Most of us experience a little numbness or tingling in our legs from time to time. This is likely due to standing too long or from sitting in the wrong position. It’s enough to walk around or shake your legs to get rid of this unpleasant feeling. However, in some cases, leg numbness can be caused by more serious culprits that are connected to some health issues.
It’s more likely that your leg numbness isn’t a big deal. But if you experience numbness and tingling that lasts more than a week and can spread to other parts of your body, it might be an indication of a problem. Let’s look at some health conditions that can provoke numbness in the legs:
1. Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a mysterious condition that results from improper immune function. It affects women two to three times more often than men. Unfortunately, there’s no diagnostic test for the disease. Moreover, one patient can have wildly different symptoms from another. Multiple sclerosis occurs when the body attacks its own central nervous system, and persistent numbness in different body parts, including the legs, is one of the main symptoms of the condition.
2. Tumors
In rare cases, leg numbness can occur because a tumor could be growing in a way that presses on a nerve, leading to leg numbness and tingling.
If a tumor is cancerous, treatment might include chemotherapy, which has also been known to cause a condition called peripheral neuropathy that often triggers leg numbness. Although it’s unlikely that your numbness is provoked by cancer, it’s wise to discuss your symptoms with your healthcare provider.
3. Thoracic disk herniation
Disk herniation is one of the more frequent culprits of a pinched nerve. Let’s imagine that the disks are jelly donuts. If the jelly squeezes out, you develop what’s called a herniated, slipped, or ruptured disk. “If that jelly gets squeezed backward, it can press a nerve and provoke numbness and tingling.
Even the smallest wrong move can send a disk out of whack. In most cases, thoracic disk herniation treatment includes physical therapy, pain relievers, and cold compresses or ice. In severe cases, you might need surgery.
4. Lupus
Lupus is another common reason for leg and hand numbness since it can provoke peripheral neuropathy. This numbness can sometimes be alleviated by treating the underlying condition, as well as by following healthy lifestyle advice, like eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
5. Peripheral artery disease
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurs when narrowed arteries decrease blood flow to your arms and especially your legs. In addition to numbness and tingling, the condition can also make it painful to walk.
PAD usually indicates atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries. Atherosclerosis should be treated since it raises your risk of a heart attack and stroke significantly.
6. Diabetes
People with diabetes who don’t control their blood sugar levels can get severe leg numbness, since too high sugar levels can damage the nerves that transmit messages between the brain to the spine and other parts of the body, including your legs.
Diabetic neuropathy is the most common type of peripheral neuropathy that usually occurs in people with uncontrolled blood glucose levels.
The good news is that you can prevent neuropathy by managing your condition with diet, regular exercise, and appropriate medications. Once you get nerve damage, there’s not usually a cure but there are ways to reduce the symptoms.
7. Stroke
If you’re young, it’s unlikely that your leg numbness is the result of a stroke. Strokes are more common in elderly people, though they can happen in younger folks.
Regardless of your age, the symptoms tend to be the same: slurred speech, numbness, and weakness or paralysis on one side of the body. The symptoms occur suddenly and are more common in people with risk factors such as high blood pressure, a history of smoking, and diabetes.
