Paresthesia refers to sensations associated with a “numb” feeling in an area of the body. For some people, paresthesia can mean a complete loss of feeling in that area of the body; for others, paresthesia brings on a tingling or “pins and needles” sensation.
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What Is Paresthesia?
Paresthesia is the feeling of numbness, tingling, or “pins and needles” on your body. If our legs fall asleep because of how we are sitting, for example, then paresthesia is mild and temporary, lasting only a few minutes at most. Some cases of paresthesia can be indicative of serious, underlying damage or injury to the nerve cells in the afflicted area. Treatment varies depending on the cause of the paresthesia, and the location of the paresthesia. In some cases, paresthesia is treated with a cortisone shot.
While transient paresthesia is fairly common, chronic paresthesia can mean that there has been an injury to the nerves in that area of the body. In some cases, paresthesia may be the result of medical malpractice, which occurs when the level of medical care deviated from the established standards of practice.
Poor circulation, nerve damage, nerve irritation, or physical trauma such as whiplash can cause chronic paresthesia. Some medical conditions can cause paresthesia. But if a doctor fails to properly diagnose and treat paresthesia, he or she may be liable for medical malpractice. Studies show that diagnostic errors are one of the leading causes of medical malpractice claims in the United States.
What Is the Difference Between Paresthesia v Anesthesia?
The medical community also describes the symptoms of paresthesia as a sensory distortion. Put another way, paresthesia doesn’t usually cause you to lose sensation, but the condition does distort your perception of the sensation (e.g., by making it feel like pins and needles). Anesthesia, on the other hand, is numbness or the loss of sensation.
How Do I Prove Medical Negligence
Proving medical negligence requires that you prove four basic elements:
- Duty of Care. You must prove that your doctor or hospital owed you a duty of care. Doctors and hospitals owe their patients a duty of care to follow generally accepted standards of medical care when treating patients.
- Breach of Duty. You need to show that the doctor or hospital failed to follow their standard of care when treating you or diagnosing your condition. You could show this by proving that you were showing clear signs of, for example, paresthesia or another underlying nerve issue, but your doctor failed to diagnose and treat your condition.
- You Suffered an Injury. Next, you need to show that you suffered an injury. You might accomplish this by, for example, keeping a pain diary and maintaining medical records from a doctor diagnosing you with a condition your other doctor missed.
- The Breach of Care Caused Your Injury. Finally, you need to show that the doctor’s error caused or contributed to your injury. Another way to think about it is that you have to show that, but for the doctor’s error, you wouldn’t be injured, or your injury wouldn’t be as severe.
A medical malpractice lawyer may be able to evaluate your claim and help you understand the signs of medical malpractice. At Ankin Law, our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys focus on representing the victims of a wide variety of medical malpractice claims. We have the knowledge and experience necessary to analyze your paresthesia case to determine whether you may have been the victim of medical malpractice. We are well-equipped to handle the complex legal and factual issues that arise in paresthesia cases.
If you have suffered paresthesia and think that it might have been caused by medical malpractice, contact one of our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at (312) 600-0000 to schedule a free consultation to discuss a possible medical malpractice claim.
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