Extremity tingling

August 10, 2006 2:47 PM

I have had a couple (2 exactly) of episodes of tingling/ pins and needles feeling in my hands and feet (lasting 1-2 hrs) . And 1-7 times a day it feels like someone is sticking a hot needle in my foot (either one, very rarely in my hands), this lasts for around 30 seconds. The pain is very breath taking. I have also experienced some numbness on one occasion. I went to a physician's assistant since my doc was booked .....

She is looking at my thyroid via blood tests.
Her other guess was that I am having back problems even though I have not had any back pain what so ever.
I work in a library (duh) so my new job IS more physical than my old desk job but I have really gotten to it especially the last month or so (the first few weeks I was totally wiped out).
She gave me 6 days worth of Celebrex and some stretches/ excercises (most of these are covered in my current excercise routine)

I have no other symptoms. My energy level is good. I have been excercising and eating pretty well (lean meats, fruits and veggies, good carbs, etc). I am not stressed out, I have a great job and everything is wonderful at home.
The symptoms sarted days before my current excercise routine.



Fearing that her "diagnosis" is a load of crap, I have made an appt with the doc that was too busy. That appt is Sept 1.

I know things it could be and I trust that my doc will be more thorough.

Has anyone had back issues without back pain???
Or change in routine causing extremity issues? (although I started my job beginning of June so I am really over the change)

I am a 32 yo woman by the way.

posted by TheLibrarian to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

I had something similiar with my left arm, constant numbess throughout the arm and pins and needles in my hand if i squeezed anything. Turns out it is a pinched nerve in my shoulder. Lifting books, reaching across shelves, bending, could cause it. doesn't really take much, i aggraveted mine painting the interior of an apartment over a weekend. oh, and I am a 28 y/o decently physically active mail.
posted by dieguido at 2:56 PM on August 10, 2006

I would consult a neurologist. Just a thought.
posted by LeisureGuy at 3:06 PM on August 10, 2006

I second LeisureGuy. See a neurologist. They specialize in these symptoms which can be unrecognizable to other specialists/general practioners...let alone a P.A.
posted by dendrite at 3:59 PM on August 10, 2006

Having your thyroid levels checked is a start -- having an underactive can certainly lead to tingling in your extremities, though it would likely produce other symptoms as well (such as low energy, weight gain, etc.). If your thyroid levels turn out to be normal, though, I'd also consider seeing a neurologist.
posted by scody at 4:31 PM on August 10, 2006

Get a diabetes test too...

Peripheral neuropathy?
posted by Budge at 4:52 PM on August 10, 2006

Up-front disclaimer: IANAD

My neighbor had this "pins and needles" pain as a complication of diabetes. Her doctor called it neuropathic pain and he prescribed a drug called Lyrica. Last I heard she was doing better.
posted by Soda-Da at 4:56 PM on August 10, 2006

Extremity tingling could be nothing or it could be something serious like multiple sclerosis (do you have vision problems? That's also an MS sign.). Due to it hitting all four of your extremities it does NOT sound like something caused by lifting books.

If it continues you should definitely see a neurologist. They can do MRIs and other tests to look for specific causes.
posted by jellicle at 6:23 PM on August 10, 2006

or b vitamin deficiency.
posted by niloticus at 6:29 PM on August 10, 2006

Response by poster: yeah, the dr I like orders MRIs for ingrown toenails so I am pretty sure this will qualify. I totally trust him and he knows when to refer. I don't know what I was thinking about going to the PAs. I have been to good ones in the past but I feel like the two there are pretty unreliable (maybe that is why there are not as busy).
Luckily I have no other MS symptoms ( I have 1 close friend and 2 other friends with MS so I know the deal all to well unfortunately, fortunately they are all healthy as can be ---one is a mother of two and rock climbs, she really wants me to just rule out ms which is what I would prefer as well:)
posted by TheLibrarian at 6:33 PM on August 10, 2006

One can certainly have neuropathic pain in the legs without back pain depending on the circumstances, though this may be less common. Typically if the problem is in the back the cause is usually an anatomical impingement of the nerve roots on one or both sides of the spine. When this happens the neuropathy or tingling should correspond to a distribution on the skin reflected by the nerves coming out of whatever spinal level the nerve root compression is at. Here is an article about herniated lumbar discs with a lovely picture of the dermatomes or distribution of sensory nerves on the skin which correspond to each spinal level.

But neuropathic pain can be caused by a very wide range of things. Without actually examining you and having a full history, it's difficult to speculate. Because the list of potential causes is so vast, typically an initial workup will be limited and depend on suspicions based on additional historical findings and examination findings. Not unreasonable in most patient's is checking thyroid tests, vitamin B12 levels, assessing for diabetes, and potentially getting imaging of the back. Keep in mind that very rarely does neuropathy occur in all extremities at once due to a problem in the back (this would suggest multiple nerve root compressions, at both the level of the cervical and lumbar spine which happened at the same time), especially so without any back pain, or signs of osteoporosis or degenerative disc disease in someone relatively young.

Here is more than you ever wanted to know about neuropathic pain.
posted by drpynchon at 7:26 PM on August 10, 2006 [1 favorite]

I had something similar happen to me - pins and needles in my hands throughout the day. I am about your age, by the way.

Anyway, first I had my blood sugar tested because that sensation can be a symptom of diabetes. It came back fine. My husband suggested a visit to his chiropractor.

The chiropractor visits worked instantly. My chiro explained that sometimes your vertebrae get compressed, and this puts additional pressure on the nerves that come out between them. I was really doubtful - I have never been a fan of chiropractic - but after the first visit I Had three or four days of relief. I ended up going to him for about 5 weekly visits before the problem was fixed.

I do have a 19-month old child that I pick up often, so perhaps that is what threw things out of wack. Anyway, my insurance covered most of the cost of the chiropractic sessions - you might want to check something like that out. Rule out the diabetes thing first, though.
posted by Ostara at 7:56 PM on August 10, 2006

Insist that when your doctor checks your B12 level that he also run an 'MMA'. He'll know what it is.
posted by docpops at 9:50 PM on August 10, 2006

And this isn't diabetes. Neuropathy in diabetes takes a long time to develop.
posted by docpops at 9:51 PM on August 10, 2006

(Just so you're not freaked out... the MMA that docpops is talking about is another test for B12 deficiency.)
posted by penchant at 8:13 AM on August 11, 2006