When nerves get damaged

Peripheral neuropathy causes strange feelings of numbness and sometimes pain.

We've all had a foot fall asleep because of the way we have been sitting or standing. The abnormal pressure pushes on nerves and compresses the blood vessels that supply them. The nerves react to their distress by sending signals that cause an unpleasant, even painful, tingling sensation. But it's a temporary situation: the pins-and-needles go away after we change position so blood vessels open up and the pressure is off the nerve – unless you suffer from peripheral neuropathy.