Numbness and Tingling Treatment in Frisco TX
Why Are You Experiencing Numbness and Tingling?
Numbness and tingling can be easy to dismiss when it happens occasionally. An arm “falls asleep,” a foot tingles after sitting in an awkward position, and the sensation disappears once you move.
But when numbness or tingling keeps returning, lasts longer than expected, travels into an arm or leg, or appears along with pain or weakness, it deserves a closer look.
These sensations—sometimes described as pins and needles, burning, buzzing, or a feeling that part of the hand or foot has “gone numb”—often indicate that a nerve is being irritated or isn’t functioning normally.
The important question is why.
A compressed spinal nerve, herniated or bulging disc, spinal stenosis, peripheral nerve problem, and certain medical conditions can all produce numbness or tingling. The symptoms may feel similar even though the underlying causes—and appropriate treatments—can be very different.
At Venn Chiropractic and Wellness Center, Dr. Jason Venn has more than 25 years of experience evaluating spinal, disc, and nerve-related conditions. The first goal isn’t simply to make the tingling disappear. It’s to determine whether the pattern of your symptoms and examination findings point to a problem involving the spine or spinal nerves and whether conservative care is appropriate.
When a spinal or disc-related cause is identified, Gonstead chiropractic and spinal decompression are the primary treatment approaches Dr. Venn commonly uses together to address the mechanical factors contributing to nerve irritation.
What Causes Numbness and Tingling?
Numbness and tingling occur when normal nerve signaling is disrupted somewhere along the pathway between the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves, peripheral nerves, and the area where you’re feeling the symptoms.
Sometimes the location and pattern of the symptoms provide important clues about where that disruption may be occurring.
Numbness or Tingling in the Arm, Hand or Fingers
When symptoms begin in the neck or shoulder and travel into the arm, hand, or particular fingers, irritation of a nerve in the cervical spine may be involved.
A herniated or bulging disc, degenerative changes, narrowing around a nerve root, or altered spinal mechanics can affect the nerves leaving the neck.
Some patients also experience neck pain or shoulder-blade discomfort, while others primarily notice tingling, burning, numb fingers, decreased grip strength, or weakness in the arm or hand.
Numbness or Tingling in the Leg, Foot or Toes
Symptoms traveling from the lower back or buttock into the thigh, calf, foot, or toes may indicate irritation of a nerve in the lumbar spine.
This can occur with conditions such as a herniated disc, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis.
The exact pattern matters. Some patients experience a narrow pathway of tingling down one leg, while others notice numb toes, burning in the foot, heaviness in the leg, or changes in strength.
When Symptoms Affect Both Hands or Both Feet
Numbness and tingling affecting both sides—particularly both feet or both hands—deserves careful evaluation because the cause may not be coming from a single spinal nerve.
Peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, certain vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disorders, medication effects, peripheral nerve entrapment, circulation problems, and other medical conditions can also cause altered sensation.
This is one reason Dr. Venn does not assume that every case of numbness and tingling is a chiropractic problem.
Numbness With Weakness Is Especially Important
When numbness or tingling is accompanied by noticeable weakness—such as dropping objects, losing grip strength, difficulty lifting the foot, stumbling, or a leg that feels increasingly unreliable—the nerve may be affecting motor function as well as sensation.
Progressive weakness should be evaluated promptly.
The goal is to determine whether your symptom pattern corresponds with a particular spinal nerve or another identifiable mechanical problem and to recognize when the findings suggest that additional medical evaluation may be necessary.
Why Gonstead Chiropractic Matters for Nerve-Related Symptoms
When numbness or tingling appears to be related to the spine, simply knowing that a nerve is irritated isn’t enough. The next question is where the irritation is occurring and what mechanical problem may be contributing to it.
Dr. Jason Venn uses the Gonstead System because it emphasizes specificity. Rather than routinely adjusting multiple areas of the spine, the goal is to identify the particular spinal segments demonstrating findings that correspond with the patient’s symptoms and examination.
For example, tingling extending into particular areas of the hand may correspond with nerves originating in the cervical spine, while numbness traveling into the leg or foot may point toward involvement of nerves in the lumbar spine.
Dr. Venn combines the patient’s symptom pattern with neurological and orthopedic testing, spinal examination, and digital X-rays when clinically appropriate to determine where treatment should be directed.
When a specific spinal joint problem is contributing to nerve irritation, a precise Gonstead adjustment is used to address the mechanics at that level.
But in many patients with numbness and tingling, the spinal joint is only part of the picture. If a herniated, bulging, or degenerative disc is also contributing to pressure or irritation around the nerve, Dr. Venn commonly combines Gonstead chiropractic with spinal decompression so both mechanical components can be addressed.
How Spinal Decompression Addresses the Disc Component
When numbness or tingling is associated with a herniated, bulging, or degenerative disc, reducing the mechanical stress around the affected disc and nerve becomes an important part of treatment.
This is where spinal decompression plays a major role in our approach.
Spinal decompression is different from basic static traction. Rather than simply applying a continuous pulling force to the spine, the decompression system uses carefully controlled cycles of loading and unloading.
Those changing forces create a pumping effect within the involved spinal segment.
As the forces repeatedly change, pressure within the disc environment changes as well. This can encourage movement of fluid, oxygen, and nutrients within the disc while reducing mechanical stress around irritated nerve structures.
That pumping action is especially important because spinal discs have a limited direct blood supply and depend heavily on movement and fluid exchange for nutrition.
For a patient whose numbness or tingling is associated with a disc problem, decompression is therefore doing something different from the Gonstead adjustment.
Gonstead chiropractic addresses the specific spinal joint mechanics identified during the examination, while spinal decompression addresses the disc-related mechanical component.
For many appropriate disc and nerve cases at Venn Chiropractic, these aren’t competing treatments or an either/or decision. Dr. Venn uses them together as the primary treatment strategy.
The objective is to improve the mechanical environment surrounding the involved disc and nerve so the irritated nerve has a better opportunity to recover.
How We Determine Where the Numbness or Tingling Is Coming From
Numbness and tingling are symptoms, not a diagnosis. Before recommending treatment, the first priority is determining what appears to be disrupting normal nerve function and where that disruption may be occurring.
At Venn Chiropractic and Wellness Center, Dr. Venn begins with a detailed history of your symptoms. Where did the sensation start? Which fingers or toes are affected? Does it travel down an arm or leg? Is it constant or intermittent? Does a particular position or movement make it better or worse? Is there pain, burning, weakness, or loss of coordination along with it?
Those details can provide important clues about whether the symptoms follow the pattern of a particular spinal nerve.
The examination may include:
- Neurological testing to evaluate sensation, reflexes, and motor function
- Strength testing to identify possible motor nerve involvement
- Orthopedic testing to help reproduce or differentiate symptom patterns
- Spinal examination to identify mechanical findings that may correspond with the symptoms
- Digital X-rays when clinically appropriate to evaluate spinal structure, alignment, degeneration, disc-space narrowing, and other findings that may influence treatment
Dr. Venn then looks at the findings together rather than relying on one test or an X-ray alone.
For example, degenerative changes on an X-ray don’t automatically prove that they are causing numbness in someone’s foot. The location of the symptoms, neurological findings, examination, spinal mechanics, imaging, and clinical history need to make sense together.
What If the Problem Doesn’t Appear to Be Coming From the Spine?
This is an equally important part of the evaluation.
Numbness and tingling can also be associated with peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disorders, medication effects, peripheral nerve entrapment, circulatory problems, and other medical or neurological conditions.
If the examination doesn’t support a spinal or musculoskeletal source—or if the findings suggest that another condition needs to be investigated—Dr. Venn may recommend evaluation by your primary care physician or another appropriate medical specialist.
The goal isn’t to make every patient fit a chiropractic diagnosis. The goal is to determine whether your particular problem is one we can appropriately help.
The location and distribution of numbness or tingling can provide important clues about its source. Learn the differences between common pinched-nerve and neuropathy patterns.
When Numbness or Tingling Requires Immediate Medical Attention
Most numbness and tingling develops gradually and is not a medical emergency. However, certain symptoms can indicate a more serious neurological problem and require immediate medical evaluation.
Seek emergency medical attention if numbness or tingling:
- Begins suddenly, particularly if it affects one side of the body
- Occurs with facial drooping, difficulty speaking, confusion, severe dizziness, or sudden loss of coordination
- Is accompanied by sudden or rapidly progressing weakness in an arm or leg
- Develops with loss of bladder or bowel control
- Occurs with numbness in the groin, inner thighs, or “saddle” area
- Develops after a significant head, neck, or spinal injury
Symptoms such as facial drooping, speech difficulty, or sudden one-sided numbness or weakness can be warning signs of a stroke and require emergency medical attention.
New bladder or bowel dysfunction, saddle-area numbness, and significant or rapidly worsening leg weakness can be warning signs of serious compression of the nerves at the lower end of the spinal canal and also require immediate medical evaluation.
For numbness or tingling that has developed gradually, keeps returning, or is associated with neck pain, back pain, radiating pain, or other nerve symptoms, a thorough evaluation can help determine what may be causing it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Numbness and Tingling
Why are my hands or fingers tingling?
Tingling in the hands or fingers can have several causes. When the symptoms originate from the neck or travel through the shoulder and arm into particular fingers, irritation of a nerve in the cervical spine may be involved. Disc problems, degenerative changes, or narrowing around a nerve root can contribute. Peripheral nerve problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome can also cause hand symptoms, so identifying the pattern and source is important before recommending treatment.
Why are my feet or toes numb?
Numbness in the feet or toes may be associated with irritation of nerves in the lower back, including problems related to a herniated disc, sciatica, spinal stenosis, or degenerative changes. However, numbness affecting both feet can also occur with peripheral neuropathy and other medical conditions. An evaluation helps determine whether the symptom pattern appears spinal or whether another cause should be investigated.
Can a herniated or bulging disc cause numbness and tingling?
Yes. A herniated or bulging disc can irritate or compress a nearby spinal nerve. Depending on which nerve is involved, symptoms may include radiating pain, burning, numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm, hand, leg, foot, or toes.
Can a pinched nerve cause numbness without pain?
Yes. Nerve irritation does not always cause pain. Some people primarily notice tingling, altered sensation, numbness, weakness, or a limb that feels unusually heavy. The location and pattern of those symptoms can provide clues about which nerve may be involved.
Can numbness from a compressed nerve go away?
It can. When numbness is caused by irritation or compression of a nerve and the underlying problem can be appropriately addressed, nerve function may improve over time. How quickly or completely sensation returns depends on factors such as the cause, severity, and duration of the nerve involvement. Long-standing or severe nerve compression may take longer to recover and may not always resolve completely.
Why would numbness and tingling be accompanied by weakness?
A nerve carries both sensory and motor information. If nerve dysfunction begins affecting the signals controlling a muscle, numbness or tingling may occur along with decreased strength, grip changes, foot drop, difficulty lifting an arm or leg, or changes in coordination. New or progressive weakness in an arm or leg deserves prompt evaluation.
How do you determine whether numbness is coming from my spine?
Dr. Venn considers where the symptoms occur, whether they follow the pattern of a particular spinal nerve, and whether they change with movement or position. The examination may include neurological testing, strength and reflex testing, orthopedic testing, spinal evaluation, and digital X-rays when clinically appropriate. The findings are considered together rather than assuming that one abnormality on an X-ray is responsible for the symptoms.
Can chiropractic care help numbness and tingling?
When numbness or tingling is associated with spinal mechanics, disc involvement, or irritation of a spinal nerve, conservative chiropractic care may be appropriate. At Venn Chiropractic, Dr. Venn commonly combines specific Gonstead chiropractic with spinal decompression for appropriate disc and nerve-related cases. If the findings don’t support a spinal or musculoskeletal cause, medical evaluation or referral may be recommended instead.
Why do you use both Gonstead chiropractic and spinal decompression?
The two approaches address different mechanical components of many disc and nerve problems. Gonstead chiropractic focuses on the specific spinal joint mechanics identified during the examination, while spinal decompression uses controlled loading and unloading to address the disc-related component and create a pumping effect within the involved spinal segment. For many appropriate patients, Dr. Venn uses both as part of the primary treatment strategy.
When should I worry about numbness and tingling?
Seek immediate medical attention for sudden one-sided numbness or weakness, facial drooping, difficulty speaking, loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the saddle/groin area, rapidly worsening weakness, or symptoms following a significant head or spinal injury. Persistent or recurring numbness and tingling without these emergency warning signs should still be evaluated to determine the cause.
Find Out What Is Causing Your Numbness or Tingling
If numbness, tingling, burning, or pins-and-needles sensations keep returning, the next step is determining why they’re happening.
At Venn Chiropractic and Wellness Center, Dr. Jason Venn evaluates the pattern of your symptoms along with neurological, orthopedic, and spinal findings to determine whether a spinal or disc-related problem may be contributing.
When conservative care is appropriate, Gonstead chiropractic and spinal decompression are commonly used together to address the spinal joint and disc-related mechanical factors involved.
If your findings suggest that the symptoms may have a non-spinal cause, Dr. Venn may recommend additional medical evaluation or referral instead.
Schedule an evaluation at our Frisco office to find out what may be contributing to your symptoms and what next step is appropriate for you.
Reviewed by Dr. Jason Venn, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic | 25+ Years of Clinical Experience
This page has been reviewed by Dr. Jason Venn for clinical accuracy and reflects his experience evaluating and caring for patients with numbness, tingling, and related spinal, disc, and nerve conditions.
Venn Chiropractic and Wellness Center | Frisco, TX
