Numbness of the fingers occurs among a large number of people of various ages and professions. In the medical literature, this symptom is classified as one of the types of sensitivity disorders and is called paresthesia. In this case, patients feel numbness in a certain area of the body, which may be accompanied by tingling, a feeling of crawling on the skin, a burning sensation, as well as the inability to fully move the limbs due to a decrease in muscle strength.
There are many reasons for numbness in the fingers and toes, so diagnostic searches in the event of the development of this symptom may take more than one year.
It is important to know! Numbness of the fingers is often the initial symptom of very serious and severe diseases with a poor prognosis. That is why it is important to immediately contact a specialist if numbness does not go away for a long time or often recurs. This will allow you to detect the cause in time and begin the necessary treatment.
Why do fingers and palms most often go numb? There are many reasons for such a symptom, and they can be both physiological (occur in absolutely healthy people) and pathological (develop against the background of an underlying disease). Let's consider the most common situations of numbness in the fingers.
Prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position is the most common cause of the development of paresthesia of the fingers of the upper extremities. This situation has most likely occurred in the life of every person. The most striking example is numbness of the fingertips during sleep.
The mechanism of development of such paresthesia is very simple. If a person remains in one position for a long time, compression of the main arteries of the upper extremities is observed. Nervous tissue is the most sensitive to the lack of oxygen and nutrients that occurs in such a situation. As a result, the transmission of nerve impulses is disrupted, which causes paresthesia. As a rule, such numbness goes away within a few seconds after normal blood flow resumes (when changing body position).
But in some situations, when the disruption of blood flow lasted for a very long time, irreversible ischemic changes in the nerve fibers may develop, followed by the development of necrosis and death of the nerves. In such cases, a person may develop permanent paralysis of the injured limb. This situation is observed extremely rarely, as a rule, in people in a state of severe alcohol intoxication and deep sleep.
Sleeping in an uncomfortable position often causes attacks of paresthesia
Tunnel syndromes, or compression-ischemic neuropathies of the upper limb, are also often the cause of numbness in the fingertips. This pathology of peripheral nerves develops when the nerve fiber is compressed inside its anatomical canal formed by bones, tendons and muscles, due to various reasons, for example, tendinitis, constant overload of the fingers, injuries.
Develops as a result of injury to the neck of the humerus, compression of soft tissues in the axillary region due to the use of crutches, in the middle part of the shoulder during sleep, in the wrist area, for example, with handcuffs, a watch strap, etc.
Among the characteristic symptoms of the pathology, it is worth noting the numbness of a small area of skin in the area of the first interdigital space, the development of the “dropping hand” syndrome, in which the patient is unable to extend the arm at the wrist joint.
The pathology can be traumatic in nature, for example, after a fracture of the radius or ulna. It also occurs with chronic trauma to the nerve and its compression in people whose activities involve prolonged support on the elbow and monotonous frequent movements of the hand.
Among the characteristic symptoms of neuropathy, it is worth noting completely numb little and ring fingers (the border of the sensitivity disorder runs clearly in the middle of the ring finger), a forced position of the hand like a “clawed paw,” and weakness of the hand muscles.
Area of numbness of the fingers with the development of ulnar nerve neuropathy
Most often, this situation occurs with the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. Causes: trauma (severe blow, cut) to the palmar surface of the wrist, fracture of the humerus, elbow area, compression of the nerve in the anatomical bed when the hand is overloaded, in the case of the development of hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, gout, amyloidosis, in women during menopause.
Among the characteristic symptoms of neuropathy, it is worth noting sensory disturbance and pain in the area of innervation of the median nerve, weakness when trying to flex the hand, thumb and index finger.
Area of numbness in the fingers during the development of carpal tunnel syndrome
Degenerative-dystrophic lesions of the cervical spine
In the case of the development of osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondyloarthrosis, protrusions and herniations of intervertebral discs of the cervical spine, patients often experience paresthesia of the upper extremities.
Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs lead to a reduction in the distance between the above and underlying vertebrae. Accordingly, the openings through which the spinal nerves exit the spinal canal are narrowed. This leads to compression of the nerve fibers, disruption of sensitivity in the area they innervate.
This is a disease with a vasospastic component of development, and predominantly small blood vessels (arteries and arterioles) are affected. It can act as a separate pathology or be one of the manifestations of the underlying disease (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.). In the latter case, the disease is not called a disease, but Raynaud's syndrome.
Patients complain of numbness in the fingers, increased sensitivity to cold, and the development of paroxysmal spasms of the arteries of the fingers with characteristic external manifestations.
Possible manifestations of Raynaud's syndrome
If your finger suddenly becomes numb, it is important to rule out brain pathology. Such a symptom can be observed with the development of a transient ischemic attack, hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke, brain tumors, infectious lesions of the central nervous system, degenerative diseases of brain tissue, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis.
Other causative factors that can cause paresthesia in the hands include:
If your toe on your right or left foot is numb, there can be many reasons for this phenomenon. If, after analyzing the situation, you cannot find the obvious culprit of such a symptom, for example, tight and uncomfortable shoes, staying in one position for a long time, you must seek medical help.
This is a very common and dangerous complication of diabetes mellitus, which develops due to damage to the blood vessels and nerve fibers of the lower extremities. If a patient develops a diabetic foot, the risk of soft tissue injury significantly increases, and together with a poor tendency to heal wounds, this threatens the development of suppurative processes and gangrene of the limb.
Very often, in patients with type 2 diabetes, it is precisely complaints that the toe on the left or right foot is numb that becomes the reason for examination and identification of the disease.
Characteristic symptoms of diabetic foot are paresthesia of the toes (sometimes only the pads, and sometimes the entire foot, go numb), impaired tactile and temperature sensitivity of the skin of the affected limbs, the development of pain (the pain is often a burning sensation), trophic changes (peeling, pigmentation, skin erosions and ulcers, fungal infections, infected wounds), foot deformity.
When your left or right foot often goes numb, it is important to seek medical help, because such a symptom may indicate the development of diabetes mellitus
The pathology occurs in approximately 30% of people who systematically abuse alcohol. Due to the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol and its metabolites on nervous tissue, many metabolic processes are disrupted, which leads to demyelination of peripheral nerves and the appearance of pathological symptoms.
A characteristic sign of the disease, in addition to the symptoms of chronic alcoholism, is numbness of the big and other toes, a crawling sensation, tingling in the feet, severe burning pain, weakness in the legs, which gradually turns into paralysis, and muscle atrophy.
The development of atherosclerosis is based on a violation of lipid metabolism in the body. At the same time, cholesterol accumulates in the thickness of the vascular walls. These deposits eventually form cholesterol plaques, which partially and sometimes completely block the lumen of the vessel, which leads to the development of chronic or acute ischemia of the limb below the site of blockage.
Among the main symptoms of the pathology, one should note the pallor of the skin of the legs, a decrease in their temperature, the development of paresthesia, a decrease in pain and temperature sensitivity, intermittent claudication (the appearance of pain in the feet after a short walk, which goes away at rest). If a patient experiences complete occlusion of the lumen of the arteries by an atherosclerotic plaque, then acute ischemia and gangrene of the leg develops.
Characteristic symptoms of atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities
Varicose veins of the legs and the development of chronic venous insufficiency against it are also often the reason why the big toe and other parts of the foot go numb. In this case, in addition to visually pronounced varicose nodes, the patient experiences trophic changes in the skin of the lower extremities (peeling, change in normal color, fungal infections, trophic ulcers), paresthesia, and convulsions.
Often the cause of loss of sensitivity in the toes is injuries and their consequences (past broken toes, ankle sprains, sprains, etc.), as well as frostbite.
If your toe is numb, it is important to remember the following possible causes of this pathological symptom:
You can read more about the causes of numbness in the toes here.
What to do if your fingers and toes go numb? First of all, you need to seek qualified medical help. The specialist will prescribe a full examination program that will help identify the cause of the development of paresthesia. And only after making the correct diagnosis will it be possible to develop an effective treatment and rehabilitation program, including conservative therapy, surgical treatment, physiotherapeutic procedures, massage, physical therapy, effective folk remedies and other treatment methods that will quickly and effectively get rid of not only numbness in the fingers, but also on the reasons that caused this symptom.
If a person's hands go numb during sleep , the first thing to do is pay attention to diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Leaking occurs against the background of chronic health problems.
More often the left hand goes numb during sleep, less often the right hand. The sensations may be constant or recur periodically. Particular attention should be paid to pregnant women, as the symptom is quite serious.
During sleep, you may be awakened by unpleasant sensations in your fingers or joints. Symptoms most often appear in the index and middle fingers or the ring and little fingers. Sometimes only one finger (for example, the little finger) or all fingers at the same time are bothered.
Numbness can occur in one limb or in both at the same time or periodically migrate from side to side. If the fingers of your left and right hands go numb at night, you should monitor your body position when resting. Having a comfortable mattress and pillow is an integral factor in diagnosing the problem.
Having woken up with numb fingers, they often try to shake them or stretch them so that the symptoms go away, but this is far from the most effective method. The resulting attacks exhaust the body and disrupt sleep, thereby reducing the body’s ability to recover, contributing to the chronic course of the disease.
If it occurs at a young age, you should be extremely vigilant and find out the cause. of people with cervical osteochondrosis constantly become numb at night
To determine the underlying disease, it should be understood that at a young age, symptoms often arise due to damage to the nervous system, and at an older age due to blood vessels or endocrine, immune problems. Before the age of 35, numbness appears at night in one hand, affecting the hand or individual fingers, which indicates problems with the spine (disc protrusion or intervertebral herniation of the cervical spine). Associated symptoms, such as pain in the shoulder blade, neck, and back, can help the doctor figure out the underlying diagnosis.
The right hand goes numb at night for many programmers and office workers who are forced to work at a computer for a long time. In this case, you should reduce the load, adjust the workplace and observe the changes.
Severe, sudden numbness that causes weakness in the arm may indicate a brain stroke. Symptoms are characterized by acute onset, high blood pressure and age over 45 years.
Symmetrical pain is a sign of systemic diseases. Constant migrating pain in both hands, combined with thirst or during alcohol consumption, indicates damage to nerve fibers and the development of a disease such as polyneuropathy.
For example, the left arm may go numb at night due to myocardial infarction in the initial stage; shortness of breath and sensations in the heart or shoulder blade also appear. You should immediately go to an ambulance and have an ECG performed.
During pregnancy, your hands may go numb at night due to significant changes in the musculoskeletal system and additional stress on the back, due to vitamin deficiency or anemia.
Treatment for numbness in your hands during sleep is prescribed depending on the cause. For spinal diseases, the most effective method is selected and the symptoms are eliminated. The sooner a patient sees a doctor, the higher the likelihood of complete elimination of symptoms. In advanced cases, symptoms remain for a long time; without treatment they can lead to unpredictable consequences.
Even during pregnancy, the cause should be found out and harm to the child and future births should be excluded.
And this may be caused by Raynaud's syndrome. It is expressed by disorders of the arterial blood supply to the hands, which are paroxysmal in nature, and (or) to the feet due to violations of some type of regulation of our vascular tone. Usually this unpleasant disease is secondary, that is, it develops with other, various diseases of the connective tissue, with damage to the spine (its cervical region), the thyroid gland or the nervous system. This disease was first described by the French physician Raynaud, which is why it was named after him.
These reasons are still not entirely clear to us. The first signs may well appear if a person has suffered some kind of infection or from the influence of certain provoking factors - such as hypothermia of the fingers or their fatigue. Also, attacks may well be due to smoking. Also, this disease has a number of predisposing factors, this is heredity, as well as the peculiarity of the vessels themselves to react to some external influences and circumstances. Indeed, often, even in similar situations, different people’s blood vessels can react completely differently: many people turn red when they are worried, while others turn pale. Raynaud's disease can also develop due to brain injury or severe emotional shock.
Usually it all starts quite abruptly, with sudden attacks when the fingers go numb. Such attacks are initially quite short-lived. These attacks can be caused by cold, for example, when you simply wash your hands or do laundry in cold water. Numbness can also appear from excitement, but this happens less frequently. In this case, the fingers very quickly (almost instantly) simply turn white - not a drop of blood, and after the numbness itself comes a sharp, quite aching or burning pain. At first, such pain can be easily overcome by simply massaging and warming your fingers for about 2-3 minutes.
But time passes, and such attacks are already beginning to occur without such obvious reasons. In addition, the duration of such attacks increases sharply and reaches one and a half or even two hours. The skin no longer turns pale, but becomes blue, and swelling also appears. A little later, in areas that are affected by such attacks, superficial ulcers form, and then the tissue is affected deeper, sometimes even to the point of necrosis. The 2nd to 5th fingers or toes are mostly affected. Quite rarely, but still sometimes the nose, ears or chin can be affected. At the same time, the picture of such a lesion is still the same, that is, porcelain-white skin (or deathly pale), as happens with frostbite, and there is also severe pain.
For early diagnosis, you need to use special techniques for studying blood vessels. These are techniques with such complex names - thermal imaging, rheovasography and Doppler ultrasound. They can detect the first, fairly early disturbances in the blood flow, which the patient himself will not even notice. Also, numerous laboratory tests will tell your doctor whether vascular spasm could also be a manifestation of some hidden illness.
Now specialists also use many different medications that significantly improve peripheral blood supply and prevent vascular spasms from developing. In addition to medications, acupuncture with physiotherapy, and sometimes even surgical treatment, are also used.
Of course, you should not take medications haphazardly for this disease. Also, you should not “jump” from one method of treating a disease to another, which you found more effective. Apart from harm, such sudden changes in the course of treatment will not bring you anything. There is also no need to run from one doctor to another. Nevertheless, it will be much better for the patient when he is treated for a long time by one good specialist (a vascular surgeon or a neurologist), because over time he will be able to understand the individual intricacies of the course of this disease, and this will allow him to choose the most effective treatment regimen, which ultimately and will give maximum effect. But, in addition to the doctor, the patient himself must also help and take care of his body, which will allow him to make the process of the disease as easy as possible, and also, if not cure it completely, then seriously slow down the progression of Raynaud’s disease itself.
In order to make the doctor’s work significantly easier, and his own life accordingly, the patient should adhere (and strictly!) to certain recommendations and useful tips.
A very good treatment option is fir baths. This bath is prepared from pharmaceutical fir oil (5-6 drops in total). The water temperature should be about 37 degrees. At the same time as using such baths, you should also take 1-2 drops of oil on a small piece of bread in the morning. Remember that the oil can destroy tooth enamel quite strongly, so such a piece should be swallowed quickly. In addition, you can take it only if you do not have any problems with the gastrointestinal tract, especially gastritis and inflammation of the pancreas.
In general, any vascular diseases (and Raynaud's disease is no exception) respond well to treatment with this recipe (very simple): onion juice (necessarily fresh) is mixed with honey in equal quantities. This onion-honey mixture should be taken for three weeks and done 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day about one hour before meals or during meals. It is quite possible to drink such a remedy for up to 2 months, but then you must take a break.
There is also an alternative recipe made from young pine needles (it could be pine, spruce, fir or juniper). The needles are crushed and honey (5 tablespoons), rose hips (2-3 tablespoons), onion peels (3 tablespoons) are added to it. All this is filled with water (one liter), boiled for about 10 minutes, and then, after boiling, transferred to a thermos. In the morning, you will need to strain this mixture and then drink half a glass 4 or 5 times a day.
Attention! This recipe is contraindicated if you have problems with the pancreas or stomach.
Of course, folk remedies sometimes help very well, but they are only good in addition to the main treatment. So you should not forget about taking the medications prescribed by your doctor. Moreover, they also need to be taken on time. Only in this case will you be able to cope with this insidious disease.
And here they will tell you more about the possible causes of this phenomenon.