Why is it confused with sensations of heat or cold?

When the sensations sent by the nerves change, you may feel hot or cold regardless of the actual skin temperature. Please check if numbness and diminished sensation are occurring together.

How does this relate to heat-cold (Han-Yeol) treatment?

Based on necessary neurological checks, we perform a pattern identification (Byeon-jeung) that considers the remaining temperature sensations after examination, as well as patterns of sleep, digestion, and fatigue.

What specific sensations should I describe?

Choose the expression that best describes your feeling, such as tingling, a pins-and-needles sensation, burning, diminished sensation, or a crawling sensation. It is helpful to record the starting point, the direction in which it spreads, differences between the left and right sides, and changes according to posture and activity.

Are there any signs that require immediate confirmation?

Immediate emergency evaluation is required if you experience a sudden loss of sensation or strength in one side of the face, arm, or leg, or if your speech becomes slurred. Neurological evaluation should also be prioritized for gradually progressing muscle weakness, unstable gait, or an inability to feel wounds.

Numbness is evaluated based on location, duration, and changes in muscle strength

Paresthesia includes states where you feel tingling, burning, or a crawling sensation without any stimulus, or where sensation becomes diminished. Numbness that occurs briefly after being compressed in the same posture and then resolves is evaluated differently from numbness that recurs, expands in range, or is accompanied by muscle weakness.

Commonly confused terms and their differences: Paresthesia is the name of the symptom, while peripheral neuropathy refers to a group of diseases where peripheral nerves are damaged. The cause is not determined by heat-cold (Han-Yeol) types alone even if sensations of heat or cold are present; instead, spinal, brain, or vascular issues, diabetes, vitamin deficiency, medication, and local nerve compression are distinguished through physical examination and tests.
Information to record before your visit: Mark the area of numbness on the finger or toe diagrams and note whether it is on one or both sides, its relationship with nighttime, posture, or walking, and any diminished sensation or pain. You should also inform the medical staff about dropping objects, foot dragging, changes in balance, diabetes, alcohol consumption, chemotherapy, new medications, and previous neurological test results.
Scope of this material: NINDS data was used to explain the sensory, motor, and autonomic nerve symptoms and the scope of examination that may appear in peripheral nerve damage. Neuropathy or heat-cold (Han-Yeol) pattern identification is not diagnosed by numbness alone. If you suddenly experience numbness and loss of strength in one side of the face, arm, or leg, or if your speech becomes slurred, there is a possibility of stroke, and you must contact 119 immediately.

Official References

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): Symptoms, Causes, and Tests for Peripheral Neuropathy

Medical staff who wrote and reviewed this article

Choi Yeon-seung

Chief Director of Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic

The meaning of paresthesia, the scope of differential diagnosis, and patient guidance expressions have been reviewed. The last review date is August 25, 2026.

Graduated from Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine
Providing Korean medicine treatment since 2010
Symptom treatment from the perspective of heat-cold balance and constitution

Check medical evaluation criteria for my symptoms View full profile

Check the guides where these terms are used

Symptom and Disease GuideNumbness in hands and feet / Numbness in feet

Symptom and Disease GuidePeripheral Neuropathy

Heat and Cold ColumnCauses of cold fingertips, and Korean medicine treatment based on color changes, numbness, or neck pain

This distinguishes cold fingertips into Raynaud's phenomenon, nerve compression, or systemic coldness, and explains Korean herbal medicine and acupuncture treatments tailored to finger color changes, numbness, and neck and shoulder pain.

Heat and Cold ColumnMy hands and feet feel burning: Why do I feel heat when test results are normal?

For those who feel persistent heat in the palms, soles, and face despite no abnormalities in hospital tests, we provide the causes from a Korean medicine perspective and criteria for self-checking.

Medical GuideHow do I distinguish between different types of heat and burning sensations in the soles of the feet or palms of the hands?

Heat in the palms and soles may be centered on a burning sensation rather than actual skin temperature. We first distinguish whether there is numbness or decreased sensation; if the cause is not clear from tests, we determine the direction of Korean medicine treatment by examining whether it worsens at night and its relation to sleep, dry mouth, and fatigue.

Medical GuideWhen my hands and feet are cold and chilly, should I only think of it as cold hypersensitivity (Sujok Naengjeung)?

Symptoms of cold hands and feet vary, even under the single term 'cold hypersensitivity' (sujok-naengjeung). By distinguishing between color changes, differences between sides, numbness, and general fatigue, and by examining digestion, sleep, and lower abdominal coldness when tests show no clear cause, we can determine if Korean medicine treatment is appropriate.

Comparison of similar terms

Conditions requiring differential diagnosisPeripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy can cause numbness, sensory loss, and burning sensations in the hands and feet. If the burning sensation in the soles persists or sensation becomes dull, do not dismiss it as a constitutional issue; you must have it confirmed at a medical institution.

Symptom ExpressionFeeling of heat

A feeling of heat is a symptom where you feel warmth in areas such as the face, chest, palms, or soles, regardless of the reading on a thermometer. The affected area, timing, and accompanying changes, such as redness, sweating, or numbness, serve as clues to categorize the cause.

Symptom ExpressionCold Sensation

Cold sensation is a symptom where the hands, feet, abdomen, lower back, or the entire body feels cold and chilly. We examine accompanying patterns such as changes in skin color, numbness, differences between the left and right sides, and digestion or fatigue.