Numbness of fingers

Finger numbness or paresthesia is an unpleasant sensation present with varying frequency in the lives of most modern people, regardless of age and gender. There is a false statement that such a process of “leaking” is the prerogative of the elderly, but this is fundamentally not true – all age categories of people can be subject to such an unpleasant sensation. There is a slight tingling sensation, which in some cases develops into a painful sensation when moving the hands. With a single appearance of discomfort, you should not panic. A short loss of sensation occurs when taking an uncomfortable position in a dream or doing a certain job (with a normal position and a change in activity, the feeling disappears). If the symptomatology has the character of relapses, it is necessary to deal with the causes of its occurrence. With paresthesia, symptoms can be ignored for a long time, leading to irreversible consequences. Often the body in this way gives signs that processes are taking place inside that are worth paying attention to.

Short-term body changes

There are many nerve endings in the fingers. When squeezed, blood circulation is disturbed, which entails unpleasant and painful sensations. Perhaps the violation is closely related to an insufficiently correct lifestyle. “Wicking” can be a sign of an emerging disease. In most cases, paresthesia occurs due to compression. This process is divided into two types: short-term and pathological.

Short-term paresthesia is promoted by activities that involve keeping the hands in the same position for a long period. They lead to violations of the circulatory system of the limbs. The risk group includes people engaged in intensive typing, computer operations, sewing, engraving and other activities that require concentration and minimal movement during a certain process. With a long stay outside in sub-zero temperatures, the limbs do not receive the necessary oxygen, as the vessels spasm, blood flow worsens, and as a result, a tingling sensation may occur. During sound sleep, a person is able not to turn around for a long time, as a result, blood vessels are pinched, the cells lack the right amount of oxygen (there is “stiffness”). When wearing tight clothing, the main blood arteries are squeezed, providing the body with full oxygen nutrition. The ingestion of certain chemicals, such as heavy metals, drugs, alcohol, can also become factors in the occurrence of this syndrome. Sometimes the cause is a long-term injury to the limbs, as a result of which the nerves responsible for tissue sensitivity were damaged. Perhaps the explanation lies on the surface and becomes the result of wearing too tight jewelry (rings, bracelets). When determining the above causes, they should be eliminated in order to continue full functioning and no changes.

Pathological changes with disorders of the body

You do not need to independently establish the causes that led to numbness. With repeated occurrence of it at night, accompanied by a strong pain syndrome, it is urgent to visit a doctor. Only a specialist is able to determine the primary diagnosis and eliminate the syndrome. The main sources of development are the following diseases:

1. Injuries of the phalanges, hands, elbow joints and limbs in general: the fibers responsible for sensitivity are damaged.
2. Osteochondrosis: included in the list of causes that cause pinching of the nerve roots and deformation of the intervertebral discs: in this case, the discs and vertebrae begin to collapse, which lead to compression of the nerves. This provokes a lack of normal blood circulation in the upper limbs. Numbness of the thumb, index and middle fingers indicates pinching of the roots located between the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. Decreased sensitivity of the middle finger, ring and little fingers – about pinching of the nerves located between the seventh cervical and first thoracic vertebrae. Osteochondrosis is characterized by a feeling of “stiffness” on only one limb.
3. Compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel (tunnel syndrome): manifested by pain and numbness. The reason is compression of the median nerve between the bones, transversely – carpal ligament and tendons. It occurs more often in older women and men, workers who perform monotonous flexion-extensor movements with fingers and hands.
4. The occurrence of cholesterol plaques that affect the blood supply to organs: they disrupt the blood flow in the vessel, in some cases they can completely clog it.
5. Lack of sufficient blood flow to the brain: there are sections in the cortex responsible for transmitting impulses to the muscles of the limbs. With insufficient oxygen enrichment of this zone, there is a slowdown in the transmission or absence of signals, the impossibility of full functioning.
6. Neuropathy of the ulnar nerve: damage as a result of trauma (its functions are disturbed, sensitization in the carpal region decreases) and polyneuropathy: multiple lesions of peripheral nerves, manifested by paralysis, paraplegia.
7. Raynaud’s disease: a vasospastic disease, is an angiotrophoneurosis with damage to the small terminal arteries and arterioles. The appearance is due to genetics.
8. Scleroderma: an autoimmune connective tissue disease, a skin lesion based on abnormal microcirculation, generalized fibrosis and inflammation.
9. Cardiac pathology: angina pectoris and myocardial infarction.
10. Chronic alcoholism and severe poisoning: the appearance of a blue color of the skin and a slight tingling with repeated periodicity may indicate a change in the outflow of venous blood, which carries away the waste products of cells, and a decrease in the supply of nutrients.
11. Atherosclerosis: a chronic disease of the arteries of the elastic and musculo-elastic type, which occurs after a change in lipid and protein metabolism, is accompanied by the deposition of cholesterol in the lumen of the vessels.
12. Multiple sclerosis: a chronic progressive disease of the nervous system, during which the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord is affected. Several parts of the nervous system are affected simultaneously.
13. Neoplastic process: represents the development of a tumor.
14. Iron deficiency in the body and endocrine diseases: if the glands responsible for the release of hormones malfunction, a failure may occur.
15. Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis): with this disease, the arms and legs go numb, frequent convulsions occur.
16. Vitamin B1 deficiency: when it is lacking, the body provokes beriberi disease (the direct function of the nervous system is disturbed, a severe form of the disease leads to the destruction of blood vessels).
17. Pathological, age-related changes in the joints: a change in location leads to pinching and blocking of the blood vessels responsible for transporting oxygen to the extremities, as well as venous stasis: insufficient transport function of the blood with this change in the body causes paresthesia.
18. Sharp spasms of the microcirculatory bed: stagnation of blood develops (it enters the intercellular space, leads to an increase in the volume of the intercellular fluid, squeezing of small capillaries, the exchange is disturbed).
19. Diphtheria polyneuropathy: in severe cases, it affects the nerves, leads to a lack of sensation, tingling and “stiffness” of the limbs.

Numbness during pregnancy

Women may experience numbness and tingling fingers during pregnancy. These phenomena are not associated with pathology. Usually, the syndrome worries at night only in late pregnancy. In most cases, loss of sensation and pain in the joints is associated with manifestations of carpal tunnel syndrome (occurs due to the constant static load on certain tendons and joints). Also, the phalanges of the fingers can become numb due to swelling. If this disorder occurs, you should consult a doctor. During the bearing of a child, an exacerbation of osteochondrosis and osteoporosis may occur, which provokes a violation of sensitivity.

Diagnosis and prevention of disorders

At the beginning of the examination, an oral survey is conducted, which involves the presence of standard questions to help the doctor determine the cause of the leakage.

The doctor needs to establish the facts as accurately as possible in order to determine the primary diagnosis, leading to a loss of sensation of sensitivity. First of all, the specialist must exclude severe cerebrovascular accidents and prevent their development. An x-ray of the cervical spine is performed, the pictures are taken in several projections. The preservation of normal blood flow is examined, for this purpose Dopplerography of the arteries of the neck region is prescribed, then magnetic resonance angiography, which examines the vessels of the brain and the vertebrobasilar zone. After that, you need to undergo a computer or better magnetic resonance imaging of the spine in the cervical region and the brain. The patient is offered the procedure of electroencephalography and echoencephalography. The level of glucose in the blood before meals is determined, a urine test is performed. After all the test results are ready, the doctor prescribes an electromyography – this study registers the electrical potentials of some muscles.

In order to no longer feel paresthesia of the fingers, you need to take care of your health and carry out regular prevention. It is necessary to reconsider the approach to nutrition, switch to a fundamentally healthy lifestyle, give up bad habits, nicotine and alcohol. When choosing gloves, it is necessary to give preference to natural materials. Blood circulation is activated if you take a break every 45 minutes during monotonous work. In the morning it is necessary to perform a set of physical exercises (a standard charge is enough). In case of recurring symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.