron deficiency anemia can trigger variable rates of inflammation, including tingling in the legs.
Atherosclerosis : the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque in an artery can compromise movement, the ability to speak and / or walk. Tingling in the legs and arms are some characteristic symptoms.
Vitamin deficiency : in some cases, the prickles in the legs reflect alarm signals sent by the body to warn of a vitamin deficiency (eg Vit. B12).
Intermittent claudication (or intermittent lameness): in addition to cramp-like pains in the legs and difficulty in walking, the disease is often characterized by secondary symptoms such as weakness, cold extremities, vertigo and tingling in the legs.
Compromise of a nerve along the spine : the tingling in the legs can occur as a result of the compromise of one or more nerves in the lumbo-sacral segment of the spine. In such circumstances, the affected patient generally complains of back pain, leg pain and more or less intense itching.
Neurological damage induced by lead, alcohol or smoking.
Arterial embolism : the numbness and tingling of the arms or legs can constitute a warning of arterial embolism (obstruction of one or more arteries caused by emboli, or blood clots or air bubble).
Epilepsy and convulsions : the tingling in the legs represent a premonitory symptom of epilepsy and convulsions.
Herniated disc : patients with herniated discs often complain of numbness and tingling in the lower limbs. Sometimes the tingling turns into a real pain, which can spread to the thigh, buttocks, knee and foot.
Stroke : stroke is the expression of an insufficient supply of blood to a more or less extensive area of the brain. One of the early symptoms of stroke is just the pins and needles, which can affect both the legs and the arms.
Herpetic infections : Herpes simplex and Herpes zoster can cause numbness and tingling at the point of infection. In particular, the zoster species is often the cause of pins and needles at the level of the legs: in this case, paresthesia is temporary, and anticipates the actual symptoms of the infection (very painful rash, fever, general malaise, chills, stomach pain, headache).
Diabetic neuropathy : the pathology is also characterized by numbness and tingling in the legs and feet, which often result in real pain.
Transverse myelitis : this is a rare neuro-immune syndrome of the central nervous system, responsible for neuronal damage to the spinal cord. Transverse myelitis triggers motor and sensory dysfunctions, in which the tingling in the legs is almost constant.
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy : these therapeutic strategies for the treatment of tumors can give rise to a series of highly debilitating side effects. It is not uncommon for cancer patients undergoing chemo / radiotherapy to complain of tingling more or less intense in different parts of the body: often, the tingling appears after contact with a very cold or very hot object, but can also occur suddenly, and hit arms and legs.
Sciatica : this disease (inflammation of the sciatic nerve) is also often accompanied by tingling in the legs.
Multiple sclerosis : some patients with multiple sclerosis report symptoms similar to paresthesia throughout the body.
Restless Legs Syndrome : Many affected patients complain of constant tingling in their legs, often during the night. The numbness of the limbs tends to subside with the movement, denying the unfortunate a restful sleep.
Guillain-Barrè syndrome : in addition to breathing difficulties, neuropathic pain and blood clotting abnormalities, patients with Guillain-Barrè syndrome often complain of numbness and tingling in the legs, which can degenerate to progressive limb paralysis.
Cervical spondylosis : it is a degenerative disease involving rachis, contiguous intervertebral tissues and vertebral bodies. The tingling in the legs, more or less intense, are rather recurrent symptoms among spondylotic patients.

Differential diagnosis

When the pins and needles are a transient and short-lived phenomenon, you should not be alarmed excessively: in this case, the paraesthesia in the legs may depend on the assumption of an incorrect or static posture, which limits the flow of blood to the legs.

Different speech for frequent pins and needles, especially when the feeling of numbness lasts for over 5-10 minutes. In such situations, the doctor's opinion is essential to verify a possible underlying pathology.

Differential diagnosis is essential. The most widely used diagnostic investigations for this purpose are:

Blood test: complete blood count, electrolyte test, measurement of vitamin concentration in blood, toxicological screening (eg heavy metal research), thyroid function test.
Screening examinations: angiogram (representation of the body's blood / lymph vessels), magnetic resonance of the head and spine, computed tomography of the head, CT scan of the spine, ultrasound of the neck vessels (to verify the risk of stroke), X-ray of the legs.
Lumbar puncture (rachicentesi): the following analysis of the liquor can ascertain or deny any abnormalities of the central nervous system.
Electromyography + nerve conduction test: useful for assessing the ability of muscles to respond to nerve stimulation.

Therapy

Given the innumerable pathologies associated with tingling in the legs, it is clear that it is not possible to trace a standard therapy, effective for all its variants.

The treatment for tingling in the legs is totally subordinated to the cause that arises at the beginning.