A top doctor has issued a stark warning to those who frequently experience pins and needles. Also known as paraesthesia, the NHS says: "Pins and needles feels like a pricking, tingling or numbness sensation. It happens when the blood supply to the nerves is cut off.
This is usually when you sit or sleep on part of your body. It only lasts a few minutes. "You often get pins and needles in your arms, hands, legs or feet.
It usually stops when the weight is taken off the body part and your blood supply returns to the nerves." While Dr Ranj Singh , a regular on BBC's Morning Live, has reassured viewers that while most cases are harmless, he emphasised that there are instances where medical attention should be sought. He advised: "Most cases of pins and needles are transient and they're not anything to worry about, but there are two things to remember: is it persistent, and is it problematic?" He further explained: "By that, I mean see a healthcare professional if it's recurrent, if it's going on for a long time, if it's affecting your activities of daily living and your quality of life that's really important.
"If you've got any associated symptoms, particularly neurological ones, it is definitely worth speaking to someone. So if you have weakness or mobility issues and, very importantly, if you've got any features that might be suggestive of a stroke things like facial drooping, limb weakness, speech difficulties, problems with your balance or eyesight (then see a doctor)." Pins.