Chiropractors on Leg Numbness: Should You Worry When It Happens?

Did you just feel that your leg is giving way and cannot support your weight anymore? You take a fall or find something to hold on to. Moments later, the weakness is gone and you can walk without any problems again. You put the occurrence behind you and don’t give it a second thought. In our opinion as professional chiropractors, leg numbness should not be ignored.

In this article, we will discuss the potential causes of this condition and how chiropractic can help you solve some of the issues causing leg numbness.

Why Do Your Legs “Go to Sleep”?

There is a popular phrase for the feeling of leg numbness: my foot’s gone to sleep. It happens a lot of the time when you sit down Indian style (cross-legged) or in the lotus position (sitting on your folded legs).

In this situation, the pressure the leg experiences, caught between a hard surface (the floor) and your body weight causes a nerve to stop communicating messages from your brain effectively. According to chiropractors, leg numbness caused by this precise issue can be easily dealt with:
•    Manipulations
•    Specific massage
•    Teaching the patient a healthier and more correct sitting position.

However, there are situations when leg numbness occurs out of nowhere. You are not making any kind of physical effort and you are not sitting on your legs.

Listen to Chiropractors: Leg Numbness Can Be the Symptom of a Serious Condition

Over the years and accumulated experience, chiropractors treating leg numbness have identified some worrisome conditions, determining them to refer patients to other specialists:

1. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS is a degenerative autoimmune condition that causes the central nervous system to be attacked and destroyed by the immune system. The first symptoms of this incurable condition are mild and often ignored by patients:
•    Leg numbness and tingling
•    Tripping and falling for no apparent reason
•    Bouts of dizziness
•    Muscle spasms.

If you look for chiropractic treatment for leg numbness in the early stages, the practitioner will direct you to perform further testing after excluding other conditions. This is extremely important for your future prognosis and quality of life.

2. Diabetes

Diabetes can pass under the radar because it has so many unrelated symptoms. If blood sugar levels get too high without proper management and treatment, you may suffer nerve damage. According to chiropractors, leg numbness related to diabetes starts in the toes. Additionally, patients may suffer from:
•    Foot sores
•    Leg numbness and pain
•    Muscle weakness in the arms and legs
•    Imbalance.

3. Nerve Tumor

A chiropractor can identify a nerve tumor during specific treatments, such as massage. The specific swelling and lumps under the patient’s skin will determine the chiropractor to refer them for detailed investigations. Together with leg numbness, patients also experience weak muscles and a lack of balance.

4. Sciatica

Sciatica may not be a life-threatening condition, like the others above, but it is debilitating. In the experience of chiropractors, leg numbness associated with sciatica starts from the hip and runs down the leg, causing it to give way.

Can Chiropractors Help with Leg Numbness?

Chiropractic treatment can be used together with other specific therapies to improve your well-being and quality of life. If leg numbness is simply caused by pressure on the nerves, chiropractic adjustments can effectively solve the problem for good.

Whatever the underlying cause may be, chiropractic treatment can help patients with leg numbness feel better and regain their mobility.