Numbness

Numbness is felt when nerve impulses aren't traveling properly from the skin to the brain.

A patient with back problems may also experience numbness in other parts of the body, especially the legs and feet. This always indicates some kind of nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system or the central nervous system (i.e. the spine or the brain) and deserves prompt and serious attention.

Numbness can occur in the skin and the linings of body orifices such as the mouth or the vagina.

Common spinal causes of numbness include the following:

- Radiculopathy - A pinched nerve due to a herniated disc.

- Stenosis; A narrowing of the spinal canal, which can compress sensory nerve fibers causing loss of sensation.

- Multiple Sclerosis

- Stroke

Common cerebral causes of numbness include the following:

- Stroke

- Seizures

- Congenital abnormalities

- Concussion

Other generalized conditions, such as psychological upsets