Hand numbness

Contents

Causes of hand numbness
Hand numbness treatment
- Diagnostics
- Modern treatments
Hand numbness prevention at home
Popular questions and answers
- Sources of

Causes, symptoms and treatment of hand numbness in adults. Together with a therapist and a neurologist, we discussed why hands go numb, what diseases are accompanied by numbness and how to get rid of it at home

Hand numbness is a partial or complete loss of sensation. This condition occurs periodically or regularly in many adults and is usually accompanied by tingling, burning sensation and goosebumps running down the skin. Upper limb numbness can be a harmless condition or a symptom of a serious illness. We talked to our experts about the causes of hand numbness, learned about the methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Causes of hand numbness

The causes of this condition are physiological and pathological. Physiological loss of sensation occurs when the limbs are in an uncomfortable position, for example, during sleep. Because of this, blood vessels and nerve endings are compressed, the hand becomes numb and hardly moves. Discomfort disappears after a few minutes on its own or after active movements.

The cause of regular hand numbness can be neurological, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. We tell you what pathologies most often cause a decrease in sensitivity.

Peripheral neuropathy or polyneuropathy

In this condition, the work of peripheral nerves is disrupted, including those that “control” the upper limbs.^1,2. Most often, disorders develop against the background of diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, infectious and autoimmune diseases, and taking certain medications (for example, antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs). Peripheral neuropathy usually causes muscle weakness and loss of sensation in both hands.¹.

Radicular syndrome of the lower cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae

Root compression is called radicular syndrome. These are the initial sections of the nerve, which are located in the cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral spine. The roots form the spinal nerves, which, like branches, diverge to different parts of the body and provide their regulation.

The roots of the upper thoracic and lower cervical regions are responsible for the mobility and sensitivity of the hands. Regulation is disturbed if some root is compressed as a result of trauma, due to osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, spondylosis, or a tumor process. In this case, numbness may occur in different parts of the upper limbs: shoulder, forearm, hand.

carpal tunnel syndrome

This condition develops when nerves are pinched in the “tunnel” – a narrow anatomical space of our body. Among the tunnel syndromes of the hand, carpal tunnel syndrome is most common – 3% of women and 2 men suffer from it.³. It is also called carpal tunnel syndrome. It occurs when the median nerve is compressed at the wrist.³.

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops for several reasons:

as a result of a dislocation or fracture;
due to constant injury to the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the wrist during monotonous work, for example, at a computer, sewing machine or on a conveyor;
with tumors of the median nerve;
due to endocrine and autoimmune diseases: diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is accompanied by pain and loss of sensation in the entire arm or hand.³. First, the symptoms appear when performing any actions with the brush, then they begin to disturb at any other time, including at night.

Raynaud’s Disease

Raynaud’s disease or syndrome is a pathology in which the regulation of small arterial vessels responsible for the blood supply to the upper limbs is disrupted.⁴. The disease occurs in 3-5% of the population, women get sick 5 times more often than men⁴. With Raynaud’s syndrome, spasm of peripheral vessels regularly occurs, which is accompanied by loss of sensitivity and a feeling of coldness in the hands⁴. If the disease progresses, the skin on the hands becomes pale and takes on a bluish tint.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when a vessel in the brain is blocked or ruptured and is often accompanied by numbness of one half of the body, that is, the left arm and left leg, or the right arm and right leg, lose sensation at the same time. In addition, a person’s vision and speech are disturbed, headache, nausea, vomiting, intolerance to sharp sounds appear.⁵. A cerebral hemorrhage can lead to disability and death, and therefore requires urgent medical attention.

IMPORTANT
There are dozens of diseases and conditions in which the hands completely or partially lose sensitivity. Therefore, when making a preliminary diagnosis, doctors are guided by the symptoms of hand numbness.

Right hand numbness

It is observed in neurological, vascular and endocrine pathologies. With problems with the spine, the hand often loses sensation during sleep, even if the person is in a comfortable position. With a stroke, the right hand becomes numb if there is a hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of the brain.

Numbness in the left arm

It occurs for the same reasons as the numbness of the right hand. Sometimes the left upper limb becomes numb with myocardial infarction. In this case, the person experiences severe chest pain and shortness of breath.

Finger numbness

Numbness of the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers are common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome³. In addition to loss of sensation, patients complain of pain in the fingers, which increases sharply during neurological tests, in particular, when tapping with a neurological hammer on the wrist³.

Numbness of the fingertips is a characteristic symptom of stage 2 Raynaud’s disease.⁴. The index and middle fingers of both hands usually lose sensation⁴.

Numbness of the hand

Numbness of the right hand is often observed with carpal tunnel syndrome, which was provoked by monotonous physical activity, in particular, working at a computer.

Elbow numbness

It can occur with neuritis – inflammation of the ulnar nerve. With this disease, the mobility of the forearm and hand is disturbed, the sensitivity of the little finger and ring finger decreases.

Shoulder numbness

The outer side of the shoulder is often numb in radicular syndrome. In this condition, in addition to a decrease in sensitivity, there is pain in the shoulder and neck.

Hand numbness treatment

Treatment for numbness of the hands is selected by the doctor depending on the disease or condition that caused the loss of sensitivity. Therefore, with any symptoms of hand numbness, you should consult a general practitioner or a neurologist. He will prescribe the necessary studies, select a therapeutic regimen or refer you to a narrow specialist: a rheumatologist, neurosurgeon or endocrinologist.

Diagnostics

First, the doctor examines the patient and listens to his complaints. A preliminary diagnosis can be made based on the results of the examination and symptoms of hand numbness. During the examination, neurological tests are often used: tapping with a hammer, squeezing different parts of the hand. With their help, the sensitivity of reflexes and muscle strength are determined.

After the examination, the doctor may prescribe the following types of studies:

X-ray;
electroneuromyography;
UZDG vessels;
angiography;
CT scan;
MRI;
laboratory tests of blood and urine.

The diagnostic program for each patient will be different. Sometimes special studies may be needed, for example, if oncology or an autoimmune disease is suspected.

Modern treatments

There is no specific treatment for hand numbness; the therapeutic regimen is selected taking into account the cause and stage of the disease. The goal of treatment for hand numbness is to reduce the impact of the damaging factor, stop the progression of the disease and stop its consequences.

Patients may be prescribed drugs from the following groups:

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics and glucocorticosteroid hormones – to relieve pain and inflammation;
muscle relaxants to reduce muscle tone;
chondroprotectors that restore joint tissues;
means for improving peripheral circulation;
vitamins of group B;
antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants, which reduce blood viscosity and prevent blood clots

Massage, manual therapy and therapeutic exercises give good results. An important role in the treatment of hand numbness is played by physiotherapeutic methods: UHF, mud therapy, hydrotherapy. Adequate therapy allows you to restore the sensitivity of the hands, eliminate pain, burning and other unpleasant symptoms.

Hand numbness prevention at home

To prevent hand numbness, adults should monitor the position of the body during work, rest and sports. It is not recommended to sit and lie in an uncomfortable position for a long time, keep your arms above your head, carry too heavy backpacks and bags. At least once a year, you need to undergo a preventive examination and consult a doctor if your hands begin to lose sensitivity regularly.