Numb fingers and toes - physiological and pathological reasons, what can be done to help

12 April 2021

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Numbness or hypoesthesia of the fingers is a rather unpleasant situation, which can be either a consequence of physiological reasons or a sign of various types of diseases. Therefore, if this symptom persists for an hour or more, and there is no improvement in rubbing your hands, clenching and unclenching your fists, you should consult a doctor. He will help you understand the reasons for its appearance and, if necessary, prescribe the necessary treatment. This will be the key to detecting pathology at an early stage of development and the success of therapy, and will also help to avoid aggravation of the situation and eliminate the risk of complications. After all, it is not so much the numbness of the fingers that is dangerous, although it can cause significant difficulties in performing everyday tasks, but the consequences of the lack of treatment for the diseases that provoked its occurrence.

Main reasons

There are two large groups of causes of numbness in the fingers on the left hand, which you can learn about below.

The main ones.

• Doctors say that such symptoms cause problems with the musculoskeletal system: osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, injuries and heavy loads on the vertebrae. All this causes compression of blood vessels and nerve processes. The person feels pain and goosebumps.
• Cerebral ischemia. Due to impaired blood flow, a deficiency of oxygen appears in the cells, which a person feels as numbness.
• A non-physiological posture may also be an explanation.
• Non-pathological reasons: carrying a child or squeezing the wrist with accessories.

Additional.

When wearing backpacks and bags, at low temperatures, or with the arm positioned for a long time above chest level, the plexus of nerve processes and blood vessels is compressed, which disrupts blood circulation and causes spasm of the arteries.

Why do my fingertips always go numb?

The reasons that most often lead to paresthesia (numbness):

1. Wrong lifestyle: bad habits and unbalanced diet. So, if you eat spicy food at night, drink alcohol, strong tea or coffee, pain may occur in the abdomen or head, which forces a person to choose a position during sleep in which the pain disappears. However, these poses are not always comfortable, as a result of which numbness of the limbs may occur, which disappears a few minutes after waking up.
2. An uncomfortable pillow can also be the reason why a person’s fingers go numb while sleeping. The use of a dense high pillow leads to a strong deflection of the cervical spine, due to which blood circulation in the nerve endings of the intervertebral discs, which are responsible for the sensitivity of the hands, deteriorates. A special orthopedic pillow will help solve the problem.
3. Carpal tunnel syndrome is paresthesia and pain in some fingers or the entire hand. The reason lies in the narrowing of the carpal tunnel and pinching of the median nerve. Most often, this disorder occurs in people who regularly perform monotonous movements of their hands during work, for example, seamstresses, musicians, programmers, drivers. Women suffer from it more often than men due to the smaller width of the carpal tunnel. If the disease is not diagnosed in a timely manner, the patient may lose the ability to perform basic manipulations, for example, holding a toothbrush or cutlery.
4. Spinal diseases. Due to compression of the nerve endings in the vertebrae, blood circulation is impaired. In addition to dizziness and pain in the head, a sign of spinal pathologies is numbness of the hands at night
5. Vegetovascular dystonia is a circulatory disorder in the autonomic nervous system. Poor functioning of blood vessels is often the reason why fingertips go numb
6. Diabetes. With this disease, there is an increase in glucose levels, which causes numbness in the upper extremities.

Other pathologies that can lead to paresthesia:

• diseases of the nervous system;
• cardiovascular pathologies (hypertension, multiple atherosclerosis, Raynaud's disease and others);
• joint diseases, such as arthritis and arthrosis;
• lack of nutrients in the body.

What is the body saying?

Suddenly my fingers lost sensitivity. If this is a rare phenomenon and it disappears after 2 - 3 minutes, then there is nothing to fear. If such sensations bother you often, then this is a signal of a developing disease.

• Little finger. Paresthesia indicates chronic heart failure and other cardiac pathologies.
• Forefinger. Goes numb with diabetes, occupational stress, inflammation in the joints.
• Thumb. Metabolic processes in the spine are clearly disrupted. You may feel pain in the forearm and weakness in the arm muscles.
• Middle finger. Raynaud's disease, hernia, articular deformity, osteochondrosis of the 7th vertebra.
• Nameless. Numbness due to the fact that the nerve endings in the bend of the elbow are compressed.

Causes

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is compression of the median nerve in the hand area, where the median nerve runs in an anatomically narrow place along with the tendons and is covered by the retinaculum ligament.

How does it manifest?

The hands begin to go numb at night, the person is forced to wake up from this numbness and shake his hands. Gradually, this condition becomes more frequent, then the fingers begin to go numb during the day during any movements with the hands. In advanced stages, weakness in the hand appears and the person cannot hold various objects. Most often, carpal tunnel syndrome develops in people who constantly work with their hands: office workers, massage therapists, workers.

Cubital tunnel syndrome

Cubital tunnel syndrome is compression of the ulnar nerve in the area of ​​the elbow, where we feel pain and shooting along the nerve when we hit the elbow (inside), which everyone has experienced at some point.

How does it manifest?

The first symptom is the little finger going numb. Then weakness appears in the fingers (ring, little finger), and it becomes difficult to hold objects. Hand atrophy may occur. Numbness most often occurs during the day, while working with your hands or when lifting your hands. Men get sick more often than women.

Anterior scalene syndrome

Anterior scalene syndrome is compression of the brachial plexus in the interscalene space in the neck (between the anterior and middle scalene muscles).

How does it manifest?

The symptoms are the same: numbness in the little finger and ring finger, then weakness in the hand. Occupational complication: for example, occurs in musicians who play the violin for a long time for several hours. Or at hairdressers during a long haircut in a static neck position.

Radiculopathy

Radiculopathy is compression of the spinal roots. The cause, as a rule, lies in a herniated disc. There are 3 roots going to the fingers: C6, C7, C8. Radiculopathy of the C6 root is more common.

How does it manifest?

The first symptoms are numbness in the thumb and index finger. Radiculopathy is usually accompanied by pain in the neck and radiating to the arm. Numbness in the fingers intensifies with any movements in the neck.

Treatment methods

In modern medicine, there are several effective methods for treating numbness in the fingers of the left hand.

• Drug therapy. This method involves the use of products selected by a specialist, in the form of ointments, preparations and creams. Which can relieve inflammation, swelling and pain.
• Therapeutic massage and manual therapy.
• Using ultrasound or laser. This will help restore damaged tissue and lost sensitivity.
• Special exercises and health-improving physical education. This will help improve blood circulation and the general condition of the body.

Treatment and prevention of paresthesia

If you are unable to see a doctor soon, try the following self-help techniques:

• periodically warm up your arms;
• make hand baths from warm water with herbal decoctions or essential oils.

Proper nutrition and taking vitamins also help normalize hand sensitivity. However, for final recovery, diagnosis of the causes of numbness and proper treatment are required. If paresthesia is caused by a violation of local circulation, then, as a rule, massage and therapeutic exercises are recommended. For diseases of the spine, the problem is solved by taking medications (anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, chondroprotectors and others), physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy. For vascular pathologies, surgical treatment is used in case of blockage of a vessel. For conservative treatment, medications (vasodilators, drugs to reduce blood viscosity and improve microcirculation) and physiotherapy can be used. No one is immune from paresthesia and inflammation of the finger, but you can reduce the risk of their occurrence by adhering to the following recommendations:

• avoid bad habits;
• exercise regularly to strengthen the spinal muscles;
• control blood pressure;
• eat right, do not get carried away with consuming fried, smoked and salty foods;
• If any kind of ailment occurs, promptly contact medical specialists.

All these measures will help you avoid problems with finger sensitivity and maintain healthy hands into old age.

Preventing finger numbness

As with most neurological diseases, preventive measures boil down to the following:

• Maintain an active lifestyle. Do exercises and don’t forget about daily physical activity;
• Listen to your body and undergo timely medical examinations to identify pathology at an early stage;
• Periodically get tested and undergo examination of the vascular system;
• Try to eat healthy and balanced. Don't forget to take your vitamins.

The main thing to remember is that the body always warns in advance about changes, and does not suddenly get sick. Few people notice problems that are just beginning; most often they do not pay attention to it, hoping that everything will go away on its own. Lack of time, fear of doctors and injections, reduction of the importance of what is happening ultimately lead to the disease becoming much worse, treatment time taking much longer, or the consequences can cost lives.

Determining the causes of paresthesia

If such a symptom occurs, consultation with a therapist or neurologist is necessary. In the future, you may also need the help of an angiologist, vascular surgeon and cardiologist. Diagnostic measures will help determine the reason why your fingers are constantly numb and prescribe effective treatment. If, in addition to numbness, something else bothers you, during the examination, list to the doctor all the accompanying disorders: tingling, soreness, coldness in the hands. Based on your medical history, you will be given a preliminary diagnosis and additional diagnostics will be prescribed:

• X-ray, MRI or CT;
• electroencephalography;
• angiography;
• lab tests;
• and other studies.

Numbness of the hands in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimester

The growing uterus puts pressure on the blood vessels, causing numbness in the extremities.
It is customary to consider symptoms in pregnant women by trimester. In the first three months, the body is rebuilt in a new way so that the growing fetus is provided with everything it needs. This period of time is characterized by:

• headaches, migraines;
• nausea, vomiting;
• weakness;
• lack of appetite;
• dizziness.

Dizziness sometimes begins with numbness in the arms and legs. This cause is not considered dangerous in pregnant women and does not require special treatment.

In the second trimester, problems become more numerous as the fetus grows and the weight of the uterus and amniotic fluid increases. Internal organs are displaced downwards and to the sides, which creates the preconditions for squeezing the arteries. Because of this, some organs may not receive enough oxygen.

In the third trimester, a woman’s belly grows strongly and it becomes uncomfortable to lie down, as the baby inside puts pressure on the arteries located on the back wall of the uterus. Because of this, blood flows poorly to the upper torso and upper extremities, which can cause tingling and numbness in the fingers.

Causes of hand numbness during pregnancy and methods of treatment

During gestation, symptoms of osteochondrosis often appear.
During pregnancy, symptoms of osteochondrosis sometimes begin to appear, because most of the nutrients are directed to the formation of the fetal skeleton. The bone and cartilage tissue of a woman’s spine lacks minerals - calcium, silicon, phosphorus, magnesium.

It is recommended to additionally take special vitamin supplements for pregnant women, which contain all the necessary minerals in an easily digestible form. This will keep your teeth and bones intact.

Osteochondrosis can be a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle. It is recommended to perform exercises to strengthen the muscles of the back and neck, since it is the cervical roots that are responsible for the innervation of the arms. If any nerve is pinched, your fingers will go numb or periodically lose sensitivity.

One of the most common problems in pregnant women is swelling . You can try reducing the amount of salt. If this does not help, you need to remove pickled preserves, smoked fish and meat from your diet. You should not eat chips, crackers and similar products with unknown additives.

Salt in small quantities is necessary for the body. It is impossible to abandon it completely.

You can help your kidneys by removing sweets and starchy foods from the menu. Digesting white sugar requires a lot of energy and water, so the body retains it inside so that it has something to neutralize the excess sugar.

To speed up the exchange of fluids in the body, it is recommended to take daily walks whenever possible. An active lifestyle helps eliminate swelling of the hands and feet.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

If the reason that caused numbness in a pregnant woman’s hands is not systemic, only one hand may become numb. Nowadays, many people work at the computer for a long time, so there is a high probability of developing carpal tunnel syndrome . This is carpal tunnel syndrome, in which the median nerve is compressed by surrounding tissues due to constant stress. May cause numbness in the hand that holds the computer mouse. Doctors recommend stretching your arm with a rubber ring to strengthen muscles and improve blood circulation.

If the left arm goes numb, this symptom is usually associated with a lack of heart function . During pregnancy, this is an alarming signal, so you need to do an electrocardiogram. Perhaps, due to excess weight, it is difficult for a woman to move; the heart muscle cannot cope with the load.

Sometimes during gestation the amount of hemoglobin increases, the blood becomes thicker, so there is a greater load on the heart. Plus, it is necessary to pump blood in the child’s body. A woman’s body needs help in the form of a special diet.

If your fingers go numb at night during pregnancy, especially in the later stages, this indicates too slow blood circulation. In this case, you can try raising the pillow higher and sleeping in a semi-sitting position. After the birth of the child, these symptoms will pass and it will become easier. You may want to try sleeping on a specific side with a folded blanket between your thighs to improve blood circulation in the abdomen.

Pregnant women often have low hemoglobin , especially if it was not high before pregnancy. The child lacks microelements - the woman gives them from her body. To solve this problem, you need to do a blood test and take an iron-containing drug, which one the doctor will decide. In addition, you need to eat apples and greens, which contain a lot of iron.

Anemia is dangerous for the fetus. According to WHO, up to 80% of women suffer from it during pregnancy, so it is better to check your indicators at the beginning of gestation.

If a woman has any systemic disease associated with impaired digestive function or red blood cell synthesis, the planned pregnancy should be discussed with the doctor - how the child will receive iron for its needs.

The following complications are possible with iron deficiency anemia:

• abortion;
• gestosis;
• premature placental abruption;
• delayed fetal development;
• giving birth ahead of schedule.

With iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women, childbirth is often complicated by bleeding. With low hemoglobin in the postpartum period, there are inflammatory processes and purulent abscesses in the uterus.

With a lack of calcium in the body of a pregnant woman, unexplained phenomena can occur, including a deterioration in mental state (déjà vu effect). To ensure that the body does not lack calcium and does not overdo it with calcium-containing preparations, it is recommended to eat poppy seeds and sesame seeds.

Natural products, unlike pharmaceutical ones, are not deposited in tissues and do not lead to urolithiasis. If too much is taken in, the body simply eliminates the excess through urine and feces.

Calcium helps eliminate cramps and regulate fluid. A woman's hands will become less swollen and numb.

Associated symptoms

If your hands go numb during pregnancy, you need to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. During gestation, diseases sometimes develop that were not bothersome before.

You should carefully monitor your feelings in order to notice warning signs in time:

• headache;
• strong thirst;
• increased urination;
• muscle paresis;
• high blood pressure;
• digestive problems;
• symptoms of intoxication.

If only the right hand or only the left is numb, this is also a reason to visit a doctor.

Numbness of the left hand

Paresthesias are very dangerous, since they can appear due to diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Pre-infarction state

The left arm may go numb if a person has angina. The provoking factors are as follows:

• Smoking.
• Wrong nutrition.
• Stress.
• Fatty and spicy foods.

The symptom begins with the ring finger. Then he moves to the little finger.

There are other symptoms that may indicate a pre-infarction condition:

• Pain in the heart, radiating to the collarbone or jaw.
• Anxiety, cold sweat, fear of death.
• Weakness.
• Insomnia.
• Dizziness.