Leg Numbness or Tingling

A decrease in the sensation of leg is known as leg numbness. An unusual tingling sensation is also referred as leg numbness.

Everyday Causes of Leg Numbness

Crossing the legs while sitting for a prolonged period leads to leg numbness. This can be resolved by stretching the leg after releasing the pressure. Prolonged squatting or sitting too causes leg numbness. In some rare cases of extremely prolonged leg crossing, peroneal nerve gets permanently damaged.

Sciatica

A disorder in sciatic nerve can lead to pain in lower back and leg. This condition is known as sciatica. It results in leg pain and numbness along with tingling or weakness. Some of the common causes of sciatic pain are as follows:

Herniated Lumbar Disc

A bulged or herniated disc in the lumbar spine puts pressure on the sciatic nerve roots. Lifting heavier objects can result in a herniated disc either gradually or suddenly.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The condition where the spinal canal gets narrow is known as spinal stenosis. The symptoms are similar to those in herniated lumbar disc. This occurs usually due to aging factor.

Spondylolisthesis

The slippage of vertebra and spine results in spondylolisthesis.

Piriformis Syndrome

The piriformis muscle undergoes spasms and compresses the sciatic nerved resulting in low back pain.

Spinal tumors and Infection

Sciatic nerve can get compressed by the tumors in the spinal cord and infection inflammations.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the womb compresses the sciatic nerve in certain positions.

Injuries

Leg Numbness After Surgery – A surgical fusion of lumbar vertebra can later on lead to leg pain and numbness.

Broken Leg – Deformity of legs or the inability to walk can result in leg numbness.

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome – Prolonged walking or injuries could lead to compression of posterior tibial nerve resulting in loss of sensitivity of leg.

Unknown Causes

Some of the unknown causes for leg numbness are transverse myelitis, restless legs syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

Hereditary Diseases

The condition of leg numbness can be hereditary and experienced in diseases like charcot-marie-tooth disease and marfan syndrome. The symptoms include loss of muscles and tiredness in legs along with numbness and tingling sensation.

Diagnosis of Leg Numbness and Tingling

A person and family medical history play an important role in the diagnosis of leg numbness. Clinical examinations including checking of leg sensitivity and investigations like X-ray and MRI are helpful in finding out the causes of leg numbness.

How to Treat Leg Numbness and Tingling

Leg numbness and tingling cannot be treated directly. Instead, the cause has to be identified first and treated accordingly.