Numbness in Fingers

Numbness In Fingers

Numbness or feeling of Paresthesia in the fingers may be a transient response to prolong periods of inactivity or sudden exposure to extreme temperature changes; however, it may be an underlying symptom of a more grave and serious pathology. Numbness in fingers is reported in a number of medical, surgical and hormonal conditions. If numbness in finger is followed by other changes in the color of skin or sensations, serious medical intervention must be performed to stop the pathological process from causing permanent damage or destruction of tissues.

Causes of Numbness in Fingers
Numbness in finger is usually a symptom of a transient or serious pathology. In order to relieve the symptoms, it is very important to identify the prime causes and modes of presentation. Few common medical conditions that may present with numbness of fingers are:

1. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome produces characteristic symptoms due to entrapment of median nerve during its exit from carpal tunnel (at the level of wrist joint). Hardcore physical activity, repetitive physical motion of hand or activity at the level of wrist (reported in typists or people who work on computer for long hours) may produce carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, conditions like pregnancy and hormonal disorders can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. Ulnar Nerve Entrapment
Ulnar nerve passes through hands and forearm and usually enters the hand under muscles and tendon sheaths; however, certain activities, posture of hand, traumatic incidents and accidental falls can lead to entrapment of ulnar nerve that may lead to pain, discomfort and sensory deficits of hand muscles in addition to numbness of fingers.

3. Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy suggest acute or chronic damage to nerves (primarily the nerve covering or myelin sheaths) as a result of ongoing inflammatory or autoimmune processes that may lead to numbness and altered sensory (or motor sensations) along the area supplied by affected nerves. If the inciting stimulus is not controlled, the disease process may involve major muscle groups and organs of the body. Peripheral neuropathy may be caused by long standing and poorly controlled Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, chronic Alcoholism, deficiency of certain micronutrients like Vitamin B12, folate and toxicity of certain heavy metals like mercury.

4. Cervical Spondylosis
Due to degenerative bone disorders (as a result of advancing age, improper posture, certain medical or hormonal disorders like diabetes, Osteoporosis, osteopenia, bone Tumors), the cervical vertebrae is subjected to excessive wear and tear changes that affects the patency of conduits that allow the passage of cervical nerves. Impingement or entrapment of cervical nerves can also lead to limited mobility of upper limbs, stiffness and pain in addition to numbness of fingers.

5. Poor Circulation
There may be a number of causes of poor circulation that may or may not include the central pumping unit, the heart. During total blockage of or insufficient blood supply to finger, numbness and stiffness in fingers may happen. In severe cases of arrhythmias, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body that can affect the blood flow to the vital organs like brain, heart, and other organs leading to ischemic damage and tissue death.

6. Stroke
Stroke is the consequence of sudden cessation of blood supply to a part of brain that control motor activity of hands. When the ischemic changes are mild, tingling or numbness is the primary symptoms. If no intervention is taken, complete loss of mobility may ensue.

7. Mineral and Vitamin Deficiencies
Deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals may also lead to numbness of fingers by impairing contractility of muscles. These include low levels of calcium (hypocalcemic tetany), deficiency of magnesium and zinc (due aberrations in the transmission of nerve impulses) and vitamin B12 deficiency (sub-acute combine degeneration). Other conditions include vitamin D defects in the setting of chronic renal failure.

8. Diabetic Neuropathy
Long standing and poorly controlled blood sugar levels affect the patency of nerves by accumulation of fluid as a result of osmotic gradient. Other features of diabetic neuropathy include altered sensations, excessive thirst, urination and feeling of fatigue.

9. Other Causes
Other conditions include radiation exposure, certain chemicals and heavy metals, circulatory defects and chronic history of smoking.

Treatments for Numbness in Fingers
Frequent episodes of numbness of fingers evoke a state of panic and anxiety; however, it also indicates an underlying pathology. Following treatment modalities can be employed to manage the symptoms of numbness in fingers:

1. Lifestyle Modification
Lifestyle and behavioral modification may be needed in situation where the symptoms are due to excessive physical activity and pressure inside flexor retinaculum (the soft tissue that allow tendons and nerves to enter hand from forearm). Medications and massage are required to relieve the symptoms of pain and numbness.

2. Exercise Regularly
In order to manage congenital or acquired conditions, physical therapy or relaxations exercises are generally prescribed that are helpful in relieving discomfort. If the disturbing symptoms of tingling or numbness are due to physiological conditions like pregnancy, you can tremendously get help from relaxing and Stress relieving exercises

3. Promote Circulation
Impaired circulation affects the patency of nerves and blood vessels. Certain exercises and massage therapies helps in promoting blood supply to the affected limb and stop the progression of any pathological process.

4. Hot and Cold Compress
Hold and cold compresses relieves inflammatory swelling from the tissues (that helps in promoting blood supply to the affected region in order to enhance the pace of numbness recovery), in addition cold and hot compresses also helps in healing of nerves by reducing swelling and damage induced by trauma.

5. Change Your Diet
For permanent changes in the blood circulation, you have to modify your diet to low cholesterol, high fiber and high antioxidant foods. In addition, quit smoking and improve your lifestyle habits in order to control your Blood Pressure and serum cholesterol concentration.

6. Take Supplements
Consider taking a multi-vitamin supplement and seek the assistance of your healthcare provider to know more about what dietary supplements are best for you.

Yoga for Relieving Numbness in Fingers
Yoga and meditation is also helpful in promoting circulation and increase the stimulatory effect of nerves. Review the video below to learn effective yoga exercises to relieve numbness.

When to See a Doctor
Seek help from your healthcare provider if:

• You are developing frequent episodes.


• If there is no possible explanation of numbness of fingers (like prolonged inactivity).


• If you are experiencing pain, stiffness, altered level of consciousness and other serious symptoms with numbness of fingers.

Numbness in Fingers

Numbness in Fingers






Fingers are one of the most sensitive organs in your body and are often used for carrying on daily activities like writing, typing, eating and driving etc. For the same reason, fingers are prone to injuries and trauma and any change in nervous function is reflected in your fingers.

Numbness in fingers is directly caused when the nerves get affected or the blood vessels receive less blood. It would also create a tingling sensation on the fingers and these are typical symptoms of Paresthesia. Actually, numbness of fingers is itself not a disease, but it is indicative of other disorders.

Normally there would be numbness in fingers when suddenly you are exposed to cold temperature, but this would last for few seconds. When there is continuous numbness and tingling feeling, then you need to seek immediate medical advice. It can be due to various factors ranging from vitamin deficiency to life threatening disorder like Stroke or cardiovascular diseases.

Causes :

• Lack of vitamin : Any deficiency in vitamin and calcium will be reflected in the form of numbness in fingers. Iron deficiency, vitamin B12 can affect the fingers causing tingling and numbness. It is easy to correct the problem by taking supplementary vitamins orally after confirming it through blood test.

• Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke : Ischemia and stroke are the two disorders that would cause numbness in fingers affecting one side of the body. When there is stroke, it affects the normal functioning of the nerves and cut off the supply to the brain paralyzing the nerves temporarily. Very often transient ischemic attack TIA comes as a warning for the impending stroke. If you have additional symptoms like loss of breath or nausea, vomiting then you need to visit your doctor immediately.

• Underlying Medical Issues : Number of medical disorders like Shingles, migraine Headache and Hypothyroidism can cause numbness in fingers and feet. Thus this symptom is a warning signal for the underlying health problems. Even diabetic people may sometime feel numbness for few seconds in their fingers or toes.

• Nervous Disorder: Any type of nervous problem or spinal cord issues may directly affect the brain functions causing numbness. Multiple Sclerosis affects the myelin sheath of the nervous system which in turn blocks the nerve signals causing tingling or numbness feeling. Epilepsy, blood vessel enlargement and brain tumor may also cause this problem.

• Other Factors: Certain medicines taken for Depression and anxiety may develop numbness in fingers. A person who undergoes chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer and those who are under toxicity of alcohol can get affected with loss of sensation in their toes and fingers. Certain circulatory disorders can also cause temporary numbness.

In addition, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, ganglion cysts, Guillain Barre Syndrome, HIV, Lyme Disease, Syphilis, nerve compression, Raynaud’s disease and peripheral neuropathy can also cause numbness in fingers.

Symptoms :

There would be loss of sensation in fingers and tingling feeling. For some there would be pain when moving the fingers. Certain nerves that carry signal are damaged when numbness occurs. The numbness can occur in one or more fingers and the intensity of damage also varies according to the underlying causes.

There would be burning feeling, itching, neck pain, rashes on skin, and twitching and muscle spasms for some people. That apart, some people may get life threatening condition like dizziness, shortness of breath, difficulty in talking, slurred speech and loss of vision along with numbness.

Pictures of Numbness in Fingers :

Treatment :

Depending on the underlying cause your doctor will decide the course of treatment for managing numbness in fingers. A right diagnosis is very important in this case and every patient should be first examined to know the real cause that causes numbness.

People with nervous disorder or diabetics should be treated accordingly for lowering the symptoms.
In severe cases, surgery is done to open up the carpel tendon to release the median nerve that has been trapped inside.

Numbness in Fingers – Causes and Treatment

Numbness in Fingers – Causes and Treatment

Numbness in Fingers – Causes

Numbness of the fingers normally is because of conditions which affect the nerves and/or blood system which supply that hand. Numbness of the fingers is also often associated with tingling. These symptoms are referred to as parasthesia of the fingers.

Numbness in fingers and thumb is actually a typical sign of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, also known as CTS. Other symptoms include tingling or burning pain in the hands.

To appreciate CTS better, the anatomy of the wrist must be understood. The bones in the wrist are known as carpal bones and, together with a ligament, this all forms a tunnel where the median nerve as well as several tendons runs thru. This median nerve is the nerve that deliveries the feeling to the thumb side of the hand; if the nerve becomes compressed in that tunnel, numbness or tingling can occur in the fingers and thumb.

Many factors can cause the median nerve to become compressed. Long-lasting arthritis could have developed spurs on the carpal bones, causing the nerve to be trapped and all of this results in numbness of fingers. Any type of inflammation from arthritis can also result in swelling to develop in the carpal tunnel, and this also compresses the nerve. Actually, arthritis-related illnesses, such as Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis, as well as pseudogout are all common sources of CTS.

If an individual has one of these diseases, the best way to manage the symptoms of CTS is to treat the underlying disease. However, often CTS is not a symptom but the cause of the numbing and simply is caused by overdoing the use of the wrist such as happens when working on a computer.
Causes of Numbness Fingers

You're reading Numbness in Fingers – Causes and Treatment posted by minhhai2d, the information is for reference only.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome/tarsal tunnel syndrome


• Leprosy


• Frostbite


• Multiple Sclerosis


• Peripheral Vascular Disease


• Peripheral neuropathy


• Pinched Nerve


• Raynaud’s phenomenon


• Radiculopathy


• Shingles


• Vasculitis


• Thoracic outlet syndrome

Other Causes of Numbness Fingers:

• Blood vessel obstruction of upper extremity


• Hand trauma such as injury from Jack Hammer use, etc.


• Hyperventilation


• Ulnar nerve entrapment

Numbness in Fingers – Treatment

Some individuals experience pain – extreme pain – alongside finger numbness that can arise in any finger or fingers. It is imperative to figure out the fingers where the feelings occur. This is a way to aid in the correct diagnosis of the disease that is initiating these sensations. This disease can then be treated and alleviated, provided the diagnosis is correct. With nerve damage usually the cause most common, other medical situations can also cause finger numbness. Below are some examples of a problem occurring in one place causing tingling or numbness in the hand or finger.

Any injury to the higher spinal cord or damage to the nerves of the arms can cause numbness in the fingers, wrist and hand. Beside carpal tunnel syndrome, an injury to the neck can also cause the numbness in the fingers, arms or hands. Pressure to the elbow or chest can distress the operation of the ulnar nerve, and causing numbness in fingers – especially the 4th and 5th finger. There are some cases where impairment to the peripheral nerves – peripheral neuropathy – may be the reason for finger numbness. Nerve injury likewise can be produced by excess drinking of alcohol – alcoholic neuropathy. Both diabetic neuropathy which is the nerve loss caused by diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy can be the basis of numbness of the finger.

In most of these above conditions, the underlying problem must be treated first.

In the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS the following are important:

• Use wrist braces, particularly at night;


• Have intermittent steroid injections to decrease swelling


• Avoiding actions that intensify the symptoms

While these treatment options can normally be successful for a long period of time and can offer relief in many cases, there are still cases which are more severe and may require surgery. There is an operation involving opening up the diagonal carpal tendon and this in turn frees the median nerve where it has been trapped. In the majority of cases it can get rid of the symptoms.