Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentDiagnosisWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Diagnosis
When to Seek Care
Seek Emergency CareSudden numbness or weakness in your face, arm, or leg is awarning sign of a stroke. Call 911 if you note this in yourself or another person. Other signs include vision problems, dizziness, confusion, slurred speech, and a sudden, severe headache.
Seek Emergency Care
Sudden numbness or weakness in your face, arm, or leg is awarning sign of a stroke. Call 911 if you note this in yourself or another person. Other signs include vision problems, dizziness, confusion, slurred speech, and a sudden, severe headache.
The cause of one-sided body numbness can sometimes be obvious, such as with a massivestroke. In other cases, a specialist such as aneurologistororthopedic surgeonmay be needed to pinpoint the cause.
Delmaine Donson / Getty Images
One-sided body numbness may be subtle or severe. It may affect one part of the body or the entire body from head to toe. The numbness may be experienced as the complete loss of sensation or prickly sensations (such as when your hand or leg falls asleep).
In addition to the loss of sensation, you may experience other symptoms depending on the underlying cause, such as:
One-sided body numbness involves problems with thespinal nerve rootsthat connect thecentral nervous system(brain and spinal cord) to theperipheral nervous system(involving all other parts of the body extending from the spinal cord).
The numbness is one-sided because each spinal root nerve services a specific part of the body on either the left or right. For example, the rightsacral nerveof the lower spine services the right lower limb, while the left sacral nerve services the left lower limb.
The opposite is true with the brain. If the left side of the brain is affected, the symptoms will be felt on the right side of the body. If the right side of the brain is affected, the symptoms will be felt on the left side of the body.
If the problem involves the spinal nerve roots, the numbness may be confined to a certain region of the left or right side of the body. If the brain is affected, numbness may be felt throughout the entire left or right side.
Many medical conditions can cause numbness on one side of your body. These include vascular diseases, spinal conditions, autoimmune disorders, and others:
Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack
Symptoms of stroke tend to occur suddenly, affecting either one side of the body or the other. With that said, symptoms can be mild and sometimes “silent” (unrecognized), only manifesting with symptoms such as unexplained numbness.
Atransient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a “mini-stroke,” is one in which the loss of blood flow is only temporary and does not cause permanent brain injury. Even so, having a TIA places you at an increased risk of having a stroke in later life.
Radiculopathy
Radiculopathyrefers to a compressed (pinched) spinal nerve root. This includescervicalradiculopathy affecting the head and neck,thoracicradiculopathy affecting the torso and arms, andlumbarradiculopathy affecting the lower back, pelvis, and legs.
Causes of radiculopathy include:
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy(PN)occurs when one or more nerves in the peripheral nervous system are damaged. PN may occur as an aspect of radiculopathy or be the consequence of other diseases, infections, or drugs that directly damage peripheral nerves.
PN is often bilateral (affecting both sides of the body), particularly when associated with a drug side effect orsystemic(whole-body) disease. Even so, PN can sometimes start unilaterally (on one side of the body) before becoming bilateral.
Systemic illnesses can also causepolyneuropathywherein multiple peripheral nerves are damaged, causing symptoms in multiple parts of the body.
Common causes of PN include:
Demyelinating Diseases
Demyelinatingdiseasescause the destruction of the protective covering of nerves, called themyelinsheath. When this happens, the nerves will “misfire,” often causing nerve pain along with the loss of sensation and motor control.
These diseases tend to be progressive and may end up affecting multiple organ systems, including the brain, eyes, bladder, and bowels.
Demyelinating diseases associated with numbness and loss of sensation include:
The treatments for one-sided numbness can vary greatly depending on the underlying cause. Some cases may respond with lifestyle changes and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, while others will need prescription drugs and even surgery.
Stroke
The treatment of stroke involves the rapid restoration of blood flow to the brain and the prevention of further obstruction. This may involve such emergency treatments as:
The treatment of radiculopathy is focused on pain relief but may also involve surgical treatment of a spinal injury. Examples include:
Medications are the primary form of treatment for PN, along with management of the underlying condition to prevent disease progression. Options include:
Multiple sclerosis is the main type of demyelinating disease, affecting nearly one million people in the United States. While there is no cure for MS, a class of drugs calleddisease-modifying therapies (DMT)can help reduce flare-ups and delay the progression of the condition.
These include oral, injected, and IV drugs:
Depending on the diagnosis that your healthcare provider suspects, several different tests may be performed to confirm the condition. A physical examination, medical history, andneurological examinationwill be performed.
Imaging tests could include:
When to Seek Medical Care
Symptoms of a stroke warrant immediate emergency medical care. Call 911 or get transported to an emergency room.
Summary
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.Warning signs of a stroke.Hanewinckle R, Ikram MA, Van Doorn PA.Peripheral neuropathies.Handb Clin Neurol.2016:138:263-82. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-802973-2.00015-XJohns Hopkins Medicine.Stroke.MedlinePlus.Bell palsy.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Paresthesia.Penn Medicine.Radiculopathy (nerve root disorder).Garozzo D, Zollino G, Ferraresi S.In lumbosacral plexus injuries can we identify indicators that predict spontaneous recovery or the need for surgical treatment? Results from a clinical study on 72 patients.J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj. 2014;9(1):1. doi:10.1186/1749-7221-9-1Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.Coutts SB.Diagnosis and management of transient ischemic attack.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2017 Feb 3;23(1):82092. doi:10.1212/CON.0000000000000424Johns Hopkins Medicine.Radiculopathy.Mehndiratta MM, Gulati NS.Central and peripheral demyelination.J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2014;5(1):84-6. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.127887.Rae-Grant A, Day GS, Marrie RA.Practice guideline recommendations summary: Disease-modifying therapies for adults with multiple sclerosis: report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.Neurology.2018;90(17):777-788. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000005347Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.Multiple sclerosis.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Peripheral neuropathy.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.Warning signs of a stroke.Hanewinckle R, Ikram MA, Van Doorn PA.Peripheral neuropathies.Handb Clin Neurol.2016:138:263-82. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-802973-2.00015-XJohns Hopkins Medicine.Stroke.MedlinePlus.Bell palsy.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Paresthesia.Penn Medicine.Radiculopathy (nerve root disorder).Garozzo D, Zollino G, Ferraresi S.In lumbosacral plexus injuries can we identify indicators that predict spontaneous recovery or the need for surgical treatment? Results from a clinical study on 72 patients.J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj. 2014;9(1):1. doi:10.1186/1749-7221-9-1Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.Coutts SB.Diagnosis and management of transient ischemic attack.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2017 Feb 3;23(1):82092. doi:10.1212/CON.0000000000000424Johns Hopkins Medicine.Radiculopathy.Mehndiratta MM, Gulati NS.Central and peripheral demyelination.J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2014;5(1):84-6. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.127887.Rae-Grant A, Day GS, Marrie RA.Practice guideline recommendations summary: Disease-modifying therapies for adults with multiple sclerosis: report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.Neurology.2018;90(17):777-788. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000005347Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.Multiple sclerosis.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Peripheral neuropathy.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.Warning signs of a stroke.Hanewinckle R, Ikram MA, Van Doorn PA.Peripheral neuropathies.Handb Clin Neurol.2016:138:263-82. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-802973-2.00015-XJohns Hopkins Medicine.Stroke.MedlinePlus.Bell palsy.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Paresthesia.Penn Medicine.Radiculopathy (nerve root disorder).Garozzo D, Zollino G, Ferraresi S.In lumbosacral plexus injuries can we identify indicators that predict spontaneous recovery or the need for surgical treatment? Results from a clinical study on 72 patients.J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj. 2014;9(1):1. doi:10.1186/1749-7221-9-1Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.Coutts SB.Diagnosis and management of transient ischemic attack.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2017 Feb 3;23(1):82092. doi:10.1212/CON.0000000000000424Johns Hopkins Medicine.Radiculopathy.Mehndiratta MM, Gulati NS.Central and peripheral demyelination.J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2014;5(1):84-6. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.127887.Rae-Grant A, Day GS, Marrie RA.Practice guideline recommendations summary: Disease-modifying therapies for adults with multiple sclerosis: report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.Neurology.2018;90(17):777-788. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000005347Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.Multiple sclerosis.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Peripheral neuropathy.
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.Warning signs of a stroke.
Hanewinckle R, Ikram MA, Van Doorn PA.Peripheral neuropathies.Handb Clin Neurol.2016:138:263-82. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-802973-2.00015-X
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Stroke.
MedlinePlus.Bell palsy.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Paresthesia.
Penn Medicine.Radiculopathy (nerve root disorder).
Garozzo D, Zollino G, Ferraresi S.In lumbosacral plexus injuries can we identify indicators that predict spontaneous recovery or the need for surgical treatment? Results from a clinical study on 72 patients.J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj. 2014;9(1):1. doi:10.1186/1749-7221-9-1
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.
Coutts SB.Diagnosis and management of transient ischemic attack.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2017 Feb 3;23(1):82092. doi:10.1212/CON.0000000000000424
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Radiculopathy.
Mehndiratta MM, Gulati NS.Central and peripheral demyelination.J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2014;5(1):84-6. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.127887.
Rae-Grant A, Day GS, Marrie RA.Practice guideline recommendations summary: Disease-modifying therapies for adults with multiple sclerosis: report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.Neurology.2018;90(17):777-788. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000005347
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.Multiple sclerosis.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Peripheral neuropathy.
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