Occasionally waking up with tingling in the arms and legs is normal and usually a sign that you probably slept in a funny position. However, ongoing neurological pain can be more serious. Neurological pain in arms and legs can be a symptom of a wide variety of conditions including thoracic outlet syndrome, stiff joints, slipped disk, lumbar facet syndrome and sacroiliac joint pain.

Thoracic outlet syndrome or TOS is a group of disorders involving the superior thoracic outlet. These disorders involve the subclavian artery or vein (blood vessels passing between the chest and upper extremity) and the bundle of nerves known as the brachial plexus.

TOS is either static and caused by enlargement of muscles surrounding the arteries, veins, and the brachial plexus or it may be positional and caused by movement of the shoulder girdle and collarbone.

TOS comes in three varieties. Neurogenic TOS is the basis for 95% of TOS cases. It is produced by compression of nerves of the brachial plexus. Compression of the subclavian artery causes arterial TOS while venous TOS is the results from the compression of the subclavian vein. Computer users, neck injury victims, certain types of athletes and some musicians are at risk of developing TOS.

It can be treated with stretching, nerve gliding, improving posture and ice and heat therapy. More extreme cases may require invasive techniques such as cortisone and Botox. Stiff joints are usually a symptom of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, overuse injuries, infections or Ankylosing spondylitis.

A slipped disk or spinal disk herniation is a rupture of one of the disks that cushion the vertebrae through general wear or trauma. Torn disks release inflammatory chemicals and cause pain in the back. Damaged cervical disks cause pain in the shoulders, neck, hands and arms. Problems with the lumbar disks can affect the thighs, feet, toes and buttocks. Treatments include physical therapy, surgery, cortisone injections and NSAID pain relievers.

Lumbar facet syndrome develops when the joints along the lumber region are irritated, injured, or degenerate. It is usually treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), chiropractic spinal adjustments, endurance training or anesthetics.

The sacroiliac joint is located between the base of the spine and the pelvis. Experts believe that pain associated with this part of the body is probably caused by inflammation of this joint. Symptoms affect the buttocks, thighs and lower back. Usually it affects only one side of the body, gets worse while moving from a sitting to standing position, is possibly present during sexual intercourse, and can be misdiagnosed as sciatica. The typical treatment is either spinal stabilization or chiropractic spinal manipulation.

Waking with tingling limbs may not be that serious. On the other hand, long term pain in your arms or legs may indicate serious issues that need to be treated. Although problems such as thoracic outlet syndrome or slipped disks may not be fatal they can cause serious harm to life quality.

To learn more about nuerological pain of the arms and legs and possible treatment options, visit the Disc Institute of San Diegowebsite.