Symptom checker

Nerve Symptom Checker: What Nerve Is Causing Your Numbness or Tingling?

Answer 5 short steps about where and how you feel it. See which nerve patterns fit, what a doctor checks, and who to see.

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How it works

How the nerve symptom checker works

The checker uses some of the same clues a doctor asks about at a first visit. Where you feel a symptom on the skin, which side it is on and what brings it on usually point to one nerve, one nerve root in the spine, or a cause that affects the whole body. It compares your answers with 30 common patterns and shows the three that fit best.

Safety check. Warning signs of a stroke, spinal cord pressure or other emergencies come first. If any apply, the checker stops and tells you to get urgent care.
Where. You tap the areas on a body map drawn from a real anatomy model. Each area matches the skin supplied by a specific nerve. Nerve areas overlap and vary between people, so the borders are approximate. Close-ups let you mark single fingers, toes and parts of the face.
Feeling. Tingling, numbness, burning, electric shocks and other sensations each fit some causes better than others.
Timing. Night waking, sitting, standing, neck movement or cold are strong clues. The options change with the body area you chose.
Other factors. Diabetes, pregnancy, vitamin B12 risks, back or neck pain and real weakness change which causes are more likely.

Your results

What Strong, Possible and Weak fit mean

Each result is a pattern, not a diagnosis. The fit shows how closely your answers match the typical picture of that cause. Only an examination, and sometimes a nerve conduction study or a scan, can confirm it.

Strong fit

Most of your answers match this pattern, including the area of skin. It is worth naming it when you see a doctor.

Possible fit

Some answers match and some do not. Keep it in mind, especially if your symptoms change.

Weak fit

Only a few answers match. It is shown so you can see what else was considered.

Why the side of the body matters

A problem with a single nerve or nerve root usually affects one side. Symptoms in both feet, or in both hands and feet, point more to a whole-body cause such as diabetes or low vitamin B12. If they come on over days or come with weakness, the cause can be in the spinal cord or nerves and needs urgent care. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg on one side can be a stroke and needs emergency care.

Nerve areas and dermatomes

A peripheral nerve supplies a fixed patch of skin, such as the thumb side of the palm for the median nerve. A nerve root leaving the spine supplies a long stripe called a dermatome, such as the outer shin and top of the foot for the L5 root. The checker checks your areas against both maps, which helps it separate carpal tunnel syndrome from a pinched nerve in the neck.

What it checks

30 nerve patterns the checker can match

From common causes such as carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica to less familiar ones such as meralgia paresthetica, tarsal tunnel syndrome and notalgia paresthetica.

Patterns, the nerve involved and the typical clue
Pattern	Type	Nerve	Typical clue
Carpal tunnel syndrome	Nerve compression	Median nerve	The median nerve is squeezed under the ligament at the front of the wrist.
Cubital tunnel syndrome	Nerve compression	Ulnar nerve	The ulnar nerve is stretched or pressed behind the inner elbow (the funny bone).
Ulnar nerve compression at the wrist (Guyon canal)	Nerve compression	Ulnar nerve	Pressure on the heel of the hand, for example on bicycle handlebars, squeezes the ulnar nerve at the wrist.
Radial nerve compression (Saturday night palsy or Wartenberg syndrome)	Nerve compression	Radial nerve	The radial nerve is pressed in its groove on the upper arm bone (for example sleeping with an arm over a chair) or at the wrist by a tight watch or cuff.
C6 nerve root (pinched nerve in the neck)	Nerve root	Brachial plexus	A disc or bone spur in the neck presses the C6 root.
C7 nerve root	Nerve root	Brachial plexus	C7 is the most commonly pinched neck root.
C8 nerve root	Nerve root	Brachial plexus	The C8 root covers the little finger, ring finger and the inner forearm.
Thoracic outlet syndrome	Nerve compression	Brachial plexus	Nerves to the arm are squeezed between the collarbone and first rib.
Shingles or intercostal neuralgia	Nerve inflammation	Intercostal nerves	A band of burning on one side of the chest or abdomen that follows a rib points to a single intercostal nerve.
Notalgia paresthetica	Nerve irritation	Dorsal rami	A patch of itch or burning beside one shoulder blade comes from a small back nerve branch irritated as it passes through the back muscles.
Trigeminal neuralgia	Cranial nerve	Trigeminal nerve	Brief electric stabs on one side of the face, set off by touching the face, chewing, talking or brushing teeth, are typical of trigeminal neuralgia, usually from a blood vessel pressing on the nerve root.
Occipital neuralgia	Nerve irritation	Cervical plexus	Shooting or burning pain from the base of the skull over the back of the head on one side, with a tender scalp, points to the occipital nerves.
Anxiety and over-breathing	Whole body	Brain	Fast breathing lowers carbon dioxide and briefly changes nerve excitability, giving tingling around the mouth and in both hands, often with a racing heart.
Meralgia paresthetica	Nerve compression	Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve	Burning, numbness or a wet feeling on the outer thigh, with no weakness, comes from the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve squeezed at the front of the hip by belts, body weight or pregnancy.
L4 nerve root	Nerve root	Femoral nerve	The L4 root supplies the front of the knee and the inner shin down to the ankle.
L5 nerve root (sciatica)	Nerve root	Sciatic nerve	Sciatica from the L5 root runs down the outer leg to the top of the foot and big toe, usually with buttock or back pain.
S1 nerve root (sciatica)	Nerve root	Sciatic nerve	The S1 root covers the back of the calf, the outer foot, the little toe and much of the sole.
Piriformis syndrome (deep buttock)	Nerve compression	Sciatic nerve	The sciatic nerve can be irritated where it passes under the piriformis muscle deep in the buttock.
Common peroneal nerve compression at the knee	Nerve compression	Common peroneal nerve	The peroneal nerve lies just under the skin at the outside of the knee.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome	Nerve compression	Tibial nerve	The tibial nerve is pressed behind the inner ankle bone.
Morton neuroma	Nerve compression	Plantar nerves	A thickened nerve between the third and fourth toes gives burning or a pebble in the shoe feeling in the ball of the foot, with tingling into those two toes.
Peripheral neuropathy (glove and stocking)	Whole body	Plantar nerves	When both feet are affected evenly, starting at the toes and creeping up, the longest nerves are failing first.
Vitamin B12 deficiency	Whole body	Spinal cord	Low B12 damages the long sensory pathways in the spinal cord and the nerves, giving tingling in both feet and hands, unsteadiness in the dark, and sometimes a shock down the spine.
Restless legs syndrome	Brain and spinal cord	Brain	A deep crawling or pulling discomfort in both legs with an urge to move, worse in the evening and relieved by walking, is typical of restless legs syndrome.
Pudendal neuralgia	Nerve compression	Pudendal nerve	Burning or stabbing pain in the genitals, perineum or back passage that is worse sitting and better standing or lying points to the pudendal nerve.
Lumbar spinal stenosis	Nerve root	Lumbar plexus	Narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back squeezes several nerve roots.
Raynaud's phenomenon (cold fingers or toes)	Blood vessels	Blood vessels, not a nerve	In the cold or with stress, the small arteries in the fingers or toes clamp down.
Multiple sclerosis or spinal cord irritation	Brain and spinal cord	Spinal cord	Sensations that do not fit one nerve or root, appear in several places, move over days, wrap round the trunk like a band or shoot down the spine when bending the neck suggest the brain or spinal cord rather than a pinched nerve.
Vulvodynia or vulval nerve pain	Nerve irritation	Pudendal nerve	Burning, stinging or rawness of the vulva for three months or more, with normal looking skin and no infection, is called vulvodynia.
Breast or chest wall nerve pain	Nerve irritation	Intercostal nerves	Burning in the breast or inner upper arm after breast surgery often comes from the intercostobrachial nerve.

Warning signs that need urgent care

Call your local emergency number (911 in the US, 999 in the UK, 112 in India and Europe) if any of these happen now or happened in the last few days, even if they went away:

Sudden face droop, numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg on one side, trouble speaking, or sudden loss of balance
New numbness between the legs or around the back passage, or new trouble passing urine or controlling bowels
Chest pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back, with sweating or breathlessness
Weakness or tingling spreading up both legs or into the arms over hours or days, or any trouble breathing or swallowing
New trouble walking or balancing, or numbness or weakness in both legs or both arms
An arm or leg that is suddenly cold, pale or blue, painful and numb
Sudden loss of vision, double vision or sudden confusion
Fever with back or neck pain, a stiff neck, or a history of cancer with new back pain
Symptoms started right after a fall, accident or neck/back injury
Sudden, severe headache unlike any before

Privacy

Your answers stay in your browser

The checker runs entirely on your device. Nothing you choose or type is sent to SensationInfo or anyone else, and your answers are cleared when you close the tab. If you open your result in the 3D nerve map, the answers move between the two pages inside your own browser only.

Questions

Common questions about the nerve symptom checker

Can the checker tell me exactly which nerve is damaged?

No. It shows which patterns fit your answers best. A doctor confirms the cause with an examination and, when needed, a nerve conduction study, blood tests or a scan. The checker helps you describe your symptoms clearly and ask the right questions.

What should I take to my doctor?

Take your answers: where you feel it and on which side, what it feels like, when it is worse, how long it has lasted and any conditions you have. The summary screen lists all of them, including anything you wrote in your own words.

What if my area or feeling is not listed?

Choose the closest options and describe the rest in your own words. Your description is kept with your answers for your doctor, and the checker suggests close-ups or matching options when it recognises the words.

Does it work for pregnancy and for women's health?

Yes. Choose the female body to see options such as pregnancy and menopause and patterns such as vulval nerve pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome and meralgia paresthetica are both more common in pregnancy. In pregnancy, tingling with a bad headache, vision changes or sudden swelling needs same-day care.

Is it safe to wait if my result is a Strong fit?

Many nerve compressions improve with simple measures, but numbness or weakness that is spreading, getting worse or affects your grip or walking needs a doctor within days. Any warning sign listed above needs emergency care.

See your nerves in 3D

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