Diagnosis and Treatments for Tingling Hands and Feet
To diagnose tingling hands or feet, your doctor will do a physical examination and take an extensive medical history to assess your symptoms, social habits (including alcohol use), work environment, risk of HIV, or other infectious disease, and family history of neurological disease.
Your doctor may recommend other tests, like:
- Blood tests. These can include tests to detect diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, liver or kidney dysfunction, other metabolic disorders, and signs of abnormal immune system activity.
- An examination of cerebrospinal fluid. This can identify antibodies associated with peripheral neuropathy.
- Nerve conduction velocity (NCV)
- An electromyogram (EMG), a test of the electrical activity of muscle
Successful treatment for tingling hands and feet depends on early diagnosis. The peripheral nerves can be regenerated if they have not been killed. While there may be no treatment, most of the acquired types can be treated. For example, properly regulated blood glucose level in diabetes can help treat diabetic neuropathy and prevent it from getting worse. Your doctor may also recommend vitamin supplements to help treat peripheral neuropathy in people with vitamin deficiency.