Legs and hands

Hello Anon

Thank you for writing.

We can't diagnose you over the web but can offer you some suggestions.

Your symptoms may be due to severe dehydration - are you drinking enough water/liquids during the day?

You could have something called peripheral neuropathy - peripheral neuropathy is damage to the peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that connect your spinal cord to the rest of your body.

Damage to the peripheral nerves often results in sensory (feeling) and motor (strength) symptoms in the:

Arms
Legs
Hands
Feet
Other parts of the body can also be affected. Symptoms depend on which nerves are involved. They can range from mild to severe and may seem worse at night. Sensations and pain may occur in the upper or lower limbs and move toward the trunk (eg, from the feet to the calves).

Symptoms include:

Numbness or reduced sensation
Tingling
Pain, often a burning or sharp, cutting sensation
Sensitivity to touch
Muscle twitches
Muscle weakness
Muscle cramping
Difficulty with walking
Loss of coordination or balance
Paralysis
If untreated, peripheral neuropathy can lead to:

Loss of reflexes and muscle control
Muscle atrophy (loss of muscle bulk)
Foot deformities
Foot ulcers
Injuries to the feet that go unnoticed and become infected
Autonomic dysfunction (sweating, bowel and bladder dysfunction, cardiovascular effects)
Difficulty breathing
Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. She will also do a physical exam, which will include:

Muscle strength
Reflexes
Balance
Coordination
Ability to feel vibration, temperature, and light touch
Additional tests may also include:

Blood tests (including glucose, vitamin B12 level, and thyroid function tests)
Electromyography (EMG) —measures and records electrical activity generated in muscle in response to a nervous stimulation
Nerve conduction studies —measures the speed and degree of electrical activity in a nerve to determine if it is functioning normally
Nerve or muscle biopsy (rarely)
Evaluation of family members
Genetic testing
Serum/urine electrophoresis (protein evaluation)
Spinal tap for demyelinating disorders

Anon, please contact your doctor for an evaluation. Let us know how things go.

Best,
Susan