When a doctor tests your reflexes, she looks not only for movement of the stimulated muscle but also for speed and briskness of reaction. Slow or diminished reflexes can indicate a localized problem or a remote disease affecting neural function,...
Peripheral neuropathy is a result of nerve damage. Side effects include numbness in the feet and hands. While diabetes is one of the most prevalent causes of peripheral neuropathy, other causes can include infections, metabolic disorders,...
An adequate supply of vitamin B12 is crucial for the normal function of the nervous system and production of red blood cells. B12 deficiency injures the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The term "B12 neuropathy" refers to both spinal...
Running is a way to increase the strength in your leg muscles and improve your cardiac conditioning simultaneously. Numbness in your calves while running, however, may be a sign of injury in your legs or of another underlying medical condition. At...
The two major nervous systems of the body are the central and peripheral systems. Disorders of the peripheral nervous system include all nerve pathways outside the brain and spinal cord. Disease symptoms include muscle weakness, paralysis and...
Leg cramps, also called charley horses, are involuntary muscle spasms that typically occur suddenly and for no apparent reason. They often happen at night and can be excruciatingly painful -- painful enough to wake you out of a sound sleep. Leg...
Gastric bypass surgery is used to treat very obese people who are unable to lose weight through diet and exercise. According to the Weight Control Information Network of the National Institutes of Health, successful surgery will lead to weight...
The nervous system is the body's communication system. Signals travel from the brain along a pathway of nerves to various organs. This is how the brain sends messages to organs and muscles, instructing them how to behave. Nerves also carry...
Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain, and in the vast majority of cases, death. Most cases of rabies infection occur through the bite of an infected animal, when the virus enters the body in the animal’s saliva....
Paresthesia is the medical term for numbness and tingling, usually in the extremities. You may feel as if you have pins and needles sticking your feet or legs or something is crawling on your skin. Causes of paresthesia in the legs and feet range...
Pain is a feeling of discomfort triggered by the nervous system. It is dull or sharp, and often indicates an underlying condition. Pain can be short-lived or chronic, and can affect only a specific part of the body such as the back or abdomen, or...
The feet are composed of nerves, ligaments and bones. Damage to any of these body structures can result in symptoms of numbness, tingling and pain. Simple causes of foot numbness include wearing shoes that restrict movement, sitting in one...
Poor circulation in the foot can be caused by many conditions. This includes diabetes, peripheral artery disease, circulatory conditions and problems with nerve conduction. Wearing heels or improperly fitting shoes can also decrease blood flow to...
If you have elevated glycohemoglobin, you most likely have diabetes. While some labs offer a glycohemoglobin test without a doctor’s order, always talk to your physician to get an accurate diagnosis and nutritional guidance. Following the...
Ankle weights are exercise equipment used to add an anaerobic aspect to aerobic exercises or your every day life. The benefits of wearing ankle weights are limited and they can have a variety of drawbacks. There are safer alternatives to get an...
High blood pressure and the heart disease that results from it are the most dangerous complications associated with diabetes. Diabetics are twice as likely to develop heart disease. High blood pressure occurs when the force of the blood pumped by...
The nervous system is crucial to the proper functioning of just about every part of the human body. Nerves carry messages that tell muscles to move, glands to excrete hormones, pupils to dilate and hearts to beat. Nerves tell the brain when the...
At any given time, the level of glucose, sugar, in the blood fluctuates. A small deviation up or down or a slow deviation in either direction goes unnoticed and has no consequences. However, a rapid rise or fall of blood glucose presents trouble.
Numbness in the foot should never be taken lightly, particularly when it is not associated with sitting or standing in one position for too long. According to MedlinePlus, there are several medical causes for this type of numbness. One cause is...
Superficial ulcers are wounds or sores in your skin that do not heal or heal only to quickly recur. According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are three types of superficial ulcers: arterial, neurotrophic or diabetic, and venous stasis. Ulcers may...
OssaTron knee treatment is an alternative to surgery for patients with orthopedic (bone and joint) conditions. According to Sanuwave Inc., manufacturer of OssaTron, high-energy shock waves are sent to the injured knee, increasing blood flow and...
Diseases and disorders that interfere with the function of the nerves in the peripheral nervous system (nerves outside of the spinal cord and brain) can cause a tingling sensation. The tingling sensation, often described as numbness or prickling...
Alcohol is safe in moderation -- generally defined as one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. People who exceed these amounts or abuse alcohol daily often develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies because alcohol interferes with the...
Numbness, medically known as paresthesias, is described as a loss of feeling in the body that most often occurs in the fingers, hands, arms, feet and legs, according to MedlinePlus. Numbness is usually a result of excess pressure that is placed on...
If your foot slaps the ground while walking or running, you may have foot drop, which is caused by a weakness or paralysis of the muscles used to lift the front part of the foot. There are several different causes of this problem and they are...
Your feet are the instruments of independence that mobilize your life. Marvelously designed, each foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Feet function best when their rich network of blood vessels,...
Carnitine, or L-carnitine, is a non-essential amino acid your body produces naturally to convert fat into energy to fuel your physical activity needs. Normally, people generate enough carnitine to meet daily needs. If you have low carnitine...
If you are having trouble lifting your toes, tend to drag your foot when walking or find yourself tripping as you step you may have foot drop. Foot drop is a symptom that is the result of an underlying medical condition. It can be permanent or...
Vitamin B-1, also known as thiamin or thiamine, is one of eight B complex vitamins that play a key role in the conversion of the food you eat into fuel, or glucose. These vitamins also promote normal function of the brain and nervous system and...
