Numbness is legs is a common complaint in people who are over 40 years of age but it can hit almost anyone, regardless of their age and gender. Numbness of the legs is often accompanies by a tingling sensation. In medical terms, numbness is defined as loss of feeling or sensation in any part. You can also be feeling tingling or burning sensation in your body parts. Some people also report that they feel pins and needles in their legs during numbness. Numbness in legs can happen because of a single nerve or a series of nerves that have been damages or irritated. Compression of one or more nerves can also be the reason why you are feeling such sensations in your legs. Such an issue is usually experienced in the peripherals of the body. If you have diabetes, then numbness will become more frequent.
Usually, brain or spinal cord injury is the major reason behind numbness in legs. It is not a symptom of a life threatening diseases but is definitely associated with problems like sciatica. If you are feeling issues with the entire lower region of your body and the numbness in legs is felt throughout the legs, then you are probably suffering from sciatica. In this condition, the sciatic nerve (the bigger nerve towards the end of the spinal cord) that gets distributed into many smaller nerves at the end of the spine gets damaged, irritated or compressed. This nerve handles the nervous responses from the entire lower region of the body. As a result of this, there is lesser co-ordination between the lower body and the brain and you feel numbness.
There can be many conditions that can be associated with numbness in legs. Alcoholism, acoustic neuroma, brain tumor, carpal tunnel syndrome, herniated disk, leprosy, multiple sclerosis or even Lyme diseases. Vitamin B-12 deficiency and shingles can also be possible reasons why you are facing numbness in your legs. In case this problem persists, you must immediately seek medical advice. If the problem is occurring because of sciatic nerve irritation, then you will likely have to depend on pain killers and stretch exercises. In other cases, you should be getting checked for any further issues. That will help you in diagnosing any significant health risks right in the beginning. Make sure that you get appropriate tests done by your doctor in order to find out the real issues behind your problem.
