Head Numbness

In medical terminology, numbness of skin without known causes is called paresthesia. Therefore, head numbness is medically termed as head paresthesia. Numbness in head is an alarming sign that mostly indicates some serious underlying disease. In that case, immediate medical intervention is required. Though it is difficult to understand such neurological conditions completely, yet the following is an attempt to give you a brief idea of the causes and treatment of numbness in head.

Causes of Numbness in Head

The basic cause of head numbness when sleeping or awake is the irritation of the cervical (C1-C4) nerves, parts of the spinal cord, Trigeminal nerve, brain stem or brain. This is because, these structures of the body are responsible for the head or face. Various medical conditions can result in irritation of the given structures. Some of them are herniated disc, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, meningitis, epilepsy, tumors, hypokalemia, head injury, etc. In fact, the list of disorders that can lead to head numbness is very long. Some of them are common while some are rare.

Shingles: Shingles or herpes zoster causes numbness on one side of the head. It is often accompanied with a belt of red patches and painful blisters that dry and crust over and get cured on their own in 3-4 weeks. Other accompanying signs and symptoms of shingles are fever, vision, headache and difficulty in hearing and altered tasting. The underlying factor is the reactivation of chickenpox virus that stays in the nerve roots in a dormant state.

Lyme Disease: Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacteria enters the body through a tick bite. Lyme disease involves the appearance of red skin rash after 6-7 days of tick bite. The skin rash is mostly circular in shape, and disappears in a couple of week's time. After several months or years, numbness in head occurs. It often comes with paralysis of facial muscles, problems with memory, vision disturbances, migratory joint pain and heart problems.

Multiple Sclerosis: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects brain, spinal cord or brain stem. The signs mostly occur after 30-40 years of age. The highly noticeable symptoms of numbness in head caused by multiple sclerosis are blurred vision, paralysis, unusual pain or sensation in any part of the body, impaired hearing and speech, difficulty concentrating, fatigue and depression.

Trigeminal Neurophatic Pain: Trigeminal neuropathic pain is the result of complications of physical trauma, surgery, dental procedure, and disease conditions such as diabetes. The identifiable symptoms of this particular disease are constant, either dull or sharp pain in addition to head numbness or tingling.

Treatment of Numbness in Head

The treatment of head numbness starts with diagnosing the correct underlying cause. The neurologist will ask you numerous questions regarding the time period of the occurrence of symptoms, exact location of the affected body part, medical history and family history. He may conduct certain neurological examinations to collect data to come to a conclusion. Some examples of diagnostic tests commonly conducted by the neurologist in case of numbness in head are electromyography, nerve conduction studies, nerve biopsy, and blood tests to determine the levels of vitamin B12, magnesium, glucose, thiamine, hemoglobin, etc.

The restoration of the causative factor treats head numbness. The neurologist often suggests you to lead a stress-free life as it helps a lot in curing neurological disorders. You may take the help of yoga, meditation and deep breathing techniques to calm and relax yourself. If the need is so, he may put you on medicines containing vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. Generally, the drug prescription for treating numbness in head often includes anti-inflammatory, antidepressants and pain killer drugs.

In case of numbness in head, seeking medical attention is a must. The need to consult a neurologist becomes even more important if you suffer from numbness of head that worsens during physical activity like walking, is often painful, frequent urination, and skin rash that appears without any known cause. If head numbness is not treated on time, it can lead to permanent nerve damage. Therefore, you need to take quick action to foreclose any sort of mental or physical disability.