Numbness and tingling are abnormal sensations felt anywhere in the body. Most commonly, they can be perceived in the hands, arms, legs or feet. The feeling of numbness or tingling is a signal unrecognized by the brain and signals that something is wrong. The problem can come from a nerve impingement as it exits the spinal column or peripheral stimulus being muddled before or after the brain receives the information.

Most frequently, problems coming from the neck (cervical spine) result in a wide variety of symptoms. Pain, ache, numbness, and tingling are a few of the sensations interpreted by the brain. Actually, the sensations are warning signals to the brain that something is wrong. Numbness in one of the extremities is the most common problem that can be equated with a peripheral neuropathy, more commonly called a “pinched nerve." Technically, a nerve does not really get “pinched," but it is the word that makes sense to most people. However, the actual feeling of a peripheral neuropathy in the arms and hands can really feel like something is being pinched.

There are a billion nerve fibers in your body that are clumped together in bundles called nerves. These nerves travel inside the spinal column and exit through openings between the vertebrae. After leaving the spinal column, the nerves separate into smaller and smaller bundles and travel to every nook and cranny in the body. The nerves that exit the neck are distributed in the shoulder, arm and hand. They travel in a giant nerve group called the brachial plexus. The nerve can become entrapped in several places between the neck and hand.

Without nerves, you would not be able to see, hear, touch, taste, smell, or feel hot, cold, pain and pleasure. Without nerves, you would be completely paralyzed: muscles would not be able to move, your body would not respond to any of your commands, and you would be a prisoner within your own body.