Numbness and Tingling

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Common Causes

Numbness and tingling have many different possible causes, including:

• Remaining in the same seated or standing position for a long time.
• Injuring the particular nerve supplying the body part where you feel the sensation. The injury can be in the neck, back, wrist, elbow, leg, or elsewhere. If you have a neck injury, for example, you may feel the sensation anywhere along your arm or hand. Similarly, a low back injury can cause sciatica -- a sensation of numbness or tingling down the back of your leg.
• Lack of blood supply to the area. For example, plaque buildup from atherosclerosis in the legs can cause pain, numbness, and tingling while walking. (This is called claudication.)
• Pressure on the spinal nerves, like that from a herniated disk.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome can cause numbness or tingling in your wrist, fingers, hand, or forearm.
• Certain medical conditions, including diabetes, an underactive thyroid, multiple sclerosis, seizures, or migraine headaches.
• Changs in electrolytes, like abnormal levels of calcium, potassium, or sodium in your body.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke
• Certain medications, including chemotherapy for cancer, chloroquine for malaria, D-penicillamine, isoniazid for tuberculosis, nitrofurantoin, gold therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, or phenytoin for seizures.
• Toxic action on nerves, such as that from lead, alcohol, or tobacco.
• Radiation therapy.