My Hands and Feet Are On Pins and Needles: What Could It Be?

Pins and needles sensations in your hands and feet may cause you to worry and wonder what’s going on. Although sometimes this can simply be caused by a lack of circulation due to pressure or cold temperatures, it could be a sign of a more significant nerve disorder. 

A proper medical examination and diagnostic testing are needed in order to know what is causing your tingling sensations. At Texas Spine Consultants, our team of highly experienced and compassionate physicians determines the cause of your pins and needles and provides you with treatments that bring you relief from your symptoms.

What are nerves?

Nerves are bundles of fibers in your body that are essential parts of your nervous system. Nerves transmit signals between your brain and spinal cord and all the other parts of your body. They let your body know what’s happening and are responsible for signaling when there’s a problem by causing you to feel pain, cold, and other sensations.

What are nerve disorders?

Nerve disorders are problems with your nerves that can cause pain and other distressing and debilitating symptoms. These disorders can be caused by a variety of diseases or injuries that damage your nerves. Pins and needles in your hands and feet are likely caused by a form of radiculopathy.

In radiculopathy, one of your nerves has become compressed or pinched. This can be caused by bone spurs, a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, arthritis, repetitive motion injuries, or other conditions or injuries. These cause the nerve to be pressed down or pinched between other bone or tissue, causing your symptoms.

Radiculopathy causes a number of symptoms that can include pain, weakness, and tingling sensations in your back, legs, arms, feet, and hands. The only way to know for sure if you have radiculopathy is to be examined and tested by an experienced physician. Electrodes placed on your skin can be used to identify which nerves are having trouble and show where the pinched nerve is located.

Treatment

Our team reviews your medical history, thoroughly examines you, listens to you describe your symptoms, and orders diagnostic testing in order to understand what’s going on. Your treatment options depend on the cause of radiculopathy. We determine the best treatment to relieve your symptoms, which may include:

• Physical therapy
• Steroid injections
• Pain medicine
• Weight loss
• Anti-inflammatory medications

If these treatments aren’t effective to relieve your symptoms, we may recommend surgery to directly address the nerve compression. If so, we use the minimally invasive XLIF® lumbar interbody fusion system because it requires only small incisions, which means less risk and faster healing for you.

If you’re experiencing strange tingling sensations in your hands and feet, they could be caused by radiculopathy. The only way to know for sure is to be examined by a spine specialist. 

Call Texas Spine Consultants today to make an appointment with one of our skilled doctors, or use our online booking tool to set up a time that’s convenient for you.