All people are familiar with the feeling when, due to an uncomfortable position of the hands, they can lose sensitivity and go numb in the hands and fingers. If this phenomenon is short-lived, then it is associated with compression of the nerve endings and should not be alarming. However, if numbness occurs for no apparent reason, continues for a long time or does not stop at all, then this is a clear sign of an existing pathology. What diseases cause your fingers to go numb, the causes of this unpleasant and sometimes even dangerous phenomenon, and methods of treatment will be discussed further in the article.
Short-term paresthesia (a feeling of numbness) is not considered dangerous. Attention should be paid to persistent symptoms, especially in the presence of dizziness, loss of consciousness, and headache.
The main causes of numbness in the fingers of the right and left hands include:
The most common cause of paresthesia is osteochondrosis of the lower cervical area. Dystrophic changes in the vertebrae lead to compression of the nerve roots and blood vessels located in the lateral parts of the spine. Compression is caused by osteophytes - growths of bone tissue.
A similar picture is observed with a hernia of the cervical spine. The pathology is complicated by the presence of curvature - scoliosis and prolonged carrying of heavy loads.
Additional signs of the disease are pain in the heart and shoulder. Often a person complains of regular headaches.
Provocateurs of osteochondrosis are obesity, frequent stressful situations, constant sedentary work. Pathology is usually diagnosed after 45 years, when age-related changes begin, for example, salt deposition.
Excessive consumption of fatty foods, smoking, and low physical activity lead to an increase in the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. The consequences of such a lifestyle are fully reflected in the state of the entire circulatory system.
This disease can be characterized as the initial stage of thromboembolism, which naturally provokes strokes and heart attacks.
Also, fingers can lose sensitivity due to heart failure, angina pectoris and hypertension.
A fairly common cause of discomfort is a traumatic brain injury or hand injury. Numbness in this case occurs against the background of painful sensations, burning, spasms, itching, and loss of consciousness.
Multiple sclerosis, which develops due to the destruction of the myelin sheath of neurons, also leads to numbness of the limbs. However, in this case, the patient develops a peculiar unsteady gait.
During menopause, as well as during pregnancy, fingers become numb due to tissue swelling, which often causes compression of the nerve bundle in the wrist area. If the symptom appears regularly, it is necessary to examine the cardiovascular system.
With osteochondrosis in the cervical region, a lack of nutrients and fluid in the intervertebral discs causes destruction of the cervical vertebrae. How to avoid this? How to cure osteochondrosis? Read here: http://pomogispine.com/zabolevaniya/osteohondroz/shejnyj-otdel-lechenie.html
When contacting a medical facility, it is advisable to describe in detail what symptoms the person is experiencing.
Based on the nature of the numbness, one can assume a diagnosis and conduct an examination in the right direction.
The main task of diagnosis is to identify the cause, as well as to exclude the possibility of such pathologies as cerebrovascular accident, which threatens stroke or ischemia. First, the patient must provide a blood sample for testing to detect the presence of toxic substances. This analysis is especially important for people whose work is associated with high harm to the body.
Of the hardware methods used:
Each method provides additional information that helps not only make a diagnosis, but also choose the optimal treatment methods.
Thus, using X-rays, you can take a series of images that allow you to see in which places the damage to blood vessels and nerve roots is localized. Dopplerography of arteries is aimed at assessing the condition of blood vessels. In this case, ultrasound radiation is used, which does not cause any discomfort to the patient.
Using MRI and CT, the spinal column and brain are scanned.
Echoencephalography, using ultrasound, makes it possible to assess the extent of pathological processes occurring in parts of the brain. Sensors located in the skull area emit ultrasonic waves of a certain frequency and perceive their echo. Recently, this procedure is more often used in clinics that are not equipped with computer or magnetic resonance imaging scanners.
Electroencephalography allows you to detect the slightest changes in the functioning of the brain. Electrodes placed on the skull are connected to a machine that detects changes in the electrical activity of the waves and records the readings in the form of a broken line.
The diagnostic results and a thorough study of the patient’s previous history make it possible to develop an individual treatment program.
Each disease requires its own treatment regimen. So, with osteochondrosis and tunnel syndrome, massage of the collar zone, as well as a complex of exercise therapy, are excellent. Physical therapy is used to develop atrophied muscle tissue after a severe arm injury.
Drug therapy in each individual case is perfectly combined with manual therapy, taking vitamin and mineral complexes, and physiotherapy. Laser treatment, ultrasound and magnetic therapy help stimulate blood circulation and have a positive effect on regeneration processes.
Non-traditional methods are also widely used in treatment: hirudotherapy, vacuum therapy, acupuncture.
To avoid encountering these diseases, you should:
Using the recommendations will significantly reduce the risk of developing vascular pathologies and damage to nerve fibers. Then you will not have to experience the discomfort caused by paresthesia.
Numbness of the legs is a change in sensitivity in the lower extremities, accompanied by:
How numb your legs are depends on each specific case.
This manifests itself differently in different people:
You probably already noticed as a child that when you sit for a long time while playing something extremely interesting on your knees or with your legs tucked in, you literally cannot straighten your stiff limbs.
And, on the contrary, fitness instructors know that after performing stretching exercises, during which you have to sit for a long time with your legs turned out and extended as far as possible, you need to very carefully bring these same legs together: first, bend and move the right leg with the help of your arms, then and the left leg.
If you do not take these precautions, you are likely to experience numbness in your legs. The reasons for this phenomenon are that blood circulation is impaired in legs that are bent or stretched for a long time while sitting.
In this case, processes similar to uncomfortable sitting occur. Lying for a long time at night in the same position, non-physiologically bent limbs, “squeezing” some parts of the body by others also provoke poor circulation, which becomes the cause of numbness in the legs during sleep.
Very tight boots can squeeze your legs below the knees so tightly that you feel your lower limbs go numb. If the tops are too tight, the calves and ankles usually go numb; if the shoes don’t fit, the feet will go numb. This will continue until you get rid of the uncomfortable pair of shoes or boots, or until they wear out.
However, enduring unpleasant sensations while waiting for the latter is very risky, since wearing tight shoes, in addition to numbness, can lead to:
During medical examinations or during medical examination, the doctor will definitely ask you: “Is the work sedentary?” This question is not accidental, because sedentary work entails a whole bunch of negative consequences for your body.
One of the bright flowers of this bouquet is numbness in the legs. The reasons are the same - poor circulation plus prolonged excessive relaxation of some muscles of the lower extremities and overstrain of others.
The situation is the same as with sedentary work in the office. It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional driver (and long-term driving is your sedentary job), or just an amateur motorist - the result is the same: when you sit in one place for a long time, blood circulation and sensitivity of the limbs are impaired.
This means that spending a long time behind the wheel can also cause numbness in the legs, both below the knees and above.
A growing belly, and with it an increasing load on the spine and legs, increases the likelihood of numbness in the lower extremities. Even if a woman did not have problems with the spine before pregnancy, increased body weight can pinch the nerves in the vertebrae or simply compress the nerve endings.
And if there was osteochondrosis or intervertebral hernia, then, most likely, the unpleasant symptoms will worsen.
Temporary leg atrophy is a side effect of epidural anesthesia, which is often used for caesarean sections and operations on the lower half of the body. After its action ceases, mobility and sensitivity in the lower extremities are restored.
What to do if your leg or both legs go numb? The best solution is to see a doctor, especially if the numbness does not go away within a day or is accompanied by dizziness, back or joint pain, or if you are pregnant.
Remember, in these situations, only a doctor should look for answers to the questions of why your legs go numb and what to do in this case! Losing time and trying to self-medicate diseases with similar symptoms can aggravate their course, and even lead to disability.
If, as a result of a visit to the doctor, it turns out that you do not have diseases that can cause numbness in the lower extremities, you should start choosing comfortable shoes that suit you in terms of the fullness and width of the boot, as well as a sleeping mattress and pillow (if the problem occurs at night, during sleep).
If you have a sedentary job, it is imperative to increase physical activity during the day to prevent paresthesia of the limbs. Make it a rule to take breaks during work, during which you do simple exercises, sign up for a gym or a swimming pool.
Additionally, massage will help improve blood circulation in the legs. If funds allow, make an appointment with a massage therapist; if not, regularly massage your feet, calves and thighs at home yourself or entrust it to someone at home.
Regular massage, moderate physical activity and comfortable shoes will ease the position of your long-suffering legs, and they will stop going numb.
Numbness in the fingers or toes is a fairly common symptom. Why do my fingers go numb? Diseases that cause numbness can be different.
When faced with an attack of numbness in one or more fingers, most people do not rush to the doctor, but wait until it “goes away on its own.” But if the attack is not a one-time occurrence, but is repeated, then you should definitely visit a neurologist. Moreover, if numbness of the fingers is accompanied by pain, loss of sensitivity, weakness, and impaired coordination of movements.
There are a number of diseases, one of the symptoms of which is numbness in the limbs. Depending on which fingers this happens to, and also taking into account the accompanying symptoms, the doctor will determine exactly why the fingers are numb. The consequences of diseases that cause numbness can be very dangerous - from loss of finger mobility to gangrene.
If the fingers on both hands go numb in the cold, after the tips of the fingers turn white, then become bluish, and then turn red. This occurs due to vascular spasm and impaired blood circulation in the capillaries located at the fingertips. The combination of these symptoms is a sign of Raynaud's disease.
The insidiousness of this disease is that due to prolonged disruption of the blood supply, gangrene can develop. Then amputation will be required.
Raynaud's disease is much more common in women than in men. It is believed to be caused by a genetic predisposition and can be triggered by several factors:
If you notice the symptoms described above, you need to consult not only a neurologist, but also a rheumatologist as soon as possible.
Another cause of numbness in the fingers is carpal tunnel syndrome. Its characteristic symptoms are numbness of three fingers (thumb, index and middle). This problem is often encountered by people who work at a computer. In the wrist area there are powerful ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, and vessels that supply the hand with blood. But when working at a computer, the hand is in an awkward position for a long time - the hand is overextended, and the fingers are constantly in motion. The tendon swells. As a result, tunnel neuropathy develops. Compression of the vessels supplying the hand and nerve trunks leads to numbness of the fingers, which may be accompanied by a burning sensation and tingling.
The risk group for developing carpal tunnel syndrome includes people who regularly have to make similar movements with their hands - seamstresses, carpenters, painters.
The disease does not go away on its own, and usually progresses if measures are not taken. Without timely treatment, the matter may end with the death of the muscle that is responsible for the mobility of the thumb. As a result, the person cannot bend this finger.
Numbness of the fingertips, which is accompanied by a feeling of cold, manifests itself as diabetic neuropathy - the most common complication of diabetes.
Due to high blood sugar levels, blood vessels suffer. As a result, the blood supply to the nerve endings is disrupted, they are damaged - the person loses sensitivity in the fingers. This can happen to both fingers and toes.
For patients who come to the doctor with such complaints, the doctor asks whether they have diabetes. Statistics show that many people do not know that they already have diabetes. Today it is not difficult to measure and control sugar levels - all you need to do is purchase a household glucometer.
Numbness in the toes is often associated with awkward posture, which is accompanied by short-term pressure on the nerve. When changing position, the symptom disappears.
Another reason is the lack of vitamin B12 in the body, which is involved in the metabolic processes of nerve fibers. Its deficiency is also accompanied by symptoms such as general weakness, fatigue, irritability, sensory disturbances, and heart rhythm disturbances.
As mentioned above, one of the causes of numbness in the toes may be diabetes.
Diseases that cause numbness in the toes include metabolic disorders, vascular diseases of the legs, spinal osteochondrosis, spinal tuberculosis, and cancer.
The sooner a person consults a doctor, the greater his chances of avoiding serious consequences.
Many people experience numbness in their fingers. There are a variety of reasons why the tips of your fingers go numb. In most cases, numbness in the extremities is due to the fact that normal blood circulation in the hands is significantly impaired, especially if the fingers become cold. In order for this unpleasant phenomenon to stop bothering you, you must first find out what exactly could lead to numbness in the limbs.
In some cases, the reason why fingers go numb may be the most commonplace - waking up in the morning, a person feels tingling and numbness in the limbs simply because he slept in an uncomfortable position. What needs to be done in this case is a short warm-up, after which the problem will disappear by itself.
However, if numbness of the fingers is a fairly regular event, and in addition, the frequency of attacks increases, then the person should seek advice from a neurologist as soon as possible.
The main reasons why the limbs of the hands go numb
A strong feeling of numbness in the tips of the fingers is quite common in cases where a woman falls asleep on a man’s hand. As a result, for quite a long period of time, his hand is not only motionless, but also in a depressed state. As a consequence of such prolonged and strong compression of the blood vessels, a strong feeling of numbness appears, which can persist for a long time. Close hugs are, of course, pleasant, but still, it is better to make sure that your head is not on your arm, but on the pillow.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a fairly common cause of numbness in the fingertips. Moreover, it is worth noting that in this case there is numbness in the fingers of either the left or right hand. But numbness in the fingers of both limbs at once with osteochondrosis almost never occurs. In order to establish an accurate diagnosis, a sick person should definitely consult a doctor.
In this case, we are talking about organic damage to the nerve plexuses of the fingers, as well as the hands themselves. Moreover, the consequence of such a lesion is a constant change in the feeling of tingling and numbness of the limbs. The frequency of occurrence of these sensations depends on the degree of nerve damage. They can be observed once a week, or maybe hourly. This lesion can be the result of various infectious diseases, as well as some functional ones (pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, etc.). In some cases, such lesions can be triggered by a common lack of a vitamin or the presence of iron deficiency anemia.
This term was given to a condition in the body in which a person experiences pinching of the median nerve passing through the carpal tunnel. Note that in this case, in addition to the feeling of tingling and numbness, the person also feels painful sensations. The pain in the fingers can be quite severe, depriving the sick person of peace. A similar phenomenon is quite often observed in cases where the specifics of a person’s work are related to the fact that his hands are in constant tension, and in addition, in the same position, for example, working at a computer. In order to avoid stagnation of blood, which leads to a pinched nerve, during work you should take a break every half hour (about five minutes) and a short warm-up for your arms.
If an artery located in the upper limb is blocked by a blood clot, the person begins to feel numbness. At first it is felt only in the fingers of the affected limb, but over time the numbness increases and rises higher and higher, and does not go away as usual. It is necessary to pay special attention to this nuance - if within an hour the feeling of numbness in the fingers, and especially in the hand itself, does not go away, then the sick person should immediately seek help from a doctor. Otherwise, there is a great risk of developing the process of tissue necrosis, which can even lead to the loss of an arm if timely assistance is not provided.
This disease is associated with impaired circulation in the smallest blood vessels of the fingers and hands themselves. Poor circulation occurs as a result of damage to small capillaries and arteries. People with this disease experience numbness and pain in their fingers, and when exposed to the cold, they turn white. Only a specialist can diagnose the disease. In order to avoid its occurrence, you need to treat your hands with due attention - do not keep them in cold water for a long time, for example, while washing or washing dishes, and you should not ignore gloves during the cold season.
The threat of stroke hanging over a person is also characterized by numbness in the hands. In such cases, as a rule, numbness is felt in one arm. Along with this, the sick person experiences severe headaches and a significant increase in blood pressure. Under no circumstances should this condition be ignored. A sick person should seek help from a doctor at the slightest alarming symptoms.
Other reasons why fingertips go numb.
In addition to the reasons that have been listed, fingers can also become numb as a result of other systemic disorders, for example, diseases of the endocrine system, injuries, inflammation of the joints, rheumatism. It is simply impossible to determine on your own what exactly caused the feeling of numbness.