What to do when your hands go numb - reasons and treatment

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All people are familiar with the feeling, when at an uncomfortable position of hands can lose sensitivity, dumb hands and fingers. If this phenomenon is short-term, then it is associated with squeezing the nerve endings and should not disturb.

However, if numbness occurs without an obvious cause, and lasts a long time, or does not stop at all, then this is a clear sign of the existing pathology.

Under what conditions are the fingers numb, the causes and treatment of this unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous, phenomenon - later in the article.

Symptoms of

Symptoms for numbness in the hands are discomfort in the area of ​​the hand, forearm and elbow area. At the same time, tingling of the skin and a feeling of crawling on them may occur. In this case, a person's sensitivity to the numbness of the numb hands or feet decreases, there is a feeling of cold, and sometimes pain.

When the appearance of this symptom is associated with pathological processes, quite often the skin at this moment acquires a cyanotic shade. In medicine, this phenomenon is referred to as paresthesia.

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Physiological factors

Temporary numbness of the hand may be caused by:

  1. Long sitting with a hand, thrown over the back of a chair or chair, as a result of which the nerves are squeezed, and the blood supply of the limb stops.
  2. Long carrying a heavy bag on your shoulder or backpack.
  3. Compression of the cuff when measuring pressure, uncomfortable and tight clothing.
  4. Work associated with raising hands above the heart.
  5. Narrowing of arteries in cold weather.

Such obvious reasons are easily eliminated: it is enough to change the pose from time to time, move your hand, if necessary, massage the stale area a little, so that the blood circulation goes without obstacles. If at work you have a lot to sit - arrange fiz-minute every 1.5-2 hours.

Causes of numbness in the hands of

The most common cause of numbness in the fingers is the short-term clamping of the bundle of nerves and vessels in the connective tissues or muscles located in this area. If the limb becomes numb for a short period of time and after changing the position of the hand or vigorous massage such symptoms disappear, there is no special reason for concern.

If this feeling persists for a long time and neither a change in the position of the body, nor massage helps to get rid of the problem, we can assume a serious infringement of the site on which the blood supply of the median nerve depends.

There are a number of diseases, the symptoms of which are manifested by numbness:

  1. Vegeto-vascular or neurocircular dystonia is an obsolete name for a whole complex of vegetative disorders caused by a disorder of nervous regulation. With VSD in patients not only numbness of hands is observed, but also symptoms such as drowsiness or insomnia, headaches, dizziness, pressure fluctuations, tachy- or bradycardia, panic attacks.
  2. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region - occurs when the intervertebral disk of the cervical spine is damaged, which leads to pinching of the nerves. Causes of cervical osteochondrosis - the presence of a hernia between vertebrae, hyperreactivity of the cervical vertebra, articular degeneration. Symptoms of the disease - pain, when the neck turns, physical work by hands, violation of coordination of the upper limbs, a feeling of tingling.
  3. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome .The compression of the median nerve passing through the wrist leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. Usually it happens in people of certain professions( musicians, programmers, packers), whose work is associated with active bending of hands in the wrists. Sometimes the syndrome occurs after injuries and surgical interventions, it occurs with edema of pregnant women, as well as with pronounced obesity.
  4. Raynaud's disease .This disease is manifested by paroxysmal circulatory disorders of the arteries, which, most often, appear in the area of ​​the feet and hands. With Raynaud's illness, not only numbness is felt, but also rapid freezing, as well as the acquisition of a blue shade of fingers in the cold and with excitement. Most often, the disease affects the second, third and fourth toes and hands. If you do not pay proper attention to such symptoms and do not get treated, the disease can affect other organs( chin, ears, nose).First the hands are affected, and later the legs.
  5. The lack of vitamin "B12" .Since it is present in all life processes in the field of nerve fibers, it will affect the muscular sensitivity and performance of the cardiovascular system. As a manifestation of the problem, cramps and numbness appear.
  6. Poor blood circulation - occurs due to a number of diseases( due to heart attack, ischemia, diabetes).Hands numb because the nerves begin to work poorly as a result of poor blood flow. For example, with diabetes, the walls of the vessels are destroyed because of glucose.
  7. Ischemic disease wears out the heart of .It starts worse to push blood through the blood vessels. Usually numbness in all these cases can be accompanied by migraines, worsening of health, dizziness. Numbness also occurs with anemia. Therefore, it is so important to eat well. You can not exclude from the diet products rich in iron.

If there is a problem with numbness in your hands, you should not brush it off, hoping that "it will pass by itself".First of all, it is necessary to analyze the way of life, the comfort of a pillow and clothes for sleep. Of course, the consultation of a physician-therapist, which will assign the necessary examinations and, in doubtful cases, will be sent to the narrow specialists - neurologist, cardiologist, hematologist, is also obligatory. And remember! Timely initiation of treatment in most cases is a guarantee of a favorable outcome.

Diagnosis

To understand how to treat numbness in the hands and fingers, it is necessary not only to diagnose the symptom, but also to determine the cause of its development. To do this, appoint standard tests - it is necessary to donate blood, urine.

Of the hardware techniques of use:

  • roentgenography of the cervical region;
  • dopplerography of the arterial vessels of the spine and neck;
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging( MRI);
  • computed tomography( CT);
  • echoencephalography( EchoEG);
  • electroencephalography( EEG).

Each method provides additional information that helps not only to diagnose, but also to choose the optimal methods of treatment.

What should I do if my hands are numb?

If numbness of the hands happens suddenly, then you should always seek qualified medical help. But if these sensations are rare, short-lived and do not cause severe discomfort, then you can get rid of them with the help of special physical exercises.

An excellent prevention of numbness in the hands is a morning exercise, which you can do without getting out of bed. Twist the wrists first in one, then in the other direction. After that, to make a shoulder joint workout, make a circular motion with your hand.

In addition, traditional medicine offers a wide range of treatments for this condition. We have selected the most popular and effective for you. Here are some of them:

  1. Pour 1/3 of a half-liter jar of with crushed fresh garlic .Fill with clean water "on the shoulders."Cover with a thick polyethylene lid, put it in a dark place for 2 weeks. Every day, shake the jar. Then, drink 5 drops of tincture for 1 tsp.boiled water, three times a day. The course of treatment - at least a month.
  2. Warming lotion : one liter of water takes 50-60 grams of ammonia and mixes with 5-6 drops of camphor alcohol, then a spoonful of salt is poured into the resulting solution. Lotion should be rubbed into the dumb joints and left for the night.
  3. Effective method - grinding .For him, we need: 2-3 salted cucumber, 3 pods of red pepper and 500 ml of vodka. Cucumbers and peppers carefully grind, mix with vodka and hide in a dark place for a week. Strain before rubbing.
  4. Contrast baths well will help with prolonged pain and numbness of the body. You can take a completely contrast shower, and you can pour in 2 small trays of water: the first - hot, the second - cold. Now lower your hands first in the first bath, then in the second. Keep hands in each need at least 2-3 minutes. Before putting your hands into the second bath, wait 1 minute. During the day, repeat this procedure 4 times. When taking a hot bath, try to develop your fingers. To do this, strongly press them onto the bottom of the tub, and also squeeze and unclench.

Also very popular techniques for the treatment of numbness in the hands - a local effect that helps restore tissue trophism. There are several ways, among which:

  1. Physiotherapy , which activates peripheral circulation and improves nutrition in the numb zone. In particular, we are talking about phono and electrophoresis, drugs affecting the sore spot, exposure to microcurrents, ultrasound, laser therapy - all these procedures have a biostimulating effect.
  2. Manual procedures , improving the flow of blood to the place of numbness. When they are carried out, the joints and muscle blocks are released, which caused compression of nerves and vessels.
  3. Therapeutic physical training , allowing to destroy motor stereotypes, as a result of which the joints and muscles are developed and strengthened.

The person should take care of the state of his health independently. Then his state of health will always be good, and no uncomfortable sensations will interfere with the habitual way of life. In case of detection of any disease, the timely taking of measures to eliminate the ailment can guarantee a favorable outcome and the least costs, both in time and in funds.

Nonsmoking hands at night

If the hands become numb at night due to an incorrect posture during sleep or an uncomfortable bed, these factors should be deleted. It is necessary to purchase a quality, not too hard orthopedic mattress and a small pillow that will provide a full rest to the spine and will not support the head in a too elevated position.

You should also wean yourself to fall asleep with your hands up. In addition, you should take care of and comfortable clothes for sleep. She should not squeeze her hands and restrain movement.

If the cause of the trouble is a disease, the doctor directs the patient for examination( delivery of urine and blood tests, RVT and MRI of the head and neck, radiography of the joints of the hand and hand).

To which doctor should

be used The choice of a specialist for the purpose of treatment depends on what caused the numbness of the fingers. For a start, a person can turn to a therapist who hears symptoms and directs the patient to a profile doctor.

If the cause of numbness is heart disease, then you need to go to a cardiologist and conduct appropriate examinations, with neurological pathologies, you will have to visit a neurologist.

Prevention of

In order not to face the listed diseases, you should:

  • avoid long-term weight-bearing;
  • more to be in the fresh air
  • to include in food more products containing vitamin B12;
  • during the monotonous work to take breaks for active physical movements;
  • in time to treat stress;
  • completely give up smoking and alcohol;
  • warmly dress in cold weather.

Do not forget about preventive examinations, which are recommended to be held at least once a year.

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