What Can Cause Tingling & Numbness In The Thigh & Ways To Get Rid Of It?

At times, when people sleep wrongly or sit with their legs crossed for a long duration of time, they tend to experience an unusual prickling sensation in their arm or legs. They feel like that part of their body has become senseless and that blood is not flowing through it. This is known as tingling and numbness sensation. This sensation is medically termed as paresthesias. Tingling and numbness usually occurs in the feet and arms, although it can occur anywhere in the body. Tingling and numbness can occur due to many reasons, the most common one being falling asleep on the arms or sitting with the legs crossed for a long time. These symptoms of tingling and numbness most often go away on their own when the hand or leg is shaken and the blood flow returns to normal. But when this does not happen and the tingling and numbness become persistent, it can indicate an underlying medical condition. Diagnosing the cause for tingling and numbness is a complex task since multiple tests need to be conducted to rule out various medical conditions. The treatment for tingling and numbness in the thigh is based on its underlying cause. Once the exact cause is treated, a drastic improvement in the symptoms of tingling and numbness is then seen. Read on to clearly understand what can cause tingling in the thigh & ways to get rid of it.

Some of the potential causes of tingling and numbness in the thigh are compression or injury of the nerves due to trauma or disc herniation in the spine, sitting or standing at a stretch for long duration, and pressure on the nerves due to tumor or blood vessel enlargement. Infections, some animal or insect bites, intake of toxic sea food, vitamin B12 deficiency, abnormal levels of sodium, calcium, or potassium in the body, certain medications, radiation therapy, and alcohol and tobacco abuse can also cause tingling and numbness in the thigh. These sensations can even occur because of lack of proper blood flow to the thighs due to inflammation of a vessel, frostbite or atherosclerosis. Certain medical conditions which can also cause tingling and numbness in the thigh are carpal tunnel syndrome, migraine, diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis and stroke.

Tingling and numbness can occur due to sleeping wrongly or sitting or standing for a long period of time without moving. This happens commonly and is not accompanied by any symptoms. This kind of tingling and numbness is not a cause of concern and goes away on its own. However, when no obvious cause for tingling and numbness in the thigh is evident and if the problem persists, then the patient needs to consult a doctor, especially if certain other symptoms like muscle spasms, dizziness, rash, increased urinary frequency, and worsening of symptoms with ambulation are experienced along with tingling in the thigh. Tingling and numbness are also a cause of concern when they are experienced immediately after an injury to the head, neck, or back and do not get cured on their own. Certain other associated symptoms of tingling in the thigh, which indicate a potentially serious underlying problem that needs to be treated immediately, are vision disturbances, confusion, problem in focusing, weakness, severe pain, and loss of bowel and bladder control.

It can be a complex affair to diagnose the cause for the tingling and numbness in thigh. Doctors usually start by taking a detailed medical history of the patient, especially about the medications they are taking and history of any recent injury. They can also check the patient for any weakness in the extremities, their ability to grip and grasp objects normally, and their habit of consuming alcohol tobacco or seafood. The doctor can also order for certain lab tests to check the thyroid level, blood levels, or vitamin deficiency in the patient’s body. An EMG, MRI, CT scan, and nerve conduction test may also need to be conducted to identify the actual cause of the tingling and numbness in the thigh.

Get Rid of the Cause to Get Rid of Tingling in the Thigh: The treatment for tingling and numbness in the thigh depends on the underlying diagnosis. Once the cause of tingling in the thigh is accurately diagnosed, the physician can then formulate a treatment plan to help relieve the underlying condition and to get rid of tingling in the thigh.

Control Your Blood Sugar: If diabetes is causing tingling in the thigh, then controlling blood sugar level is the most effective way for getting rid of this symptom in diabetics. This can be done either by taking proper medications or by consuming the right diet.

Take Vitamin Supplements: Tingling and numbness in the thigh caused by vitamin deficiency can be gotten rid of by taking prescribed vitamin supplements.

Change Your Medicine: If some medications are responsible for causing tingling in the thigh, then it is advisable to switch to a different medication after consulting a doctor.

Surgery: Tingling and numbness in the thigh when triggered due to disc herniation in the spine, then the symptoms of tingling and numbness in the thigh can be relieved through many treatments. However, the most preferred way is a surgical decompression of the nerve that not only helps to improve tingling in the thigh, but also relieves the symptoms of pain and difficulty with doing tasks.

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