How to find the cause of the disease
To help the doctor make a diagnosis, it is important to correctly describe what is happening.
Pain in the fingers is almost always accompanied by other unpleasant sensations. For example, with Raynaud's phenomenon, they are accompanied by numbness, and symptoms appear after hypothermia of the hand. Polycythemia at the initial stage is accompanied by a burning sensation in the hands and their redness. Ligamenitis bothers you at rest, more often at night. If the spine is to blame, the unpleasant sensations will not be limited to the fingers; they will arise in the back or along the arm. Does your fingertip hurt when you press it? This may be associated with injury, or may occur due to the appearance of microthrombi. In such cases, sometimes black dots appear on the skin, in place of which scars form, reminiscent of rat bite marks. If this happens once, there is nothing to worry about, but if it occurs regularly, this symptom indicates the need for medical attention.
Causes of tingling in fingers
29.09.2021
Tingling in the fingers is a fairly common and unpleasant disease. Although it seems innocent, it can also be a sign of a serious health problem, especially when it appears suddenly or is accompanied by additional symptoms. Check out what the tingling sensation in your fingers may indicate and what you should pay special attention to. Tingling is a colloquial term for paresthesia, which means inappropriate sensation of stimuli. It occurs spontaneously with sensations that you feel like a burning, tingling or stinging sensation in the skin. Paresthesia can occur in different areas of the body.
Where does tingling in fingers come from?
Parasthesias most often result from damage to the nervous system , but they can also be an expression of systemic diseases. Tingling in the fingers (left, right or both) can signal a deficiency of electrolytes, primarily magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium, as well as vitamin B12. When it appears frequently, transforms, and supplements do not improve, you should consider other causes of the tingling sensation.
The most common neurological diseases that cause tingling in the fingers:
1. Neuropathy
Neuropathy occurs when peripheral nerves are damaged by compression, ischemia, or neuritis. This disease causes disruption of nerve conduction, resulting in tingling, numbness, pain, or other sensory disturbances. Neuropathies occur as a result of degenerative diseases of the spine , injuries to the extremities, and constant stress on the joints . They may also result from diabetes , medication side effects, or toxic effects from alcohol or heavy metals. Diseases that can cause tingling:
Carpal tunnel syndrome . Carpal tunnel syndrome is the result of compression of the median nerve, which runs in the carpal tunnel. Symptoms occur mainly at night and include: tingling in the wrist, thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger. In the later stages of the disease, atrophy of the thumb muscles and weakening of the grip may occur.
Ulnar nerve groove syndrome. This disease is associated with damage to the ulnar nerve, resulting in tingling of the hand and numbness, most often of the small and ring fingers and the inside of the forearm.
Guillain-Barry syndrome. During this disease, the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths of the nerves , causing them to become damaged. Sensory disturbances in the fingers and toes are one of the first symptoms of this syndrome. This initially leads to muscle weakness and, in extreme cases, paralysis of the limbs.
2. Multiple sclerosis
This disease causes changes in the brain and spinal cord . One of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis is sensory disturbances and, above all, numbness in the hands and feet .
3. Stroke
Seek immediate help if tingling in your fingers occurs suddenly along with other complaints, most notably weakness or paralysis of the limbs, disturbances in speech , vision or consciousness, seizures or a sudden, very severe headache. A stroke is a condition in which blood flow to the brain (ischemic stroke) or bleeding occurs from a ruptured cerebral vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Symptoms most often appear suddenly.
Symptoms of a stroke: paresis or paralysis of limbs, impaired consciousness, speech , or sensory disturbances
4. Epilepsy
Epileptic seizures can take different forms. There are not always convulsions or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy can often manifest itself as sensory disturbances, causing pain, numbness and tingling. Tingling in the fingers (right, left or both) may appear even before the attack (the so-called aura).
5. Migraine
Although migraines are associated with headaches, they may be accompanied by sensory sensations such as numbness in the hands, face , or tongue.
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What research needs to be done
Because pain in the fingertips is a symptom of diseases that may pose a risk to the patient, a complete baseline examination is necessary. General and biochemical blood tests are prescribed, and an ECG is performed. Even if there is no suspicion that the pain is related to the heart, but problems with the spine cannot be ruled out, the results of the research will be needed to decide on admission to physiotherapy.
Further research depends on what diagnosis the doctor suspects after receiving the results of basic research.
Average
Tingling of this finger, combined with pale skin and soreness, may indicate Raynaud's syndrome. This pathology develops due to prolonged exposure to low temperatures or is a consequence of injury.
But most often, tingling in the middle finger of the left hand is associated with the development of osteochondrosis. This phenomenon sometimes becomes a sign of pinched nerve fibers, the development of intervertebral hernias, joint deformation, disruption of trophism and tissue structure caused by the inflammatory process. The likelihood of osteochondrosis of the seventh vertebra is especially high. After all, it is he who is responsible for the condition of the hand in the forearm area. The condition of this vertebra also affects the innervation of the middle finger.
What will the therapy be like?
How to treat a patient whose fingertips hurt depends on the cause that caused the disease. If the problem is osteochondrosis, anti-inflammatory treatment is aimed at relieving inflammation in the spinal area. The surgeon opens the panaritium. Polycythemia - a pathological increase in the number of red blood cells - is a serious reason to consult a hematologist. Diabetic neuropathy is treated jointly by an endocrinologist and a neurologist. Ligamenitis is a reason to consult a surgeon.
Due to the abundance of causes of discomfort in the fingertips, their treatment is also varied. In case of a bruise, the traumatologist, having ruled out serious injuries, will prescribe rest and anti-inflammatory ointment for several days, and in other cases the matter may end with surgery or long-term regular treatment.
Unpleasant sensations in the right hand
As for discomfort in the palm and fingers of the right hand, the list of its causes looks slightly different. Often, tingling in this limb is caused by:
- physical or psycho-emotional stress
- problems with the cardiovascular system
- herniated intervertebral discs
- neck injuries and chronic pathologies of this part of the spine
- lung diseases
In addition, we should not forget about the usual frostbite of the hands, which always causes discomfort in both limbs.
As with the left hand, the severity and overall danger of discomfort in the right palm and fingers can only be determined in a clinic. To do this, you will need to implement a number of simple diagnostics.
Brief description of the pathology
The feeling of many needles under the skin, goosebumps, numbness - this is how patients characterize their symptoms. Unpleasant sensations can occur both during exercise and at rest. These signs are characteristic manifestations of neurological or vascular diseases. Paresthesia
- a medical name that summarizes such manifestations.
An accompanying symptom is muscle weakness in the limbs.
Tingling may be felt in the fingers, palms, and feet.
Most often, these symptoms appear when the limbs are in one position for a long time:
- during sleep;
- when performing monotonous work that requires a fixed position of the limbs.
Symptoms may appear for a short time or be constant. Short-term symptoms are usually mild, and constant tingling causes significant discomfort. High intensity or regular short-term sensations are the basis for a comprehensive examination.
How to make a diagnosis
They begin to find out why the thumb on the right or left hand hurts with an x-ray.
This method of examination shows the condition of bones and joints. If there are signs of a fracture or inflammation inside the joint capsule, we are talking about injury or arthrosis. If no pathology is detected on the x-ray, it is most likely a neurological disease - carpal tunnel syndrome or another disease.
Electroneuromyography is used to diagnose tunnel syndromes. It allows you to confirm the diagnosis and make sure that nerve compression occurs exactly where the doctor suggested. But an experienced neurologist or surgeon can establish this diagnosis only by symptoms: they do not occur in other diseases.
Blood tests are rarely taken, as a rule, when a systemic disease is suspected, the result of which is disease of small joints.