Numbness and tingling in hands and feet: daily habits that help, and when to see a doctor

Hands that go to sleep on the pillow, feet that are cold and prickly by evening, pins and needles after an hour cross-legged on the floor. Most of it is position and circulation, and most of it responds to habits. Some of it is a sign of something that needs a doctor, and this post is clear about which is which.

The everyday causes

• Sitting in one position: cross-legged, or with an elbow bent on a desk for hours, presses on a nerve. The tingling is the nerve waking up.
• Cold: hands and feet lose circulation first in winter.
• Tight shoes, tight sleeves, a watch strap.
• Long phone use with the wrist bent.

Habits that help

• Change position every thirty minutes. Stand, shake out the hands, walk to the door and back.
• Warm the extremities: socks at night in winter, and a warm oil massage of the feet and calves before bed.
• Wrist straight when typing and on the phone; a folded towel under the wrist helps.
• Drink water and cut back on the fifth cup of tea; caffeine narrows small blood vessels.

Warm massage for the feet and hands

A ten-minute massage moves blood through the small vessels that the day has squeezed shut. Warm mustard oil works well: sit with the foot on the opposite knee, press the thumbs into the sole from heel to toes, then squeeze each toe. Do the calves with long strokes towards the knee. For hands, the same from wrist to fingertips.

If you want warmth that lasts after the massage, a small amount of MARK Iodex on the calves or forearms keeps the area warm for an hour. Never on the soles right before walking, and never on broken skin.

When to see a doctor

Numbness is a symptom, not a condition, and some of its causes matter. See a doctor soon if:

• it is in one side of the body only, or came on suddenly;
• it is constant rather than coming and going with position;
• there is weakness, or you drop things, or you cannot feel a pin prick;
• you have diabetes, and the numbness is in both feet;
• it comes with back pain that runs down a leg.

None of those are things an oil addresses. A warm massage still feels good, but the appointment comes first.