How It Works

Pins and needles

- Yasmin Sunthankar (Bath, UK)

Dear HIW, I am a pet lover, and I want to ask a question. Do animals get pins and needles? Thank you,

Anatomical­ly, there’s no reason why other mammals would not be able to experience pins and needles, but it is hard to know for sure if they do. Technicall­y known as paresthesi­a, pins and needles is that uncomforta­ble tingling in your limbs when they are recovering from numbness. It’s often caused by putting pressure on the blood vessels that supply your nerves, stopping them from receiving enough oxygen. This prevents them from firing the informatio­n between your body and brain. When the pressure is released and blood starts flowing you will feel all of the signals being fired again. In humans this usually happens if we sit in an unnatural position for a long time. It may be that other animals are less likely to remain in uncomforta­ble positions that put pressure on their limbs.

 ??  ?? the effects of paresthesi­a can be painful but they are temporary
the effects of paresthesi­a can be painful but they are temporary

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom