This sensation of ants wriggling in a body part is common and usually not serious. But it is necessary to consult if it persists because it can be the warning sign of a neurological or venous affection. Tingling—which doctors call paresthesia—can have a wide variety of causes. Most often, they correspond to the reappearance of sensitivity after a nerve has been compressed, when you have been kneeling or sitting cross-legged for a long time. Just move the numbed limb to reactivate circulation and reduce tingling.
When they prove to be stubborn, friction with a drop of geranium essential oil diluted in a dab of vegetable oil (almond, argan or macadamia) helps to reduce them.
If this symptom becomes recurrent, it is better to talk to your doctor about it, especially when it is associated with other disorders, such as a leg that no longer responds or a decrease in vision.
Tingling in the fingers - especially the thumb, index and middle finger - may indicate compression of the median nerve at the wrist. This nerve, which controls the sensitivity of the hand, can indeed be injured following micro-traumas of everyday life:piano, gardening, computer keyboard...
Difficulty grasping objects and pain in the palm likely to radiate to the shoulder also gradually appear. Women are particularly affected, especially during pregnancy and after 50 years.
Video of the day:The lack of magnesium can generate attacks of spasmophilia, with characteristic tingling in the fingers, feet and lips. This mineral, which leaks in the urine in times of stress, is indeed essential for controlling nervous tension and the ability of muscle cells to relax.
Restless legs syndrome, often associated with iron deficiency, also produces tingling, sometimes accompanied by jerks and electric shocks. They settle especially in the evening in the legs and can even disturb sleep. From 2 to 3% of the French population are affected daily.
Please note:a vitamin B12 deficiency, linked to an insufficient consumption of meat or dairy products, can end up damaging brain cells and causing tingling.
This autoimmune disease, which usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 40, can begin to show up as tingling in the arms or legs. Others have rather a feeling of burning or electric shocks due to damage to the protective sheaths of the nerve fibers.
"During the early stages of the disease, these symptoms occur suddenly during an inflammatory flare-up, then disappear in 85% of cases until the next flare-up", underlines Professor Thibault Moreau, neurologist at Dijon University Hospital and president of the scientific committee of the Arsep Foundation.
The earlier multiple sclerosis is detected, the earlier the treatment can be and the less severe the disability will be. Women are particularly concerned, insofar as "they represent 3 out of 4 multiple sclerosis today" notes Professor Moreau.
20% of migraine attacks are accompanied by transient neurological disorders that precede the headache. These warning signs – auras – are often visual (perception of spots, bright spots or blurred vision).
But they can also be of a sensory nature, with tingling or tingling that mainly sits in the arm, around and inside the mouth. These auras can last from a few minutes to an hour.
Prolonged immobility, especially when standing, is likely to induce tingling in the legs revealing poor venous circulation. Do not neglect them:left untreated, it can progress to chronic venous insufficiency (heavy legs, venous ulcers, oedema, phlebitis). At the first signs of discomfort, talk to your doctor so that he can prescribe you compression stockings, which promote the rise of blood to the heart. And walk with the sole of your foot firmly on the ground to boost venous return.
Tingling in the face, arm or leg can also be the warning sign of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), a sudden lack of blood supply to part of the brain. If they are accompanied by slurred speech, severe headaches or partial paralysis, dial 15 immediately.
Read also: