The left side of the body goes numb: causes, symptoms

Types of numbness

When parts of the body go numb, the body reacts in this way to harmful environmental conditions. Sometimes the symptom manifests itself in more complex situations, during a stroke or atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the types of ailment, when it relates to the body’s normal reaction to irritation and requires therapy; the participation of specialists is rarely required.

Let's figure out what kind of numbness you don't need to go to the hospital for:

Transient, lasting several minutes without repetition.
After prolonged sitting or lying down.
Minor tingling, goosebumps.

When you need specialist advice:

Symptoms recur from time to time.
Do not stop for a long period.
In addition to tingling, it is accompanied by a burning sensation, uncontrolled urination, and gagging.

Numbness of the first type often occurs due to prolonged immobility of the limbs. At first, the temperature may change, tingling appears after interaction with cold. If numbness does not disappear after massage procedures, you need to contact a specialist.

Treatment of left hemisphere stroke

Impaired blood circulation in the brain leads to serious consequences. To level them out, treatment of a stroke on the left side must be immediate. Prompt assistance will allow you to correctly diagnose and correctly draw up a step-by-step and comprehensive treatment plan.

First aid to a patient

Before doctors arrive, the patient must be given first aid. This will help improve his condition a little. First aid consists of a number of simple actions that the victim’s relatives can perform:

The patient should be placed on a surface covered with pillows and his head should be raised.
The patient may have difficulty breathing, so it is necessary to open the windows.
It is also necessary to rid the person of tight and constricting clothing: unbutton the shirt collar, remove the belt, take off a jacket with a tight neck.
If there is vomiting, carefully and carefully turn the patient's head to the side. This position will prevent vomit from entering the respiratory tract.

Until the ambulance arrives, you need to stay close to the stroke survivor. He may be in a panic, so you need to try to calm him down.

Drug therapy

In clinical settings, physicians' efforts are aimed at minimizing nerve and muscle damage. The main goal of therapy is to preserve the functionality of the brain and cardiovascular system. The patient is prescribed drugs that restore blood circulation.

Drug treatment is selected according to the form of the disease. Drugs for left hemisphere stroke of ischemic nature include the following groups:

Thrombolytics. They are used in the first hours after a vascular accident to dissolve blood clots.
Anticoagulants.
Medicines that lower blood pressure.
Neuroprotectors.
Vasoactive drugs.

In the case of hemorrhagic stroke on the left side, vascular strengthening drugs and drugs that prevent vasospasm are used.

For both types, general medications are also provided, which include diuretics and decongestants, as well as sedatives and hypnotics. During rehabilitation, patients are also prescribed medications to treat bedsores.

Surgery

Surgery is most often necessary for hemorrhagic stroke of the left hemisphere of the brain. Surgical treatment is aimed at removing the intracerebral hematoma. The need for surgery is determined taking into account the following factors:

general condition of the patient;
volume of the lesion;
localization of hemorrhage.

Surgery is indicated only in extremely severe cases when the patient's life is in danger. There are also cases when the hematoma is not removed immediately after a stroke, but during rehabilitation.

As a rule, surgical treatment is used for patients whose hematoma size is more than 50 ml. The operation is also indicated for patients with cerebellar damage.

Causes

Numbness often occurs as a result of compression of nerve fibers or poor blood circulation in tissues. This happens when a person does not change his position for a long time.

CNS disorders manifest themselves in a similar way. Unilateral paresthesia is considered an alarming sign. To eliminate this condition, it is necessary to carry out diagnostic procedures to determine what specifically provoked them.

Symptoms

Numbness of the limbs often occurs. Signs may appear temporarily or persistently and over a long period of time. Sometimes pain is felt, dizziness, weakness, movement and speech function are difficult, and pathologies develop.

When the limbs become numb due to pinching of nerve fibers or impaired blood supply, therapy is not used. In this situation, it is enough to change your position and rub the numb area. Often, numbness occurs due to hypothermia, in order to restore sensitivity, you need to warm up.

In other situations, numbness in the body does not disappear after changing posture or massaging. You should consult a doctor if this occurs constantly and is accompanied by other signs. It is necessary to be examined in a situation where numbness is felt after an injury.

Numb hands and feet: reasons

Vascular pathologies . With them, you can notice a decrease in the pulse rate in the fossa under the knee.

Pinched nerve . This is indicated by aching, sharp, pressing pain that appears after the numbness subsides. The place of pinching is where it appears (buttocks, armpits).

Polyneuropathy . Inflammation of the nerve sheath leads to loss of sensation. A predisposing factor is diabetes mellitus or the use of toxic substances.

Osteochondrosis and accompanying diagnoses (for example, radicular syndrome). Accompanied by pain in the spine. Loss of sensitivity increases with prolonged exposure to an uncomfortable position at night.

Vertebral displacement . Numbness affects the limbs on both sides.

Pregnancy . The fetus pinches the arteries, swelling compresses the nerve endings.

Causes

We list the diseases that cause numbness:

Radicular syndrome often causes paresthesia, with numbness occurring in the fingers or part of the upper limb, sometimes a burning sensation occurs, worsening at night.
Polyneuropathy occurs in patients with diabetes when, after a metabolic disorder, blood vessels and nerve fibers begin to deteriorate due to prolonged abnormally high concentrations of glucose. In such situations, numbness occurs symmetrically on both limbs.
Stroke is the most dangerous cause of this condition. Damage to the brain structures responsible for the functioning of individual parts of the body causes numbness. After a stroke, one side always fails, depending on the hemisphere in which the hemorrhage occurred. Other signs include motor dysfunction.
Neoplasms in the brain can compress organ tissue and impair normal functioning. Symptoms appear gradually.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system, which is characterized by compression of fragments of nerve tissue. As a result, numbness appears, sensitivity worsens, and vision problems.

Causes of numbness include Raynaud's disease, in which the blood supply to nerve tissue deteriorates, atherosclerosis, or the consequences of surgery in various parts of the body.

Numbness of the tongue with cervical osteochondrosis

Numbness of the tongue due to osteochondrosis is a fairly rare symptom. It may appear when the C5 radicular nerve is compressed. It is responsible for the innervation of the root of the tongue, vocal cords and cleft, and larynx.

With cervical osteochondrosis, numbness of the tongue may be accompanied by the following clinical symptoms:

hoarseness, hoarseness;
sore throat, feeling of dryness and soreness;
paroxysmal dry cough of a non-productive nature (without sputum discharge);
pain around the neck.

When examining the pharynx, no pathological changes can be detected. With prolonged compression of the nerve fiber, atrophy of the mucous membranes of the pharynx and throat develops, and secondary forms of pharyngitis, laryngitis, and tonsillitis begin to appear. There is a risk of losing your voice.

Limbs

Numbness on the left side of the body occurs most often in middle-aged people. At the same time, a burning sensation or coldness is felt. Causes may be congenital or acquired. Problems with sensitivity indicate the appearance of disorders of the nervous system, heart and blood vessels.

Paresthesia appears in the following conditions:

Heart attack.
Ischemic disorders.
Osteochondrosis.
Brain hemorrhage.
Problems with blood vessels in the head.

The ischemic disorder causes persistent numbness in the left limb. At the same time, pain in the sternum and heart is detected. The sensitivity of the left hand and forearm worsens. After a heart attack, my arms and left leg go numb. Trying to eliminate the symptoms on your own is undesirable; you need to seek help from a doctor.

You'll have to call an ambulance or go to the hospital. In case of such problems, a comprehensive examination by cardiologists and other specialists is carried out. With the help of modern equipment, the reason why the body goes numb is determined.

After this, the doctor prescribes treatment, which involves taking medications and following general recommendations:

Quitting alcohol and smoking.
Strong coffee is eliminated from the diet.
Hot food and cereals are included in the diet.
It is recommended to play sports, run, exercise in the pool, skiing.

Prevention stabilizes the blood supply system, ensuring uninterrupted blood flow to the arms and legs.

What is rehabilitation after a right-sided stroke?

After hospitalization and drug treatment for stroke, many patients continue to have problems with physical, speech, and mental functioning. Rehabilitation and recovery after a stroke affecting the left side can be provided in various settings: in public clinics, in private centers.

Rehabilitation programs are critical to helping patients regain lost skills, relearn certain activities, and regain independence. In most cases, after a right-sided stroke, there is great potential for brain recovery. With diligent training according to a well-designed program, the prospects for recovery after an ischemic stroke, if the left side is affected, increase significantly. Even if the underlying neurological deficits are not completely eliminated, patients' functioning improves significantly as they learn ways to compensate for existing problems.

Some factors that play a role in the success of rehabilitation and recovery after stroke with left side paralysis:

Severity of brain damage. The less serious and extensive the disruption of cerebral blood flow, the higher the chances of recovery.
Attitude to the likelihood of recovery. A positive attitude towards treatment and rehabilitation activities helps the patient cope with difficulties and focus on how to achieve physical and mental recovery.
Family support. The participation of the victim’s relatives in the rehabilitation process is the most important factor for recovery. Family members should reassure patients that others need them.

The time from the start of rehabilitation to recovery from a stroke with the left side affected varies for each individual. However, in any case, rehabilitation should begin as soon as possible after a stroke. Simple exercises such as training paralyzed muscles should be carried out immediately after the patient has been stabilized. Stroke rehabilitation is most successful when the process is a team effort. The victim and his family should work closely with the doctor, nurse and other rehabilitation specialists.

A safe and effective rehabilitation program, tailored individually for each client at the Irakli Pozharinsky Center, allows patients to recover at a pace that suits their needs and abilities. Choosing the right strategy is based on many factors, such as:

severity of defects;
the unique characteristics of the physical problems in each case;
having other medical conditions such as arthritis, kidney disease, or heart disease;
likelihood of help from family members and friends;
patient's financial capabilities;
his preferences.

Particular difficulties in the treatment of right-sided stroke are hemiparesis (partial weakness) and hemiplegia (complete paralysis) on the left side of the body. On the left, only the arm, leg and face may be affected, or the entire side may be affected by weakness or inability to move.

Paralysis is treated with various forms of therapy to restore motor function. Motor function in the affected limb can be restored or improved through physical therapy and mirror therapy. The essence of mirror therapy: placing a mirror next to the unaffected limb, which blocks the patient's visual view of the affected arm or leg. This creates the illusion in the patient that the affected limb is functioning normally. This increases the chance of restoring motor function.

The first stage of treatment for paralysis requires bed rest. The patient receives all the necessary medications to improve the functioning of the brain. To restore motor and sensory function, passive exercises (training in which a specialist helps perform a certain series of movements) are performed in the initial period of rehabilitation. At the end of the acute phase, physical therapy begins. Therapeutic gymnastics exercises, like massage, are necessary for all paralyzed patients without exception.

Right side

Numbness on the right side of the body is not studied as an independent disease. Often, symptomatic manifestations indicate inflammation in the body and systemic disorders.

As an exception, hypothermia or deterioration of skin sensitivity with prolonged compression is considered.

Let's look at the reasons:

Hernia in the spine.
Neoplasms on the back.
Stroke.
Joint damage.
Bad heredity.
Sclerosis.

Sensitivity in the right side worsens after increased concentrations of heavy metals or diabetes. Therapy for paresthesia will be determined by the causes of the disease, which manifests itself after some examinations. If the problem with skin sensitivity is caused by prolonged compression, uncomfortable position or radicular syndrome, you will need massage and gymnastics.

To stretch small muscles, use:

To improve the work of the hand, balls or walnuts should be placed in the palm of your hand, covered with the other hand and performed in a circular motion.
The feet can be kneaded with warm, firm peas.

When paresthesia is provoked by other pathologies, therapy is determined by the attending physician. Therapy is performed using medications.

Postoperative numbness

After surgery, partial or complete loss of sensation in a certain area of the body may occur. The causes of this condition are determined by a specialist after examining the patient. If necessary, additional diagnostics are prescribed.

Numbness after surgery is a consequence of:

damage to nerve endings;
circulatory disorders;
hernias

The doctor will prescribe therapy, determining the cause of paresthesia and its nature. As a rule, physiotherapy, medications or traditional medicine prescriptions are prescribed as treatment.

In what situations does numbness indicate illness?

Some people need to learn to understand when it is best to pay more attention to their health. You have to sound the alarm when numbness of the body is observed for a long time and often. In this case, people lose control of their limbs and become unable to move them.

It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the skin. When people's fingers go numb or their skin changes color, they need to see a doctor as soon as possible. It is difficult for patients to talk when sensitivity in the face and chin deteriorates. Swelling occurs periodically.

When sensation worsens around the waist, it becomes difficult to control bowel movements and urination. In such situations, you need to consult a doctor for therapy.

Such signs are not always a cause for concern when a person does not change position for a long time. If it’s cold outside and gloves don’t help, your fingers get very cold, sensitivity and the ability to control the function of your limbs deteriorate. Numbness should not lead to negative thoughts if a person simply rests his legs or rests his arm. But if the sensitivity of the limb does not resume after some time, you need to contact specialists for help.

How to treat numbness with osteochondrosis

Before treating numbness due to osteochondrosis, it is necessary to conduct a series of diagnostic tests. It is important to exclude diseases such as cubital, carpal tunnel, and carpal syndromes. It is important to promptly diagnose plexitis, a dangerous neurological disease in which the patient can become disabled. An experienced doctor also excludes the possibility of developing spinal canal stenosis and acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke).

For diagnosis, an X-ray image of the part of the spine in which the doctor suspects the presence of degenerative dystrophic changes in the area of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc is used. At an early stage, an x-ray may only show a decrease in the joint space in the intervertebral joints. At the second stage, a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs and an increase in the area they occupy are visible. A disc herniation can be seen during an MRI examination.

Numb fingers

When people suffer from loss of sensation in the fingers or experience severe pain, there is a change in the color of the limbs, in such a situation the issue of vasospasm is considered. A similar condition is typical for Raynaud's syndrome, intervertebral hernia, scleroderma, and osteochondrosis.

Suspicions of osteochondrosis arise if not only the limb goes numb, but also the head begins to hurt; therapy is determined by a specialist. When loss of sensation occurs in the little or ring fingers, neuropathy occurs.

Diagnostics

The initial doctor’s appointment will consist of listening to the patient’s complaints and conducting an examination, on the basis of which the specialist will plan further diagnostic measures. To make a reliable diagnosis and begin treatment, you need:

laboratory tests that determine a general, biochemical blood test with calculation of glucose levels, lipoproteins, triglycerides and cholesterol. If arthritis is suspected, a urine test is necessary;
radiography is an accessible study that excludes injuries, inflammation, the formation of tumors, and bone growths;
CT, MRI. Highly informative techniques that provide a complete picture of the size, location and nature of the pathology;
electrophysiological diagnostic procedures that clarify the characteristics of nerve damage;
Ultrasound, sonography, duplex scanning. Studies shown in the study of arterial lesions, varicose veins. An assessment of blood flow and its character is given. The sizes of the vessels are measured.

Face and head

Patients often worry about numbness in the head and facial muscles. Such symptoms are rarely caused by the body’s natural response to external factors.

A temporary decrease in sensitivity in the face or back of the head occurs in the following situations:

After sleep, when the head was in an unnatural position.
Reading, working on a computer and many other activities require holding your head statically in one position.
The effects of panic attacks, neuroses.

Pathological conditions include stroke, which is expressed by numbness, while the skin rarely becomes numb on the right.

Numbness of the face may indicate the following situations:

Trigeminal neuritis.
Migraine.
Neurosis.
VSD.
Slerosis.
Damage to nerve fibers.
Cerebrovascular disorders.

Deterioration in the sensitivity of the tongue, chin, and cheeks can be caused by dental disorders and jaw injuries. If there are disorders in the cervical spine during the occurrence of VSD attacks or pressure changes, the head and skin in some places may become numb.

Disorders of the tongue, pharynx, and oral mucosa occur with the following disorders:

Glossalgia.
Hot food burns.
Candidiasis.
Spasm of nerve tissue.

Numbness of varying degrees of localization appears due to nervous overstrain and stressful situations. Insect bites can cause sensitivity problems.

Numbness of the head with cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis can cause numbness in the head only if a degenerative dystrophic disease develops in the tissues of the C3-C4 intervertebral discs. The radicular nerves extending here are responsible for the innervation of the ear, cheek, lips, and nose. They also form the facial nerve. The so-called paired cranial nerves emerge from the brain stem. Some of them form the solar plexus, the vagus nerve. Some give rise to the trigeminal nerve and roots responsible for innervation of the scalp.

When cranial nerves are pinched, numbness of the head with cervical osteochondrosis is always accompanied by severe pain, increased intracranial and blood pressure, headaches, decreased performance, etc. Such conditions require immediate assistance. With prolonged compression of paired cranial nerves, serious pathologies can develop that significantly worsen the patient’s quality of life. For example, if the intervertebral discs in the upper part of the cervical spine are damaged, trigeminal neuralgia may develop.

Treatment

The therapeutic technique is determined individually in all situations. Traditional and non-traditional methods of therapy are used. Exercise therapy is carried out for radicular syndromes to improve one’s condition; doctors also recommend massage, reflexology and physiotherapy. Numbness of the body in diabetes is treated by endocrinologists, drugs and diet are prescribed, and lifestyle is adjusted.

Numbness of parts of the body on the right side requires increased physical activity and adjustments to the diet. Nicotine, alcohol, peppery and salty foods have a harmful effect on the condition of the circulatory system and cartilage tissue. You need to dress according to the weather so that hypothermia does not occur; diseases will be treated in time without becoming chronic.

Drug therapy involves the use of:

Medicines that reduce pain and inflammation.
Medications that reduce spasms.
Drugs that aggravate the conduction of nerve impulses.
Medicines that improve the functioning of the blood supply system.
Medicines that stabilize blood pressure.

To prevent negative reactions of the body you need:

Take frequent breaks from work that involves being in the same body position, and do exercises.
Mattresses and pillows must be of high quality.
Nutrition needs to be improved to reduce weight and strengthen the diet with vitamins.
Perform therapeutic exercises that strengthen joints and intervertebral discs, promoting blood circulation.

There is no need to eliminate numbness caused by complex diseases and folk recipes. Such symptoms can be stopped, but the disease will not be cured. As a result, the symptoms will be much brighter and more severe.

Numbness of the face with cervical osteochondrosis

Periodically occurring numbness of the face with cervical osteochondrosis is not necessarily associated with serious destructive processes in the area of the intervertebral discs. Often, numbness of the face with cervical osteochondrosis is a consequence of inflammatory edema or excessive strain of the neck muscles during prolonged static load. A so-called tension headache occurs and numbness begins to be felt in certain parts of the face.

Any numbness with cervical osteochondrosis has distinctive features:

localization is usually unilateral and not symmetrical;
unpleasant sensations spread along the nerve;
may be accompanied by a feeling of tingling, coldness;
the color of the skin changes to pale and even bluish, which is a consequence of impaired blood circulation in the capillary bed;
have restrictions on distribution.

Periodically occurring numbness in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine may accompany a mild stage of destruction of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc. A constantly present feeling of numbness and coldness indicates that there is atrophy of the nerve fiber.

Why do goosebumps occur?

To combat such a disorder, you first need to determine the cause leading to this condition. Often people's arms and legs go numb. Such signs appear temporarily or remain stable. In rare situations, such symptoms cause pain and weakness. The arms and legs are more difficult to move, the head is dizzy, and it is difficult for the person to talk.

If your limbs become numb due to pinched nerve endings or blood flow problems, you may need to change your body position to relieve symptoms. Sometimes arms and legs go numb during cold spells, so people are advised to keep warm.

Such numbness occurs for several reasons:

When people's fingers or some parts of their hands go numb all the time, radicular syndrome may occur, which includes radiculitis, caused by interruptions in the vascular system or mechanical compression of nerve fibers in the spine and spinal cord. Sometimes with such numbness, a burning sensation is felt in the hands.
Polyneuropathy appears in patients with diabetes. This occurs because the sugar level in the patient’s blood rises, leading to disease of the nerve fibers, blood vessels, and lymph nodes. Patients complain that the sensitivity of the limbs is deteriorating.
In case of serious health problems, numbness appears only on the right or left. The cause of this disease is stroke. Only during a stroke does the patient feel numbness on the left or right. Sometimes the symptoms spread to the face.

Treatment of numbness in osteochondrosis

Treatment of numbness in the arms, legs, head or body due to osteochondrosis cannot be carried out without treating the underlying disease. Since the cause of the development of the sensation of numbness is largely radicular compression syndrome, therapy should begin with traction traction of the spine. This procedure allows you to increase the intervertebral spaces using special equipment. This will create conditions for straightening the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc and removing pressure from the radicular nerves. The patient experiences improvement after 2-3 sessions.

To treat numbness of the hands due to osteochondrosis, massage of the collar area is used. This procedure improves muscle condition and relieves excess pressure from the radicular nerves.

In addition, our manual therapy clinic uses the following techniques:

therapeutic exercises and kinesiotherapy – increase muscle tone, restore diffuse nutrition of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs;
reflexology allows you to start the process of regeneration of damaged cartilage tissue by using the hidden reserves of the human body;
osteopathy and massage improve microcirculation of blood and lymphatic fluid, increase the elasticity of soft tissues;
physiotherapy, laser treatment, electrical myostimulation allow you to get a positive effect from the treatment even faster.

If you need effective treatment for numbness due to osteochondrosis, you can sign up for a free consultation with a neurologist at our manual therapy clinic. Here you will be diagnosed and given safe treatment.