Causes & Conditions Associated with Tingling in the Spine
Category: Nerves, Spine | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Everyone has experienced that feeling of numbness or tingling in their arm after a night of sleeping in an awkward position, but what happens if this sensation occurs in your spine at random intervals throughout the day? A tingling sensation can be caused by a number of different conditions, and it’s important to understand what this symptom may be signaling. We take a closer look at spinal numbness in this blog.
Causes of Numbness or Tingling In The Spine
There are a number of different reasons why you may be experiencing numbness in your spine, and some of those issues are more worrisome than others. Here are a couple common causes of spinal numbness:
- Acute injury causing nerve damage.
- Secondary condition causing nerve damage (like diabetes, an underactive thyroid or from years of smoking).
- Pressure on the spinal nerves from a bulging or herniated disc.
- Regionalized pressure from enlarged blood vessels, tumors or scar tissue.
- Lack of blood flow to the region. Reasons for lack of blood flow can be minor, like staying seated in one position for too long, or more concerning, like from atherosclerosis or blood vessel damage.
- Medication use.
- Pinched nerves.
Treatment Of Spinal Numbness
Because there are a range of problems that can cause spinal numbness, there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment for spinal numbness. Like most instances of back pain, treatment first has to begin with an accurate diagnosis. This can be done with a simple consultation with a spine specialist.
During your consultation, your spine specialist will look at your medical records, ask you about your symptoms, conduct a physical exam and likely confirm their diagnosis with an X-ray, MRI or CT scan. Once you’ve pinpointed why you’re experiencing spinal tingling or numbness, then you can put a treatment plan in action.
Some treatment methods your doctor may advise include: dietary management, regular exercise and weight loss, physical therapy, chiropractic manipulation, spinal injections, massage therapy, vitamin supplements or in some instances, surgery may be the best course of action. Your doctor will be able to walk you through your specific treatment options.
