Numbness in hands and feet is a common symptom in daily life. When we maintain the same posture for a long time, sleep in incorrect position, or pregnant, our blood circulation will be obstructed for a while. Therefore, our muscles and nerves lack energy temporarily, and cause numbness in hands and feet.
However, when numbness cannot be solved over one day, it is likely to be the early signs of disease. Common symptoms to illness include stroke, diabetes, cervical spine disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, peripheral neuropathy and Raynaud's. If you are extremely stressed, for example, hyperventilation syndrome and panic disorder, may also caused numbness.
In addition to numbness, early signs of syringomyelia include dizziness, nausea, vomit, and unsteady gait. MRI may help physicians determine the severity of cavities, and the disease is congenital or acquired.
Why does hand numbness occur? The difference among numbness, sore, and pain?
Common cause of numbness is nerve compression. However, some people will feel sore and pain, this depends on degree of nerve compression.
First degree: The edge of the nerve is pressed. People will feel sore and painful, but recover from it soon.
Normal shoulder and neck pain is first degree. Most of them are caused by muscle tightness, and poor posture. Once the nerve is squeezed in a tight space, or compressed by bone spurs, which will cause poor blood circulation to the nerve. People will feel relief through rehabilitation and rest.
Second degree: Parenchymal nerve is compressed. People will feel terribly numb but not necessarily painful. Muscles will be getting weak.
If you feel numb, which means the degree of Injuries are more serious. You need to do physical therapy and correct your posture immediately. Severe cases may require surgery.
Third degree: The entire nerve is pressed. People may not feel sore, painful, and numb. But they will feel weak.
The third degree of press will cause weakness. In severe cases, urinary incontinence will happen. Therefore, once you have severe weakness, you must rush to the hospital immediately. In this case, although you need surgery for nerve decompression, it is easy to leave long-term sequelae.
Numbness parts of body
Stroke: Half of body.Numbness in hands, feet, face, and half of body.
When you feel part of your body becomes weakness and numbness, it may be caused by stroke. When you are doing daily activity, you feel one-sided numbness suddenly, or when you wake up, you not only feel one-sided numbness, but also feel numb face and cannot speak clearly, it may be stroke. Therefore, if you have similar conditions, you should go to the doctor immediately.
Stroke mostly occurs in men over 45-year-old, women over 55-year-old. In addition, people who with chronic diseases, having bad habits, taking anticoagulant or cardiovascular medication have higher risk of stroke.
Suggested division: Neurology, Neurosurgery
Diabetes: Feet are more numb than hands, and the feel of stingingdistributessymmetrical.
The feeling of numbness is limited to hands and feet. Since the hands are closer to the heart, the feeling of numbness is mild. However, the numbness of feet are serious, and is bilateral symmetry. The feeling of numbness is like wearing gloves and socks covering by pain and stinging.
When you feel numbness in finger tips and toes, which means peripheral nerves are inflamed. If you have diabetes, chronic kidney disease, you may have the symptoms above, and even getting deteriorating.
Diabetes occurs in people who have poor control of blood sugar. Also, gene and gestational diabetes during pregnancy are causes of getting diabetes.
Suggested division: Family Medicine Department, General Medicine, Metabolism
Cervical vertebrae disease: Shoulder pain and numbness in one hand
If you have one-sided shoulder pain and numbness in hand, and the feeling of numbness radiated from shoulder to finger, the area that the nerves are pressed is likely in cervical spine. For example, spinal disc herniation or bone spur in cervical vertebrae.
Spinal disc herniation will provoke sore, pain, numbness in shoulder, neck and arms. Some people will feel electric current passing through neck and arms. Therefore, if you have shoulder pain and one-sided numbness in hand, it may be cervical spondylosis caused by nerve damage.
Cervical vertebrae disease occurs in phubber and athlete.
Suggested division: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation
Carpal tunnel syndrome: causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand, especially occurs in thumbs and index finders.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. It causes tingling, numbness and pain in your hand and fingers. In a serious condition, the muscle in purlicue may waste away.
When you feel numbness in hands while riding motorcycle, bringing stuff, or sleeping, it may be an alarm of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs in barber, chef, pregnant women, and people who play the computer, or use electric earth drill often.
Self-examination:
- Raise your hands to your chest, and folding hands to worship.
- Put your hands inward, and the back of hands touch each other. Maintain for a minute.
- If you start feeling tingling or numbness in hands, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome.
Suggested division: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation
Sciatica: refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg.
Sciatica most commonly occurs when a herniated disk, bone spur on the spine or narrowing of the spine (spinal stenosis) compresses part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg.
Sciatica occurs in the elderly, obese people, diabetic patients, and those who have poor posture when they are sitting.
Suggested division: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation
Raynaud's disease: is a process in which the fingers will become numb in response to certain triggers such as cold.
Raynaud's disease causes fingers and toes to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress and turn into different colors (white, blue, and red). In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin become narrow, limiting blood flow to affected areas (vasospasm).
Women aged 15 to 30 and people who have family history of disease are more likely to have Raynaud's disease. Secondary Raynaud's connective tissue disorders, cardiovascular diseases or blood tumor.
Suggested division: Allergy-Immunology-Rheumatology Division