Many people have experienced tingling or numbness in their hands, arms, legs and feet.  “Pins and Needles” or “Going to Sleep” are two of the common phrases associated with this symptom.

 

These symptoms can occur while sleeping, sitting for prolonged periods or during periods where you might have to hold your arm over your head for long periods (like changing a lightbulb, or styling your hair). 

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If you look at the anatomy of our arms and legs, you’ll see that the nerves and blood vessels travel from quite a ways away in the body.  Nerves in the arm don’t start in the hand – they start in your neck and end in the tips of your fingers. 

 

In a healthy body, your nervous signals and blood flow smoothly from your spinal column into your hands and feet.  But what happens if a tree falls across this river and stops the flow? A pinched nerve or restricted blood supply dulls the signal your fingers and toes are getting – and can cause numbness along the way.  By diagnosing a problem that originates in the wrist, you may be ignoring the blockage further up stream – constrictions in the neck, or larger restrictions occurring further up the arm. 

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There are numerous places in the body your nerves can become restricted.  One common misunderstanding of Chiropractic care is assuming it is all about the spine.  Our chiropractor is really treating the nervous system – the core of this system being the spine.  But by properly examining your symptoms, and by conducting a full exam of the causes, our chiropractor can more accurately determine where in your nervous system a blockage is occurring – whether in the spine, or along the ribs, upper arm, elbow or wrist, or in the legs from the hips down to the heels.

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If you’re experiencing tingling or numbness, our chiropractor is your best bet to examine the entire length of the affected limb and determine exactly the cause of your symptoms.