Three fingers on my right hand go numb: why and what to do?

Most people have experienced a feeling of numbness and tingling in their limbs. Basically, this condition is associated with circulatory disorders due to an uncomfortable sleeping position, when a person leans on his arm with the weight of his body and interferes with the normal flow of blood.

However, there are pathologies that manifest themselves as numbness of specific fingers and parts of the hand. The presence of such symptoms should force a person to go to the doctor for examination. Early detection of the disease contributes to the rapid cure of the underlying cause and the disappearance of its manifestations in the form of numbness in the fingers.

What is numbness in fingers

Numbness of the fingers is characterized by a loss of sensation in the fingers unilaterally or bilaterally. The condition may involve only the fingertips or spread throughout the entire hand.

The concepts of “numbness” and “paralysis” should not be confused. In the first case, there is only a temporary loss of sensitivity in the fingertips, and paralysis is accompanied by a complete loss of mobility.

Paresthesia of the hands in a healthy person is not a symptom of the disease and disappears when the body position changes or negative factors are eliminated. If the problem appears and does not disappear over time, this indicates damage to the cervical spine or peripheral nervous system.

Symptoms of paresthesia usually worsen at night. If unpleasant signs of the condition are observed for more than 1 minute, then this is a reason to visit a doctor.

Are your hands going numb? This is a symptom...

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome is an unpleasant sensation caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. The main manifestations are tingling, goosebumps, numbness of the first, second, third fingers. At the very beginning, these symptoms can be observed when a person is forced into an uncomfortable position.

At the first stages, a slight numbness is felt, then this unpleasant sensation begins to wake you up at night. Since this is neuropathic pain, it is almost impossible to relieve it with painkillers. In more advanced cases, the numbness is constant, people cannot fasten buttons or tie shoelaces, and muscle weakness appears.

Anyone whose profession involves long, monotonous work with their hands in one position is at risk. Carpal tunnel syndrome has one specific symptom: pain and numbness in the first, second and third fingers. If there is numbness in the fourth and fifth fingers, then this is elbow joint syndrome - a similar disease for which you also need to go to the doctor.

Neuropathies

There are two types: compression and peripheral.

Compression neuropathy is muscle weakness, spasms, or loss of sensation caused by pressure on a nerve. The nerve may come under pressure due to injury, dilation of blood vessels, muscle swelling, or cyst formation. Numbness in the hands can be caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist, elbow, forearm and even neck. With such problems you need to contact a neurologist.

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the peripheral nervous system, which transmits signals throughout the body. This type of neuropathy can develop with anemia, type 2 diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, chronic liver and kidney disease, and excessive alcohol consumption. In this case, you need to treat the underlying disease: the numbness will go away along with other symptoms.

Multiple sclerosis

This is a serious neurological pathology in which the transmission of signals from the brain to the body is difficult. Contrary to stereotypes, it occurs not only in older people - it is also diagnosed in those who are still thirty.

Numbness in the arms and legs is one of the early signs of multiple sclerosis. Other symptoms: amenorrhea, clumsiness, short-term memory problems, increased anxiety and irritability, pain and cramping, color blindness, blind spots, changes in urinary frequency, dizziness, nausea, chronic fatigue and difficulty identifying hot and cold. If you experience more than one of these signs, consult a neurologist.

Typically, numbness does not indicate a health problem. If your hands sometimes go numb from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, temperature changes and long hours of work, there is nothing to worry about. However, if you experience numbness regularly and you have other disease-specific symptoms, this is a good reason to pay attention to your health.

Causes

Natural causes of loss of sensitivity in the fingers include compression of the arteries, hypothermia of the extremities, and keeping the hand in one position for a long time (when working with a computer mouse). Non-pathological causes also include squeezing the hands with foreign objects, for example, an elastic band forgotten on the wrist, tight rings or bracelets.

Often, tingling on the fingertips is associated with wearing tight clothing. Elastic bands on the sleeves of a sweater can squeeze and pinch the arteries, thereby slowing down blood circulation.

The causes of discomfort are not always harmless. Paresthesia in some cases is associated with the following diseases:

1. Polyneuropathy . Occurs due to damage to the nerve endings of the fingers and hands. In this case, a complete feeling of numbness can occur in the hands on both sides. Polyneuropathy develops against the background of diabetes mellitus, intoxication, infectious processes in the body, anemia or vitamin deficiency.
2. Raynaud's disease . Pathology causes disruption of the blood supply to small vessels in the fingers. With the problem, both the right and left limbs go numb at the same time. Patients suffering from Raynaud's disease quickly freeze in the cold and are susceptible to infectious diseases.
3. Thrombosis . When the disease occurs, the blood vessels are blocked by a blood clot formed in them. As a result of the pathological process, the fingertips do not receive enough nutrients. At the initial stages of thrombosis development, only the fingertips become numb; over time, paresthesia spreads to the entire hand. At the same time, unpleasant symptoms become more and more intense.

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Loss of sensation in the fingers may also be due to other reasons:

• damage to the ulnar and/or median nerve;
• arthrosis;
• arthritis;
• failure of the endocrine gland.

These conditions, in addition to numbness of the fingers, are accompanied by other symptoms. For example, with rheumatism, joint damage and heart rhythm disturbances are noted.

Why does numbness occur in the little fingers?

The little fingers on both hands go numb (the cause may be pathological), possibly due to physiological factors.

Common reasons:

• wearing clothes that restrict movement;
• wearing a tight bandage on the limb;
• keeping the body in an uncomfortable position for a long time;
• same type of hand work - knitting, sewing;

  The little fingers on both hands become numb - the reason may lie in the same type of hand work.

• increased physical activity;
• injury - bruise, fracture, sprain;
• following a strict diet;
• unbalanced diet;
• abuse of bad habits;
• menopause;
• frequent hypothermia - for example, lack of gloves in the cold season;
• excess body weight;
• prolonged work at the computer.

Additionally, numbness of the little fingers can occur during sleep or at night.

The causes of occurrence are indicated in the table:

The likelihood of numbness in the little fingers increases if a person’s professional activity is related to fine motor skills. For example, an office worker, a painter, a machinist.

Symptoms

Loss of sensitivity in the fingers is characterized by a burning sensation in the area of ​​the hand. The condition is accompanied by a feeling of goosebumps crawling on the skin. In addition, numbness is accompanied by pain.

If the causes of the problem are pathological, the patient's skin may acquire a bluish tint. With paresthesia, the following symptoms are most often observed:

• stitching sensations in the heart area;
• muscle spasms;
• cold extremities;
• nervous breakdown;
• feeling of numbness;
• tingling.

A complete clinical picture of the pathological condition suggests the presence of a particular disease:

1. If numbness of the little finger or ring finger is noted, then ulnar nerve pathology should be excluded.
2. If the sensitivity of the thumb, index, or middle finger has deteriorated, then the problem may be with the median nerve.
3. Numbness in the fingers
   can occur when the roots are compressed as they exit the cervical spine.
4. The ring finger on the right hand often becomes numb from the sweat of long labor. This characteristic is often noted by needlewomen.
5. Numbness of the finger
   is combined with swelling, pain when moving, limitation of movements - a reason to seek advice from an orthopedist.

The progression of carpal tunnel syndrome is indicated by the numbness of the thumb on the right hand. If the pathological process manifests itself bilaterally, then this indicates problems of a neurological nature.

Diagnostics

A mandatory consultation with a neurologist is required if:

• there is frequent numbness in the hands;
• the problem is accompanied by a lack of coordination of movement;
• the sensitivity of the skin of the hands to different temperatures decreases
• paresthesia is accompanied by pain in the limbs and loss of strength.

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A neurologist identifies progressive pathologies based on certain points:

1. Questioning the patient regarding subjective complaints. The duration and frequency of manifestation of unpleasant symptoms are clarified, and pathologies suffered in the past are identified.
2. Sensitivity test Based on the results of the check, the specialist prescribes a series of instrumental examinations to the patient.
3. X-ray . Allows you to assess the condition of the spinal trunk and hand joints.
4. CT and MRI. Analyzes provide the most complete picture of the structure of individual parts of the spine.

Based on the research results, the specialist identifies factors that provoke the problem and prescribes a suitable treatment regimen or recommends that the patient undergo additional tests.

Prevention

Often the causes of numbness are disturbances in the functioning of the body, which are associated with an incorrect lifestyle, diet, and rest. Against the backdrop of ongoing stress, psycho-emotional stress occurs, the body’s resistance decreases, and the immune system is weakened. This leads to the development of diseases.

To maintain general health and prevent the development of diseases that cause numbness in the fingers of the upper extremities, it is recommended to follow simple but important rules:

1. Choose comfortable clothing and gloves that do not constrict your hands and fingers.
2. Do gymnastic exercises for the hands, especially when they are tense during work.
3. Do not lift heavy things.
4. Stop drinking alcohol and nicotine.
5. Include foods rich in vitamin B12 in your daily diet. These include seaweed, fish, eggs, and fermented milk products.
6. To live an active lifestyle. Take daily walks in the fresh air.
7. Sleep at least 8 hours a day.
8. Take vitamins.

Normalizing the regime will help strengthen the health of the body, make it less susceptible to the environmental influences of adverse factors, which will have a positive effect on preventing numbness of the upper extremities.

Treatment

The main goal of treating the problem is to get rid of muscle tension. For this purpose, patients are prescribed medications:

1. Painkillers, anti-inflammatory therapy - NSAIDs.
2. Drugs that reduce muscle spasms in the cervical-collar area - Mydocalm, Baclofen.
3. Agents that improve neuromuscular transmission - Proserin, Ipidacrine.
4. Preparations for normalizing blood circulation in blood vessels - Petoxifylline, Actovegin.

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The condition of muscles and blood vessels is negatively affected by a lack of vitamins in the body. For this reason, numbness in the fingers often occurs. Taking vitamins B, E and A will help cope with the problem. Substances can be taken orally or administered intravenously (in advanced stages of the disease).

You can cope with vitamin deficiency without medications. For this, the patient is prescribed a special diet. Eating foods such as eggs, seafood, fish, and liver will make up for the lack of B vitamins. The lack of substances of groups A and E is compensated by introducing seaweed, cottage cheese, feta cheese, butter, and dried fruits into the diet.

Massage can effectively eliminate signs of numbness in the fingers. The procedure quickly helps normalize blood circulation in the vessels and relieve muscle spasms.

Special exercises for the fingers also give good results, many of which the patient can perform independently at home. For example, you can relieve the feeling of numbness by using extension movements with your arms raised up.

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Physiotherapeutic procedures allow you to consolidate the results of treatment. Among them are:

1. Magnetotherapy . It helps relieve tingling symptoms in the fingers, stimulate blood circulation and eliminate swelling.
2. Heat therapy . The procedure is used for parasthesia caused by damage to the spinal trunk. The essence of the technique is to warm up problem areas and accelerate blood circulation in them.
3. Electrophoresis . Thanks to the procedure, medications are delivered to the deep layers of the skin located above the damaged areas.
4. Ultrasound.
5. Laser.

In addition to physical therapy, massage, and medications, a specialist may recommend alternative treatments such as hand baths. They will be especially useful if your fingers have partially or completely lost sensitivity.

To prepare the bath, take 2 plates, pour hot water into one of them, and cold water into the other. Hands are lowered alternately into the container with an interval of at least 60 seconds. The procedure is performed daily 2-3 times.

For preventive purposes, people engaged in manual labor are advised to take breaks every hour. During rest, you need to perform finger exercises to help normalize blood supply to the tissues. If there are frequent signs of a problem, special exercises for the hands can be performed in the morning (after sleep):

1. Sitting on the bed , you need to straighten your arms and bend your fingers into a fist. The exercise is performed 20 times. In this case, the palms should open and close as much as possible. After the procedure, the hands with unclenched fingers are relaxed.
2. One palm is pressed against the other. Then the fingers of both hands are squeezed into a lock and straightened again. Gymnastics are performed at a fast pace. The number of repetitions of the exercise is 15 - 20 times. Then you can increase the number of movements up to 50 times.
3. your back tightly against a flat surface and raise your arms up so that your fingers touch the wall. You need to stay in this position for about 2 minutes.

These exercises will also help in the treatment of small vessel disease in the hands. However, preventive exercises will not bring positive results for persistent symptoms of numbness caused by serious diseases.

Few people go to doctors with the problem of numbness in their fingers. This condition is generally not considered pathological.

In most cases, the symptom occurs due to a temporary disruption of blood supply in the vessels of the hands. But if paresthesia is permanent or lasts more than 1 minute, you need to visit a neurologist. The reason for contacting a doctor is numbness in the fingers, accompanied by other signs - weakness or pain in the joints.

Folk recipes

If your fingers go numb at night, it is due to numbness, so no treatment is required. It is enough to perform simple exercises: clench and unclench your hands, raise your arms and intensively bend and straighten your fingers. Carry out such gymnastics until the discomfort disappears completely.

If pain occurs, you can use folk remedies. You should treat numbness at home as follows:

1. A mixture of vegetable oil (0.5 l) and ground black pepper (50 g) is rubbed into the limbs. To do this, mix the ingredients and cook for 30 minutes. This remedy helps improve blood circulation.
2. Boil pumpkin porridge and apply it warm to your entire hand. Cover with polyethylene and a warm scarf on top. Thanks to this, you can get rid of numbness.
3. To improve sensitivity, contrast baths are used. Hands are first placed in hot water and then in cold water.
4. Rubbing effectively eliminates inflammation and increases blood circulation. To do this, take wormwood, nettle and marsh cinquefoil in a ratio of 2:2:1, pour in 0.5 liters of vodka and leave for 3 weeks in a dark place.