If you are familiar with the situation when your toes go numb, you understand how unpleasant it can be. This condition may even be accompanied by tingling of the feet, dullness or pain, as well as a slight burning sensation in the legs and chills. When your fingertips or entire fingers regularly go numb, you need to find out the root causes of the disorder, which are sometimes associated with cardiovascular and other dangerous diseases.
First, let's look at what diseases are associated with constant numbness in different toes after walking, in the morning, or in any other situations. In these cases, the little, ring, middle or big toes on the left or right foot may become numb. Everything is entirely individual, and we will look at special cases of numbness in certain fingers below.
As a result of the development of this disease, patients may experience numbness in different toes. Numbness of the tips occurs in most people with intervertebral hernia. The fact is that along the spine there are nerves on which the sensitivity of the body as a whole depends. Therefore, if your toes go numb with or without shoes, and you also feel discomfort in your back, go to a neurologist and get examined.
This is another unexpected condition that causes numbness in the toes of both the left and right toes. The reason is very unusual, so patients never associate the unpleasant symptom felt in the legs with it. Most often, with diabetes, it is the thumb that goes numb, and the unpleasant condition goes away on its own in a fairly short time. Even if the discomfort has subsided, do not put off visiting a doctor, otherwise unpleasant consequences, including amputation of the fingers, are possible, although this happens extremely rarely.
Frequent drinking or alcoholism is often associated with the problem of why the middle, big, or all toes go numb at once. Alcohol abuse dulls the sensitivity of the nerves, and excess fluid accumulates in the body, which contributes to swelling and constriction of blood vessels in the body.
With various tumors localized in the spine, different toes may also go numb, for example, two big toes, 2 and 3 fingers, or all at once - all individually. A similar condition occurs due to the formation and growth of a tumor in the spinal cord, which compresses the nerves responsible for the sensitivity of the lower extremities.
Arthrosis and arthritis
These diseases are quite common in the modern world. In doing so, they stimulate problems of numbness and pain in the toes. Discomfort usually appears after long walks. For this reason, most often the toes and feet go numb at night or in the morning, which greatly worries a person. Regardless of the fact that your fingers go numb from walking, you should not give up walking, otherwise the disorder will progress even faster.
When only the big toes on the left or right foot go numb, and this happens periodically, many do not attach importance to these symptoms, considering them harmless. This is a mistake because sometimes the situation has serious consequences. We discussed some of the possible diseases above, and now we will consider special cases.
Of course, sometimes big toes go numb for harmless reasons - due to uncomfortable shoes or being in an uncomfortable position for a long time. In these cases, the condition normalizes on its own, and this happens quickly and without consequences. The main thing is that wearing inappropriate shoes does not become systematic. Sometimes simply loosening the lacing helps, and if the shoes or other shoes are noticeably smaller than the required size, it is better not to wear them. Also, women sometimes experience numbness in their thumbs due to walking for a long time in high-heeled shoes.
When only the little toes on your feet begin to go numb, this can also be caused by many reasons. The most common among them are:
Cancer can also cause numbness in the little fingers. Sometimes tumors that arise near the spinal cord cause numbness in the small toes.
When only 1 and 2 fingers, or 2 and 3, or only 4 are numb, the reasons can be unpredictable without a diagnostic examination and consultation with a doctor. For example, the so-called Chopart joint, when wearing tight shoes, can cause numbness in the ring finger, and when walking for a long time, the ligaments can swell and blood circulation is impaired, causing numbness in the 2nd and 4th fingers, or any others.
Uncomfortable body position for a long time, for example, at work, can also contribute to numbness in different toes of the left or right foot. There are many variations, but in most cases the reason lies in poor circulation, but the diseases described at the beginning of the material cannot be ruled out.
When an adult or child has numb toes, and the reasons are not related to any diseases, you can correct the situation with the help of simple recommendations. First, you need to buy comfortable shoes (especially for children), and when trying them on, make sure that they do not squeeze the foot and that the toes remain free.
If you need to sit for a long time, change your position regularly to make it comfortable for you. You can periodically massage your fingers to improve blood circulation, and contrast baths every evening also help.
It is important to take care of your diet by including foods with sufficient vitamins. B vitamins are especially important for numbness. When the problem of numbness in the ring, thumb or other finger is acute, stop drinking strong tea and coffee, and also stop smoking and do not drink alcohol. All this affects the blood vessels, disrupting their normal functioning.
When patients experience numbness in the fingers of their lower extremities, doctors use different methods for treatment. All of them are aimed at eliminating the root cause that caused the discomfort. In most cases, it all comes down to restoring vascular patency and eliminating the problem of nerve compression.
All specialists begin by prescribing medications for symptomatic therapy. These may be drugs to regulate the blood supply to specific areas or the legs as a whole, as well as painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Sometimes local or general muscle relaxants are needed, and products with chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine may also be needed.
As an auxiliary therapy, when different fingers become numb due to diseases, manual procedures and physical therapy may be needed. They regulate blood flow, relieve spasms and improve communication between the nervous system and nerves in the body. Some doctors prescribe alternative therapies to patients, including acupuncture.
If your toes begin to go numb, you need to know which doctor to see. Traditionally, everything starts with a therapist, who conducts a general examination and studies the patient’s complaints, and only suggests a diagnosis. Next, the doctor refers the patient to a specialist to confirm the diagnosis and prescribe treatment. This could be a neurologist, surgeon, neurosurgeon, rheumatologist and many other doctors. As for assisted therapy, it is provided by massage therapists, physical therapists and reflexologists.