When your fingers go numb, this may indicate several abnormalities at once or ordinary temporary compression of blood vessels. To accurately determine the cause of this phenomenon, you should figure out what is in the fingers and where the unpleasant sensations may come from.
Fingers become numb more often when you hold your hand in the wrong position for a long time, squeezing it in the forearm, shoulder or wrist. If we talk about disorders in the body, when numbness becomes chronic, then you should pay attention to the spine, cardiovascular and endocrine systems .
Hands often go numb, mainly in older people, and the reason for this is age-related disruption of microcirculation in the extremities. Depending on which finger is going numb, you can first tell which organ has the problem. Treatment will depend solely on the underlying cause, which may be directly in the fingers or distant from the hands.
There are several diseases when the fingers go numb; the cause and treatment of these pathologies will differ. Hands may go numb during the cold season, which indicates poor circulation. Also, the cause may be an uncomfortable posture during sleep, then not only the fingers, but the entire hand will go numb. In this case, no treatment is required, you just need to choose a comfortable pillow and monitor the position in which you fall asleep.
The main reasons for numbness in the fingers are:
These are the most common reasons, but not all. Thrombosis of the veins of the extremities can also give this symptom, as well as ordinary fatigue. In the case of Raynaud's disease, this sign may appear several times a day at intervals of a day or even a week. Such people are prone to infectious diseases, so in cold times you need to especially protect your hands from wind and frost.
Numbness may indicate blockage of blood vessels in the brain, but to confirm this, you should undergo many diagnostic procedures, and then engage in complex treatment. A less unpleasant reason is the “lovers syndrome”. This is a description of the phenomenon when a woman or man falls asleep in the arm of their partner. In this case, there is not enough blood flow to the hands and numbness occurs. In the morning, a person may not feel his fingers at all, and he has to stretch them for a long time in order to restore blood flow.
Pathologies of the endocrine system can give similar symptoms. People with local diseases of small joints - arthritis, arthrosis, rheumatism, injuries, fractures suffered in childhood - are at risk.
If such a symptom occurs frequently, it is important to accurately determine the cause. To do this, you need to be examined by a neurologist, who, if necessary, will refer you to other specialists. The doctor must exclude the most severe causes of this phenomenon - pre-stroke and pre-infarction conditions. Numbness of the limbs can be a sign of a microinfarction or impending ischemic stroke of the brain.
Then you need to comprehensively examine the spine to rule out osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernia. For this purpose, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and radiographic examination are performed. A blood and urine test is required to assess the quality and quantity of leukocytes in order to detect or exclude acute inflammatory and infectious processes.
Basic diagnostic procedures for symptoms of numbness:
After these procedures, a complete picture of the condition of the musculoskeletal system and cardiovascular system will be revealed, after which it will be possible to begin treatment of the underlying disease that caused the unpleasant symptom.
Let's take a closer look at diseases associated with numbness of the extremities, their danger and diagnostic methods. First of all, you need to pay attention to normal fatigue and muscle strain. After a hard day at work, especially when your hands are involved in work, pain, numbness, and discomfort may be present.
This symptom may occur in people who work at a computer and type for a long time . In this case, there is a risk of early arthritis, and already in old age, almost every person with such work is faced with arthritis or similar equally pleasant pathologies of small joints. In this case, it is recommended to do finger exercises throughout the day and stretch your hands to improve blood circulation.
The next most common disease that causes numbness is polyneuropathy. With this deviation, serious damage to the peripheral nerves, which are concentrated in the fingers, is diagnosed. The main manifestation of this disease will be paresthesia, that is, numbness, changes in tactile sensations and loss of sensitivity.
A pinched nerve is one of the risk factors for the appearance of an unpleasant symptom. In this case, pain and numbness are observed mainly in the morning, but gradually the condition worsens, and without treatment, unpleasant symptoms begin to accompany both day and night. The inflammatory process in small joints has the same complications. Arthrosis is dangerous for every person, as there is a risk of loss of performance due to paresthesia or paralysis of the limbs. With this disease there is unbearable pain, and numbness in some way even becomes a temporary salvation.
In rare cases, symptoms can be triggered by anemia, hypovitaminosis, hypervitaminosis, endocrine diseases, including diabetes mellitus. Such deviations are accompanied by damage to nerves and blood vessels, which is why patients are plagued by similar symptoms. Chronic worries and stress in this case only aggravate the condition.
To get rid of an unpleasant symptom or never encounter it, it is recommended to perform simple exercises for your fingers. Charging will improve microcirculation, warm you up, disperse the blood, get rid of fatigue and stiffness of movement.
These are the basic and simplest exercises that can also be practiced in the treatment of diseases of small joints. If long-term prevention does not produce results and numbness continues to haunt, you can no longer do without special medical help.
Complex therapy will depend on the cause. If this is overvoltage, spend more time on hand exercises. It is important to start eating right and drinking plenty of fluids, since a lack of nutrients and water in the body can cause paresthesia.
In the case of osteochondrosis, treatment will consist of spinal traction and physical therapy . In case of inflammatory or infectious processes, complex drug treatment with physiotherapy is already required. Brain pathologies take a long time to treat; surgical or minimally invasive intervention may be required to remove the blood clot.
It is important to choose the right pillow and mattress for sleeping, since an uncomfortable body position often causes a similar symptom. It is better to purchase orthopedic items for sleeping, then the body will be in the desired position and blood circulation in the brain will not be impaired. The duration of sleep is also important, because a tired body cannot quickly recover and endure physical activity without unpleasant consequences.
Numbness in the legs occurs due to loss of sensation in the lower extremities. Such loss of flexibility and sensitivity in the legs is a consequence of vascular diseases, in which inflammation of the inner wall of blood vessels occurs.
With the development of arterial vascular diseases, circulatory disturbances occur. The lumen in the vessels narrows, and this can lead to serious consequences (including gangrene).
Symptoms when the leg goes numb are expressed in the form of tingling in the lower extremities or the absence of any sensitivity. Typically, this occurs when the vessels of the lower limb are compressed. If you change the position of the leg, then all unpleasant sensations and functions are restored after a short period of time.
The reasons why legs and arms go numb can be very different. One of these reasons is numbness of the leg under static loads. Most often, such manifestations occur in older people. This is due to the fact that in old age the functions of rapid nerve recovery are reduced. With any pressure on a nerve, the risk of numbness in older people is much higher than in younger people.
If your hands are numb, the reason may be due to improper neck position during sleep. When a person tosses and turns during sleep, he sometimes takes the most uncomfortable positions. The neck muscles experience severe tension for a long time, which in turn affects the blood vessels. Doctors do not recommend sleeping on your stomach with your head tilted to the side.
Chronic numbness is usually the cause of various diseases. Among the main diseases are:
The first signals of numbness are sensitivity disorders (numbness of the foot, toes, itching, goosebumps, burning sensation and heaviness). Such symptoms and signs usually appear after waking up from sleep. Frequent cases of numbness in the toes, feet or calf muscles with sudden movement after a long period of rest. A man, after working at a computer for two hours, suddenly stands up and begins to move. He feels his calves begin to cramp or his toes go numb.
Numbness during pregnancy is also common. Hands go numb during pregnancy, as well as lower limbs, feet and calf muscles.
To a greater extent, such conditions are observed after childbirth. Numbness of the lower extremities occurs in the last months of pregnancy. This occurs from severe stress and compression of the nerve endings in the thigh area. The hands become numb and numb as a result of metabolic disorders. Another reason may be the accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues. In addition, pregnant women may have a lack of iron in the body, which in turn can lead to frequent numbness in the legs.
When fingers or feet go numb, people start to worry. There is a feeling of fear and panic. Breathing becomes faster, which in turn only increases pain.
Is numbness in the lower extremities dangerous?
Speaking about the danger, you need to understand that a rare feeling of numbness in itself does not lead to serious consequences. But if such symptoms occur frequently, it’s time to consult a neurologist. Such persistent symptoms may be a sign of some disease.
You should see a doctor if:
If numbness in the limbs has become permanent, it is necessary to completely eliminate alcohol, tobacco and coffee. This is the main cause of spasm of blood vessels.
The doctor should tell you how to treat numbness in the arms or legs after he finds out the cause of its occurrence. Traditional treatment should be performed only after identifying the disease that is causing the numbness.
Among the treatment of numbness in folk medicine are:
I am sure that the best treatment for any disease is its prevention. Have you noticed that your left hand is going numb? Everything from the shoulder, elbow to fingers. Or just the fingers – the thumb, ring finger, little finger? If it happens, it is important to know the reasons why numbness occurs and take action in time. It is important to know why this problem appeared, what to do and how to treat it.
Paresthesia, which is the correct name for numbness of the limbs, often occurs in people not only the elderly.
In addition to numbness in the hand or just the tips of the fingers, at the same time you may feel tingling, decreased pain sensitivity, or, conversely, severe pain. Very often your hand gets colder than usual. Symptoms of numbness are different and directly depend on the cause that provoked this condition.
Often you feel discomfort during the day, while working, but sometimes the problem appears at night, during sleep.
The reasons why the entire arm or fingers often go numb can be quite harmless. By eliminating them, you are able to cope with unpleasant sensations on your own. Let's look at them.
In all of the above cases, it is enough to “get the blood flowing a little,” change your position, relax, do a little gymnastics, and in general, move more, friends. Give up bad habits, change your diet - eliminate spicy and salty foods.
But if the problem has become chronic, then you need to go to the clinic for examination. If hand numbness lasts more than an hour, consult a doctor immediately!
Read carefully the reasons why hand numbness is a symptom of the disease:
Remember, friends, if your left arm is constantly going numb, from the shoulder to the fingertips, then you need to find out the reason for what is happening. Numbness in itself is not a disease, but a signal about an incorrect lifestyle, or, more dangerously, a serious illness. Be healthy, my dears, and come visit more often, many interesting things await us. Be healthy! With love... Galina Nekrasova.