One minute you’re engrossed in an activity. The next, your arm, hand, leg or foot is numb, tingling, burning or itching. This sensation, which many can relate to, is commonly called pins and needles.

While it could be as simple as an irritated nerve, pins and needles can also be caused by an underlying health condition. If you’ve ever slept on your arm or crossed your leg for too long, then you ...

There you are, doing your couch potato thing with your feet up, watching a couple of your favourite back-to-back TV series. You suddenly notice cold numbness in your legs and feet, almost as if ...

It feels like a thousand tiny pinpricks – though a few shakes and it's usually all over. What causes the strange sensation? BBC Future investigates. Everyone has experienced that tingling sensation in ...