How to Diagnose Numbness

Diagnosing numbness in a part of the body can be difficult and may require a visit with a physician if it is ongoing or lasts longer than a few minutes. The numbness could result from sleeping or sitting in an awkward position, or be a warning sign of a condition or disease that needs medical diagnosis and treatment. Numbness is a lack of sensation in a body part. A person could have numbness in their fingertips only, a specific body part such as an extremity, or they could have total numbness on one entire side of their body. Knowing the causes of numbness and when it is vital to seek medical attention is important.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify which body part is experiencing numbness. Document the amount of time the feeling lasts. The cause of numbness in fingertips, toes, feet, ears and hands could be as simple as getting too cold while having a snowball fight, or it could be a sign of a condition such as Raynaud's disease according to the mayoclinic.com website.

• 2

  Note if the feeling has come on suddenly or if the numbness has built gradually over time. Numbness in the feet and hands is often a sign of peripheral neuropathy.

• 3

  Seek medical attention if your numbness comes on suddenly after an injury to the head, if the numbness is sudden and severe, or if it involves an entire arm or leg.

• 4

  Submit to a MRI or CT scan if a head injury is involved or if the physician feels the patient exhibits signs of stroke or a brain tumor.

• 5

  Schedule a visit with a physician if the numbness affects only a portion of a limb such as the toes or fingertips, if the numbness goes away and then reoccurs later, if the numbness gradually worsens, or seems to occur when doing something repeatedly such as typing. .

• 6

  Call an ambulance or transport the patient to an emergency room immediately if there are accompanying signs of paralysis or weakness, confusion, difficulty forming a coherent sentence or forming words, dizziness, or if a severe headache occurs, as noted by the mayoclinic.com website. These all could be signs of a stroke and medical treatment is needed within 3 hours of the onset in order to avoid permanent damage.