Paresthesia | |
---|---|
Other names | Paraesthesia, pins and needles, numbness and tingling |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Neurology |
Symptoms | Tingling, pricking, burning, numbness[1] |
Causes | Nerve compression, carpal tunnel syndrome, stroke, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, tumors, vitamin B12 deficiency, lead toxicity, diabetes, Guillain-Barre syndrome, encephalitis[1][2] |
Treatment | Depends on cause[1] |
Frequency | Common[1] |
Paresthesia, also known as pins and needles, is a feeling of tingling, pricking, burning, or numbness.[1] Less common it may be described as coldness or a crawling feeling.[3] It occurs without the skin being touched.[3] While it can occur anywhere on the body, most commonly the arms and legs are affected.[1] It may be of a brief or prolonged duration.[1]
A common cause of brief episodes is pressure on a nerve.[1] Long term cases may occur due to a carpal tunnel syndrome, stroke, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, tumors, vitamin B12 deficiency, lead toxicity, diabetes, Guillain-Barre syndrome, or encephalitis.[1][2] Diagnosis is based on the symptoms, examination, and further testing.[1]
Treatment depends on the underlying cause.[1] Efforts to improve the severity may include capsaicin creams, carbamazepine, or gabapentin.[4] The term is derived from the Greek "para" meaning beside and "aesthesis" meaning sensation.[3] The term dysesthesia has a similar meaning; however, some use it only when being touched results in the abnormal sensation.[5]