Q My hands and feet have felt tingly and numb, almost like someone else's skin, for months. What exactly has gone wrong?
A Numbness is not a diagnosis but a signal. It appears when a nerve pathway is compressed, when blood flow to the area is insufficient, or when the nerve itself has lost function. So the same numbness calls for completely different approaches depending on where it began.
Detailed Answer
Numbness means sensation at the periphery feels different from usual. Some describe electricity running through, some a dull "not my own skin" feeling, some the sense of insects crawling. Broadly there are four routes: a nerve pathway under pressure, compression at a narrow tunnel such as the wrist, elbow or hip, loss of function in the peripheral nerve itself, and poor circulation at the periphery.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Korean medicine sees numbness as flow that no longer reaches the periphery smoothly. It differs by person: muscles stiffened and narrowed the path, the force that warms and pushes outward has weakened, or long illness has left too little to nourish the periphery. That is why we do not look only at the numb area but first narrow down where it started.
Related FAQs
-
Q
Orthopaedics and neurosurgery both did an MRI and found nothing. So why does the numbness continue?
#Possibility / Realistic Goals
-
Q
I worry that numbness in the hands and feet is an early sign of a stroke or something serious. How do I tell?
#Possibility / Realistic Goals
-
Q
My toes have been numb for years. Surely it is beyond fixing by now?
#Possibility / Realistic Goals
-
Q
Along with numbness I have neck and shoulder stiffness, cold hands and feet, and fatigue. Are they connected?
#Comorbidities
-
Q
Is there something I can do right at my desk?
#Lifestyle Management