Dr Samer Dahdaleh
Consultant Neurologist
Specialist expertise: Headache, Stroke, Movement Disorders, Neurology.
Paraesthesia is the medical term for the peculiar sensation of pins and needles, which occurs when a nerve is not functioning properly.
Paraesthesia is the medical term that describes the peculiar sensation of pins and needles or even tingling. This occurs when a nerve is not functioning properly. We may all have experienced waking in the morning and, when moving our arm, felt pins and needles down into our hand. During the night we have bent our elbow and leaned on our arm and we often describe this as our arm “going to sleep”. As we stretch the arm out and the nerve is no longer compressed, normal function returns. As it does, and the nerve resets itself. Tingling and pins and needles can be the temporary sensation that we experience for these few minutes.
There are more significant medical situations that cause paresthesia. Physical compression of a nerve may alter its function and reduce its activity.
There are many medical conditions wherein paraesthesia can occur. The most common of these are:
Naturally, the correct treatment for each of these scenarios naturally depends on the primary cause and hence investigations to establish the correct diagnosis is very important.
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