To date, there are a huge number of ailments that must be addressed when the first symptoms appear, otherwise the consequences can be dire. Numbness of the feet (the causes and treatment of this condition will be discussed in detail below) is a very common problem that a large number of people visit the hospital every year. As a rule, this pathology is associated with impaired functioning of the circulatory or nervous system, but a complete examination is required to make an accurate diagnosis. With paresthesia, as a rule, there is a loss of sensitivity on the thumb, middle and ring finger. But each case is unique, so the symptoms of the disorder may be different. Let's take a closer look at the main factors influencing the development of the disease, and also talk about existing methods of therapy.
What could be the problem?
The causes of ice feet and sensory disturbances can be different. But, as mentioned earlier, most often they are associated with circulatory disorders in the lower extremities and nervous disorders. Doctors say that most often pathology develops as a result of the following diseases and conditions:
- degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine;
- osteochondrosis;
- protrusion of the nucleus of the intervertebral disc;
- cardiovascular pathologies of various origins;
- Raynaud's disease;
- diabetes;
- microstroke;
- overweight;
- endarteritis;
- autoimmune disorders;
- acute ischemic cerebrovascular accident;
- carpal tunnel syndrome;
- chronic hypertension;
- familial amyloidosis;
- malignant tumors;
- damage to blood vessels of various etiologies;
- renal failure;
- hypocalcemia;
- leprosy;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- varicose veins;
- spinal stenosis;
- flat feet;
- gout;
- tumor of the peripheral nerves;
- alcoholic polyneuropathy;
- intoxication with various chemicals and toxic substances;
- dorsalgia;
- thyroid disease;
- infectious diseases;
- avitaminosis;
- inflammatory lesion of bone tissue of the lower extremities or spine.
With all of the above diseases, patients may experience numbness of the feet. The causes and treatment will be described in more detail later in the text. However, as medical statistics show, if a patient seeks qualified help in the early days of symptoms, then the likelihood of a quick recovery is high. This article will discuss the most common ailments in which people develop a sensitivity disorder.
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar
Every year there are more and more people complaining of loss of sensation in the lower extremities. One of the common causes, according to many qualified specialists, is lumbar osteochondrosis. This disease is associated with a decrease in the functioning of the spinal column. It can develop as a result of many negative factors, but, regardless of the etiology, the clinical picture is always the same. In addition to sensitivity disorders, patients often complain of the following symptoms:
- pain in the lower back;
- mobility impairment;
- a feeling of cold or heat in the lumbar region;
- low body temperature in the affected area;
- blue skin;
- violation of the normal functioning of internal organs in the pelvic area.
Having noticed the above symptoms, you must immediately make an appointment with a qualified doctor. If untreated, lumbar osteochondrosis will continue to progress. In the later stages, it is not only much more difficult to treat, but also creates a great risk of developing many serious complications, including disability.
Hemodiscirculatory processes
With circulatory disorders in the lower extremities (symptoms of pathology may be different), people first of all begin to experience numbness in the legs. This is due to insufficient saturation of nerve fibers with nutrients caused by oxygen starvation of soft tissues. As a rule, there are no serious health problems, and the main reason is as follows:
- spasm of blood vessels due to a long stay in the cold;
- prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position.
Both states are reversible if you move a little and stretch. But it’s a completely different matter if a complete or partial violation of sensitivity is caused by any disease of the circulatory system. For example, according to many doctors, numbness of the feet and toes is one of the signs of the following pathologies:
- Raynaud's disease;
- atherosclerosis;
- obliterating endarteritis;
- arterial thrombosis;
- venous edema;
- varicose veins of the legs.
At an increased risk of developing these ailments are people who lead an unhealthy lifestyle. This is especially true for heavy smokers who take more than one pack of cigarettes a day. Numbness of the feet in heart failure is also very common. This is a very serious pathological condition in which the heart is not able to distill enough blood necessary to saturate the organs with microelements and oxygen, which is necessary for normal life. As a result, the functioning of the whole organism is disrupted, and the risk of developing many concomitant diseases is also increased.
The clinical picture in this case is pronounced. In addition to numbness of the feet and toes, the patient has the following symptoms:
- severe shortness of breath, which can occur even with slow walking;
- swelling of the lower extremities;
- heart rhythm disturbance;
- dry cough, in some cases sputum with blood impurities may come out;
- swelling and pulsation of the veins of the cervical spine;
- bluish color of the epidermis;
- cooling hands and feet;
- violation of tactile sensations;
- pain in the liver of varying intensity;
- frequent urination;
- ascites of the abdominal region, which may be accompanied by pain;
- fatigue and reduced physical ability;
- weight loss, sometimes reaching extreme exhaustion.
If no measures are taken, then the disease can take on an acute form, which creates a great threat to human health and life. In the absence of qualified medical care, everything can be fatal. This is due to the fact that left ventricular failure develops, disrupting the normal functioning of the heart. In this case, the following problems may occur in patients:
- numbness of the feet and toes;
- weakness throughout the body;
- frequent dizziness;
- unpredictable fainting;
- renal dysfunction;
- respiratory failure;
- bradycardia or tachycardia;
- epidermal cyanosis.
With prolonged absence of therapy, heart failure can become chronic. In this case, the chances of being completely cured become almost zero.
Diabetes
Every year, this endocrine disease is diagnosed in an increasing number of people. There are many reasons for this, but they are not particularly important. The disease requires constant monitoring and treatment, otherwise it can lead not only to serious health problems, but also to the death of the patient. Symptoms may be different, but most people report that they have numb legs with diabetes. Among the other most common clinical manifestations, the following can be distinguished:
- frequent urination;
- constant thirst;
- increased appetite;
- prostration;
- lesions of the internal organs of the genitourinary system of a different nature;
- fuzzy pronunciation of words.
Since the loss of sensitivity of the feet is characteristic of many diseases of various origins, if a symptom occurs, it is recommended to go to the hospital for a full examination. The course of treatment depends on the form and severity of the pathological condition, but in most cases it involves limiting physical activity, following a special diet and regular administration of insulin (for insulin-dependent diabetes), which lowers blood sugar. As for numbness of the lower extremities, then with this ailment it is associated with damage to nerve fibers of a non-inflammatory nature. The reason for this pathology is an increased load on the blood vessels, due to which tissues experience an acute deficiency of nutrients and oxygen.
The patient must constantly be under the supervision of a doctor and strictly adhere to all his prescriptions. Otherwise, a high probability of overgrowing the disease with a chronic form and the development of the following very serious pathologies is created:
- violation of carbohydrate metabolism;
- acute renal dysfunction ;;
- hypoglycemia;
- nonacidotic coma;
- lactacidemia.
If the patient continues to ignore the numbness of both feet and does not begin to take any treatment, this can result in many negative consequences. Among the most common, the following can be distinguished:
- damage and necrosis of the walls of blood vessels;
- ischemic stroke;
- myocardial infarction;
- diabetic retinopathy;
- chronic hypertension;
- atherosclerosis;
- dystrophy;
- shriveled kidney;
- gangrene;
- autonomic and peripheral nerve dysfunction.
In the early stages of development, the chance of a successful cure for diabetes is quite high. But if the disease develops into a chronic form, then the patient will have to suffer with him until the end of his life.
Neuropathy of the median sciatic nerve
There are many serious CNS pathologies accompanied by a sensitivity disorder. One of these is the defeat of the internal popliteal nerve. The destructive process can be triggered by a number of negative factors:
- phlebeurysm;
- hemodiscirculatory processes;
- deformation of the feet, accompanied by a flattening of their transverse arch;
- inflammation of the connective tissue with damage to the blood vessels;
- long sitting with crossed legs;
- pathology of the musculoskeletal system;
- various diseases of the spinal column;
- consequences of surgical operations;
- proliferation of connective tissue cells;
- metabolic disorders;
- severe intoxication of the body caused by excessive use of alcohol or drugs;
- local tumor processes.
At the initial stages of neuropathy of the median sciatic nerve, the patient experiences pain in the knee joint, which can be of varying duration and intensity. As the pathology progresses, numbness of the upper foot and fingers is added to the main symptoms. As a rule, the syndrome appears unexpectedly and disappears in the same way.
Alcoholic polyneuropathy of the legs
This is a very serious disease in which severe intoxication of the nervous system occurs due to the use of alcohol in large quantities at a time. To understand how this disease manifests itself, you need to know the symptoms. Treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy of the lower extremities is prescribed by a qualified doctor after the cause is known. As a rule, the symptoms in each patient manifest themselves in completely different ways. What unites them all is that in the initial stages, people experience numbness of the fingers and feet. Further, the following symptoms make themselves felt:
- cold in the extremities due to impaired circulation;
- blue skin;
- amyotrophy.
If the patient ignored the clinical manifestations of the disease and did not start any therapy, then everything can end with complete paralysis. But even if this does not happen, the patient will gradually continue to weaken, which, in turn, will negatively affect the work of the whole organism. In very severe cases, leg amputation may also be required.
Diagnostics
What is it and what is its feature? Treatment for numbness of the feet and toes depends on the disease that causes this symptom. Therefore, faced with a similar problem, you need to contact a therapist for an examination. First of all, the doctor conducts an oral examination of the patient and a physical examination in order to identify the essence of the problem, after which he prescribes the necessary laboratory tests. Depending on the intended diagnosis, the following types of diagnosis may be required:
- blood biochemistry;
- Analysis of urine;
- angiography;
- ultrasound examination of blood vessels;
- radiography;
- CT
- MRI
- tests for cancer markers and pathogens of infectious diseases;
- microbiological examination;
- serological analysis;
- RVG;
- bone and nerve biopsy;
- scintigraphy;
- hormonal blood test.
If additional information is needed to make an accurate diagnosis, then consultation with such doctors may be required:
- endocrinologist;
- phlebologist;
- neurologist;
- neurosurgeon;
- rheumatologist;
- nephrologist;
- chiropractor;
- vascular cardiologist.
After drawing up a detailed picture of the patient’s health status and identifying all the problems present, a treatment program is selected. To cope with a sensitivity disorder, you need to eliminate the problem behind it. This requires a comprehensive treatment. What methods it will include is decided by the attending physician. But it is very difficult to quickly achieve the desired result with medications alone, so the patient, as a rule, is under the supervision of several specialists at once.
Treatment
So, you have numbness of the foot, what should I do? First of all, you should understand that you should not start taking any medicines on your own, since this can aggravate the course of the pathology, complicate further therapy and lead to the development of many serious complications. The treatment program is selected for each patient individually, depending on the diagnosis. As a rule, it includes:
- taking medications;
- gymnastic exercises;
- physiotherapeutic procedures;
- massotherapy.
Of the medicines, taking the drugs of the following groups is required:
- antispasmodics;
- muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotectors;
- vitamin complexes;
- funds aimed at normalizing blood circulation.
Also, in case of foot sensitivity disorder, physiotherapeutic methods of treatment demonstrate good results. In order to increase drug treatment, patients are prescribed:
- percutaneous electroneurostimulation;
- UHF therapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- darsonvalization;
- paraffin baths;
- hydrogen sulfide baths.
The number of procedures and the duration of treatment are determined by a qualified specialist for each patient individually.
Alternative medicine
Many modern doctors practice alternative treatment for foot numbness. They are supplemented with the main therapy program in order to increase its effectiveness. There are many alternative therapies to help with sensory problems. Here are some of the most effective of them:
- Before going to bed, you need to grease your numb fingers with honey, apply a regular bandage bandage and put on warm socks. In the morning you need to wash your feet in ordinary warm water.
- Before going to bed, the lower limbs can also be rubbed with camphor ointment. However, they can also be lightly massaged to improve blood flow.
- Pour hot water into a bowl or bath, lower your legs into it and try to push the bottom as hard as possible with your fingers.
- Take 10 grams of freshly ground black pepper, mix it with 100 milliliters of vegetable oil, preferably olive oil, and heat the mixture for 30 minutes in a water bath. The resulting product should be rubbed twice a day until numbness disappears completely.
In addition, you should stop walking in tight and uncomfortable shoes, review your daily diet and completely abandon bad habits.
Conclusion
Numbness of the legs at first glance may seem like a mere trifle. However, many serious health problems and dangerous diseases can be behind it. Therefore, having noticed a similar syndrome, it is better not to hesitate, but to immediately go to the hospital. The sooner treatment is started, the greater the chance of a full recovery. Never spare time to maintain your own health!