Sounds like neuropathic "pain"/sensations or neuropathy. These can be painful or just annoying.
"Peripheral neuropathy is a general term referring to disorders of peripheral nerves. The peripheral nervous system is made up of the nerves that branch out of the spinal cord to all parts of the body. Peripheral nerve cells have three main parts: cell body, axons, and dendrites. Any part of the nerve can be affected, but damage to axons is most common. The axon transmits signals from nerve cell to nerve cell. Most axons are surrounded by a substance called myelin, which facilitates signal transmission. Peripheral neuropathy can be associated with poor nutrition, a number of diseases, and pressure or trauma. Many people suffer from the disorder without ever identifying the cause.
In all neuropathy and neuropathic pain, there is abnormal conduction of nerve impulses from the input (usually peripheral in the extremities) to the spinal cord and brain. The pain of neuropathy is a result of the abnormal processing of nerve impulses that originate in these peripheral nerves. The terms neuropathy and peripheral neuropathy are often used interchangeably to describe the same process. Neuropathy can cause strange and extremely unpleasant sensations to arise in the affected area, including paresthesia (tingling or numbness), causalgia (burning sensations), and dysesthesia (unpleasant, burning, crawling, itchy, tingling or numb sensations)--or just plain pain.
Pain associated with neuropathy can be very intense and may be described as cutting, stabbing, crushing, burning, shooting, gnawing, or grinding. In some cases, a nonpainful stimulus (such as a feather drawn across the skin) may be perceived as excruciating, or pain may be felt even in the absence of a stimulus. If a problem with the motor nerve has continued over a length of time, muscle shrinkage (atrophy), or lack of muscle tone, may be noticeable. Autonomic nerve damage can also occur and is most noticeable when an individual stands upright and experiences difficulties such as light-headedness or changes in blood pressure. Other indicators of autonomic nerve damage are lack of sweat, tears, and saliva; urinary retention; and impotence. In some cases, heart beat irregularities and respiratory problems can develop.
Neuropathy often results in numbness, abnormal sensations called dysthesias and allodynias that occur either spontaneously or in reaction to external stimuli, and a characteristic form of pain, called neuropathic pain or neuralgia, that is qualitatively different from the ordinary nociceptive pain one might experience from stubbing a toe or hitting a finger with a hammer. Neuropathic pain is usually perceived as a steady burning and/or "pins and needles" and/or "electric shock" sensations. The difference is due to the fact that "ordinary" pain stimulates only pain nerves, while a neuropathy often results in the firing of both pain and non-pain (touch, warm, cool) sensory nerves in the same area, producing signals that the spinal cord and brain do not normally expect to receive."
http://neurology.health-cares.net/neuropathy.php
You should go speak to your doctor/neurologist (if you have one) and see if they can find the cause (apart from the BPI) as this is a new sensation for you.
hope this helps some...
Marieke (31, LOBPI and 2nd yr nursing student)
Message was edited by: marieke
