Tingling : Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Last Updated: 07/09/2022

Tingling is a recurring stabbing sensation. The tingling may be superficial (on the skin and mucous membranes) or deep (in the chest, in the side). It can be caused by both physiological factors (eating spicy food, freezing, compression of a part of the body) and pathological causes (injuries, infections, dehydration, beriberi, etc.). Diagnosis of the causes of stabbing sensations is carried out using electrophysiological, ultrasonic, x-ray, laboratory methods. Treatment includes medication, physiotherapy and psychotherapy.

general characteristics

Tingling is a reaction of nerve endings to any irritation. Superficial tingling is usually described by patients as "sticking needles" into the skin. The sensation is sometimes compared to being "burned by nettles," "electric shock," or "bitten by many insects." Deep tingling usually refers to a sharp, stabbing pain in some part of the body.

Unpleasant sensations can have different intensities, but in all cases they cause anxiety, force a person to take some measures to alleviate the condition (for example, comb, cool or warm the skin), and in case of pain, look for a forced position in which the tingling is reduced or disappears. Frequent companions of tingling are numbness, burning, itching, tingling of the skin.

Causes of tingling

A tingling sensation can occur in almost any part of the body, on the skin or mucous membranes, in the internal organs. The etiofactors that cause tingling are varied; most often, a pathological symptom is associated with neurological, infectious, vascular diseases. Depending on the location of the tingling, the causes may be as follows:

  • Facial tingling: stroke, trigeminal neuralgia, migraine, stress, herpes, allergic reactions to cosmetics;
  • Scalp tingling: irritation from hair dye and shampoo, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, temporal arteritis;
  • Tingling of the tongue: use of spices, glossitis, xerostomia, glossodynia, hypovitaminosis B12;
  • Stinging in the chest: intercostal neuralgia, pleurisy, fractured ribs, ischemic heart disease, pericarditis;
  • Tingling in the side: cholecystitis, biliary dyskinesia, intestinal colic, renal colic;
  • Tingling in the hands: osteochondrosis, stroke, Raynaud's syndrome, tunnel syndrome, intervertebral hernia;
  • Tingling in the legs: wearing tight shoes, prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position, polyneuropathy, sciatica, obliterating diseases of the vessels of the lower extremities, anemia.

Tingling caused by pathological causes, persisting for a long time and delivering painful sensations to the patient, cannot be ignored. A comprehensive physical, instrumental and laboratory examination is necessary to determine the etiological factors and prescribe reasonable treatment.