Numbness and Tingling: Causes and Treatment

Have you ever experienced a strange "prickling" or "static" sensation in your fingers/hands, or toes/feet? If so, it might benefit you to start with the spine! Numbness and tingling in the extremities can be cause by neurological compression in the spine. 

"Asking for a friend....'what is neurological compression'"?

It's actually very simple. Think of your nerves like a garden hose. When you turn the water on, and the hose is traveling in a straight line/non-obstructed path, the water (information) is flowing uninterrupted. You can water the lawn, wash the car, etc. with no problem.

BUT, let's say that hose gets kinked, or your friend was to step on it when you weren't looking...what happens? The water flow sputters, or maybe even stops depending on how much pressure is affecting the hose.

Nerves behave the exact same way.
When the spinal column and vertebrae are under uneven amounts of stress, it leads to inflammation of the soft tissue supporting the joint. When that inflammation reaches a certain threshold (imagine a balloon inflating), it begins to impact the flow of information from peripheral nerves (someone stepping on a garden hose).

How does that affect my fingers/hands and toes/feet? Imagine the nerve that controls sensation to your toes is unobstructed. Your toes and feet are going to feel "normal" because all of the information is getting from your spinal cord to your toes without being interrupted. 

Now imagine that the vertebrae in your low back are under abnormal pressure that causes swelling of the soft tissue. 

That swelling compresses (steps on) the peripheral nerve that controls sensation to your toes. Do we agree that since the information flow is obstructed (like stepping on a garden hose) the result could abnormal sensations (sputtering water) in the toes?

If you are experiencing numbness and tingling in the extremities, keep in mind there could be other causes/contributing factors. It's ALWAYS recommended that you seek the help of a licensed physician to determine what the cause (s) may be. But keep in mind, that numbness and tingling is strongly correlated with the function of the spine, and it's not a bad place to start!

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