Numbness Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Numbness is often used to describe the loss of sensation in a certain part of the body. This condition will be called hypesthesia if the loss of sensation occurs only partially. Numbness is called anesthesia when the complete loss of sensation is felt.
Numbness can affect the sensory modalities of the body. Examples: perception of light touch, sensations of pain and temperature, and sensations of position and vibration.
Symptom
Symptoms of numbness can be felt on one side or both sides of the body. These complaints can appear in various parts of the body. Oftentimes, complaints of numbness are accompanied by other symptoms such as tingling, burning, pain, muscle weakness, and so on.
There are several symptoms that can accompany complaints of numbness. If these symptoms are found, then special attention is needed. These symptoms include:
- complaints of sudden numbness, within minutes or hours
- Sudden complaints of weakness, within hours or days
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- symptoms of cauda equina or conus medullaris syndrome ( saddle anesthesia, incontinence, loss of any cutaneous reflexes/anal reflexes/perineal reflexes)
- neurological deficit below the spinal segment
- loss of sensation in the face and body (both on the same or different sides)
Reason
Numbness is often caused by damage, irritation, or pressure on a nerve. Some types of disease (such as diabetes), can cause nerve damage, causing symptoms of numbness.
In general, it is the peripheral nerves that are damaged, causing symptoms of numbness. Very rarely, numbness is caused by a problem with the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), for example, from a stroke or tumor.
Various causes of complaints of numbness include:
- Various diseases, for example: brain aneurysm, thoracic aortic aneurysm, Carpal Tunnel syndrome, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, leprosy, Lyme disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), peripheral neuropathy, shingles, diabetes, Arteriovenous malformation ( AVM) in the brain, stroke, syphilis, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), vasculitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, paraneoplastic syndromes in the nervous system.
- Tumors, for example: brain tumors, tumors on the spinal cord.
- Injury, for example: injury to the brachial plexus, injury to the spinal cord.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Exposure to heavy metals.
- Side effects of chemotherapy or anti-HIV drugs.
- Deficiency of vitamin B-12.
Diagnosis
Numbness is not a disease, but a symptom that can have a variety of causes. Therefore, a thorough and detailed evaluation is needed to find the cause.
Important things to convey to the doctor who examines you include:
- numb areas of the body
- presence of other accompanying neurological symptoms (such as weakness, abnormal sensations, incontinence or retention when urinating or defecating, difficulty speaking and understanding speech, blurred vision, double vision, difficulty swallowing, decreased cognitive function, etc.)
- possible triggers of numbness (pressure on extremities, presence of trauma or injury, poisoning, wrong sleeping position, symptoms of infection, etc.)
- history of previous illnesses, such as diabetes, kidney disease, HIV, and others
- certain habits, especially alcohol consumption and smoking
A complete neurological examination is also important to evaluate complaints of numbness. Especially the examination of motor function, sensory, and reflex. Furthermore, you may consider carrying out supporting examinations such as electrodiagnostic tests (eg nerve conduction tests and electromyography), MRI, and others.
Treatment
The treatment given varies greatly, depending on the cause of the numbness complaint.