▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
In life, many people have had the experience of hand numbness, and then they began to worry about whether they had any diseases.
In fact, the most direct reason why we have a numbness in our hands is that a nerve or nerve branch in the arm and wrist is damaged, stimulated or compressed.
So, what specific conditions can cause hand numbness? Is it serious or not? Let's take a look.
I pressed my arm while sleeping
One of the most common is to sit or lie down to sleep with the arm pillowed, causing compression of nerves and blood vessels in the hand and ischemia. This numbness usually recovers within a short period of time after the compression is lifted.
Image credit: 123RF
However, there has also been a recent news case: a woman lying on her side on the sofa in the morning sleep, just pillowed near the upper arm and elbow joints, woke up with her right hand "paralyzed" (unconscious, fingers can not be straightened, wrist drooping), was diagnosed as "compression ischemia caused by right upper radial nerve damage", treatment for half a month before gradually recovering.
(Details Poke pillow arm nap 1 hour right hand paralysis?) What is the nerve damage from "sleeping"? ）
This situation is still relatively rare, but everyone should also pay attention to it and try to avoid sleeping with your arms on your pillow.
Hand compression neuropathy
Many causes can cause the nerves of the hand to be compressed by cartilage, muscles, or tendons. In addition to numbness, it can cause muscle weakness or twitching.
Causes of nerve compression in the hand are:
The hand, the presence of bleeding or swelling, trauma that causes the fracture to displace, entrapment of the nerves;
Thickening of the edges of fascia or tendons, abnormal muscle position, soft tissue masses or ganglion cysts;
Arthritis, infections, tumors and other diseases.
1. Carpal tunnel syndrome
The most common condition of nerve compression in the hand is carpal tunnel syndrome.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow tube located on our wrist where the tendons and median nerve pass through the middle. Because the space inside is small, if there is inflammation and swelling inside it, or the lumen becomes smaller, it will compress to the median nerve.
Carpal tunnel syndrome tends to occur in people who are often overexpended with their hands, wrists, and desktops for long periods of time, such as brushing mobile phones for long periods of time, using computers to work or play games, as well as assembly line and mechanical workers, cooks, carpenters, gardeners and other occupational groups.
Typical symptoms: numbness and tingling of the thumb, index finger, and middle finger are most pronounced, and symptoms are more severe at night, sometimes the whole hand is numb. But the sensation of the little finger is generally normal, and all fingers can still bend normally.
In severe cases, when doing the action of extending the thumb, the thumb may not have the strength to lift it at all, or the hand cannot hold the thing, and it is difficult to button the button.
If you have mild symptoms, "stop it". Give your hands a good rest to avoid worsening symptoms, and you can use cold compresses to relieve pain and swelling.
If these symptoms do not go away, even if sleep and daily activities have an impact, it is best to see a doctor (orthopedics or rehabilitation) right away. If left untreated, the nerves and muscles of the hand can leave permanent damage.
2. Other cases of hand nerve compression
The stress area is different, and the symptoms are also slightly different:
Wrist ulnar nerve compression (wrist ulnar syndrome, Guyon syndrome): numbness and tingling on the side of the little finger, normal back, severe cases can not hold things, fingers may not open, but the ring finger and little finger can be bent.
Elbow ulnar nerve compression (elbow syndrome): similar to the above symptoms, except that the back of the little finger is also numb, the inside of the elbow may be painful, and the ring finger and little finger cannot be bent.
Radial nerve compression on both sides of the forearm (radial syndrome): tingling or faint pain on the back of the forearm, which may be worsened when the wrist or finger is straightened.
Compression of the mid-elbow nerve: Similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, the difference is that the palm near the thumb also has a numbness. Sometimes there is weakness when bending the tip of the index finger, middle finger, or thumb.
In addition, after these hand nerves are compressed, while the hand is numb, it may also feel severe pain or burning, pinprick pain, arm muscle weakness, hand inability to move, and so on.
Timely rest and over-the-counter painkillers can temporarily relieve symptoms, but if you haven't improved in a few days, be sure to see a doctor.
Nerve compression in the neck (radiculopathy)
There are many types of cervical spondylosis, among which neuronomic cervical spondylosis is caused by cervical disc herniation or joint joint lesions, resulting in narrowing of space inside the cervical spine and squeezing of nerve roots.
Nerve roots also grow many "branches" – nerves that innervate other parts of the body, such as our hands (upper limbs).
When the nerve roots are pressed, the numbness and pain in the neck and shoulders will radiate to the upper limbs like an electric discharge, causing the arms and hands to be numb and heavy, unable to hold things, or easy to slide off things with their hands.
migraine
Some people develop some "aura" symptoms that affect vision and other senses before a migraine attack, and arm numbness is one of them.
Aura symptoms of hand numbness usually begin before migraine and last less than 1 hour.
Other aura symptoms include sudden deterioration or invisibility, dark spots or blind spots in the field of vision, zigzag lines, flashes of light, or stars in front of the eyes, muscle weakness, and difficulty speaking or wording.
Fibromyalgia
People with this disease will have continuous pain in many parts of the body, and will be accompanied by fatigue, headache, depression, poor sleep, poor intestines and other problems.
There is evidence that patients with this disease are more likely than others to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, so they are more likely to have hand numbness and may require surgery.
Myofascial pain syndrome
The disease is somewhat similar to the symptoms of fibromyalgia, especially numbness in the hands and forearms, and is often accompanied by pain.
But the cause is not a problem with the hands, but muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder area, which is also related to migraines. Hand surgery alone may not improve these symptoms.
diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease, after many years of illness, if the blood glucose level is high for a long time, poor control, it will damage the nerves, resulting in diabetic neuropathy.
In general, this numbness begins with numbness in the feet, and in rare cases it can also cause numbness in the hands. At the same time, it may be accompanied by tingling or burning, cramps, limb weakness, inability to lift both hands, etc.
Some patients have numb limbs and cannot feel temperature or touch; but others are particularly sensitive to touch and are very painful when touched, which are manifestations of paresthesia.
If you are a diabetic, or have not had a blood glucose test for a long time (especially obese people and middle-aged and elderly people), you have symptoms of numbness in your hands and feet, you must find a doctor in time.
Other reasons
Neurological disorders: such as multiple sclerosis (MS), which can also cause numbness in the arm, and may also be accompanied by symptoms such as foot numbness, speech, or inattention;
Side effects of chemotherapy: Some cancer chemotherapy drugs can cause numbness and pain in the arms and fingers, legs, and toes, and be as unconscious as if you were wearing thick gloves and socks. These side effects are common and there are medications that can be used to alleviate them. But if the impact on your life is too great, you can also talk to the doctor about whether you need to adjust the plan.
In addition, if hand numbness does not occur frequently, but occurs suddenly, it may also be for these two reasons:
Stroke: Also known as stroke, it is a critical situation caused by cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral ischemia. When a stroke occurs, one side of the arm and leg may suddenly become numb, unable to lift, and may also have symptoms such as slurred speech and facial paralysis. Suspected stroke, call the emergency immediately.
Heart attack: During a heart attack, common symptoms are chest pain, shortness of breath, cold sweat, etc., but some people will have numbness and pain in the arm (often the inside of the left arm), accompanied by chest pain. In this case, you should also call the emergency number immediately.