Pins and Needles in Response to Heat

[kennyk145]

Hello:

I am a 31 year-old male.  I've been having a sensation of pins and needles and it appears to be happening when my body gets overheated.  I've noticed some pins and needles in my chest for quite some time now when I work out.

Lately, it's been getting worse.  Now I get it when I'm in a hot shower, or bundled up in my coat and hat in my apartment prior to walking out the door.  It also happens when I get excited emotionally.  Especially when I go into fits of laughter, as I often do.  

The pins and needles happen mainly on my chest and arms.  Though, I have felt it on my head, when I swim for exercise.  The sensation is followed by itchiness.

Any ideas as to what this may be?
Thank you.  

[yobR]

I had this five years ago. It happened in winter and was extremely painful. Whenever I sweated, even slightly, I got painful pinprick sensation on my back and chest, accompanied by red blotches. It was like I was being stabbed with little needles all over. It happened when I got hot, when I walked from one room to another, when I ate food, if I was happy or sad or anxious or any emotional response - basically the slightest amount of sweat caused it.

The doctors had no idea. I was convinced I must have had some kind of neurological disorder, and Googled all kinds of symptoms that I tried to make fit.

But I worked out that if I forced myself to exercise through the pain, then I would be OK for the rest of that day, but it didn't really solve it because it would come back after sleep, so I'd have to force myself to exercise until I sweated a lot every single day.

Then I got prescribed antibiotics by my dentist and it suddenly was solved just like that and never came back. My theory was that perhaps there was a bacterial overgrowth in the sweat glands.

This year it has come back, only on my back. For the past few years I went to the gym a few times a week, and of course showered every day, but the last two weeks I lost my job and was at home not exercising and I didn't change my bed covers and slept more. It was of course in winter, and I didn't have the heating on, so I basically wasn't sweating very much at all. I believe this was the main trigger, because when it happened the first time I was also living in a very cold apartment in winter without giving my body opportunities to sweat.

Personally I enjoy being cold and have never heated my home enough, but this isn't a great idea long-term because when you don't sweat enough your pores become blocked and your skin doesn't get moisturised. What are the pores getting blocked with? Who knows. Dead skin cells, bacteria, whatever. When the sweat can't get out it seeps under the skin and your immune system then attacks the sweat because it's in a place that it shouldn't be, and the histamine response is what produces the pain, itching and redness. It happens to us in winter because we are not being exposed to heat enough and are not sweating enough.

If you have this problem then I recommend that you:

- exercise as much as you can
- shower regularly
- change your bed covers and clothes
- heat your home enough or expose yourself to heat regularly (e.g. sauna or steam room)
- eat spicy food

[Nikod]

Yea im getting the same pins and needles, the worst is on my feet and hands. it occurs everytime i burst out laughing, get embarrased, do anything physical or anything else that would raise my body temprature. its painfull pins and needles. it worries me alot these days.

it started this winter, about november- december. and it simply wont quit.

im going to start working out soon, to check if this cures it. ill be back whit answers in a month

[BrunoVN]

Hey guys, Bruno back here.

So the exercise results went amazingly awesome. Before start going to the gym, i went on morning routine cardio exercise for about 20 to 30 minutes a day, until starting sweat. As many in here, the beggining was hard, painfull needling, but 3 minutes laters i started sweat and the needling was gone.

I have done cardio for 4 days in a week (just one week). Now i'm gonna start going to the gym, but i'm almost 3 or 4 weeks without exercising, and i felt no pain or needling since that first exercising week, for the first time in 3 years!!

Also my arterial blood pressure is way better, my Arrhythmia doesn't seem much a problem, actually i don't even feel the need of taking any medicine for it anymore.

I am so happy to be free once and for all from this problem that has been tormenting me. (also i can sweat way normally now xD)

Go exercise guys, cardio mainly. It worked for me, for others here as well, it may work for you. God Bless

[BrunoVN]

Hi, i'm Bruno and i suffer from this for about 3 years now.
I get very painfull needling on the arms, chest, some in my forehead, but the worst are on my back. (None on the legs or lowers parts)
For me these attacks last about 25 or 30 seconds, never had one longer than these, and i get red spots (like when u scratch urself with nails, but these aren't caused from scretching) spread out through my chest in small size, who a disappear few seconds after the needling attack.

As all of you, i do noticed that i sweated a little bit after the attacks, and once after the worst one i had, i sweated a lot.
I do not exercise at all, these attacks came from heat and any emotion that can cause my body to sweat.

I have High blood pressure, and was diagnose with Arrhythmia (Benign), so be sure if you don't have such problem as high arterial pressure as well. On my first days taking HBP medication (Selozok, a beta-blocker,50 mg daily) i didn't had any attacks, i could even walk and run during summer heat, but looks like the medication effect didn't last more than 1 and half month for HBP, and the needling attack came back after 2 weeks. Although i'm still taking it everyday.

I'm gonna start exercising and sweat soon, and gonna write the results in here in next 2 weeks or next month.

Also i'm going to change my daily diet (wich consists mostly in wheat food and industrialized milk)

Wish the best for you all who suffer from these problem too. God bless.

[Turquoiseandjade]

Lots of people on here have mentioned 'I've had the same symptoms'  This is what I did over the years to combat this.  

1. Check for und lying health conditions.. from diabetes, kidneys to the liver - check all and if you have an underlying condition, try to do what you can to alivate or eliminate.  There are many people that have underlying conditions that don't find out until there older.. For example Hepatitis C which can lead to other conditions such as uticaria and periphal neauropathy.

2. Check for food intolerances.. gluten, sugar, dairy and caffeine can all play apart in uticaria and neuropathy.. other foods, drinks can exasperate uticaria in regards to heat

3. keep a good balanced diet, drink lots of fluids and exercise.

4. Make sure your not vitamin deficient with your GP.  B12 plays a part in supporting nerves from being damaged.

5. Don't have a hot shower, hot bath or sauna! keep it to warm water

6. It would be advisable to stay away from coffee.

[Mattevp]

Same thing as you, exactly. I get them right after a hot shower or exercise. Rash around my neck if it gets really bad. Cooling down is the best and only option. I have back issues as well, bulging discs and anxiety. So I'm sure its a mixture of things. Trying to work out everyday with hopes that it goes away.