Why hand numb

This is called peripheral neuropathy. It can cause numbness, weakness, and tingling in your hands and feet. Alcohol is safe to drink in small amounts, but too much of it can damage tissues around the body, including the nerves. People who misuse alcohol sometimes develop numbness and tingling in their hands and feet. Other symptoms of alcohol-related neuropathy include:. Myofascial pain syndrome develops trigger points, which are very sensitive and painful areas on the muscles.

The pain sometimes spreads to other parts of the body. Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes fatigue and muscle pain. The fatigue with fibromyalgia can be intense. The pain is centered in various tender points around the body. People with fibromyalgia may also have numbness and tingling in their hands, arms, feet, legs, and face. Deer ticks infected with bacteria can transmit Lyme disease to humans through a bite.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means your body attacks your own organs and tissues. It causes inflammation in many organs and tissues, including the:. Symptoms of lupus come and go. Which symptoms you have depend on which parts of your body are affected. Pressure from inflammation can damage nerves and lead to numbness or tingling in your hands. Other common symptoms include:. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system. Without proper treatment, it can eventually destroy so many immune cells that your body can no longer protect itself against infections.

Stage 4 of this virus is called AIDS. This nerve damage can cause people to lose feeling in their arms and legs. However, with antiretroviral therapy and medical care, HIV can be well-controlled and life expectancy can be nearly the same as someone who has not contracted HIV.

Amyloidosis is a rare disease that starts when an abnormal protein called amyloid builds up in your organs. Which symptoms you have depend on the organs that are affected. When this disease affects the nervous system, it can cause numbness or tingling in your hands or feet. MS is an autoimmune disease. In people with MS, the immune system attacks the protective coating around nerve fibers.

Over time, the nerves become damaged. Symptoms depend on which nerves are affected. Numbness and tingling are among the most common MS symptoms. Certain medications, such as cancer treatment drugs, are known to cause tingling and numbness in hands.

Some of these cause temporary numbness that goes away after completion of the chemotherapy treatment. Others may cause permanent numbness. The pattern of symptoms can help determine if the cause is pressure on a nerve, a disease, medications, or another condition.

For many of these disorders, a thorough history and physical exam are most important to narrow down or make a diagnosis. Further tests such as an x-ray, an MRI, nerve tests such as EMG , ultrasound, blood tests, or a spinal tap may be used to help confirm a diagnosis. Specific treatment recommendations can be made by your hand surgeon once you are diagnosed.

You may also be referred to other specialists such as a neurologist, rheumatologist, pain management specialist, or other health care provider. When there is weakness or stiffness, hand therapy may be helpful. Your hand therapist will show you some strengthening exercises that can be helpful. Wrist or elbow braces can often improve positional numbness.

Some of the compression neuropathies can be treated with steroid injections also known as a cortisone shot. When other non-operative treatments have failed, surgical decompression can be considered. Symptom improvement is dependent on time of pressure, severity of pressure, and other patient factors. Some problems can be fully treated. Other times, not all numbness or weakness will go away with treatment. Nerve injury can sometimes be permanent.

If medical treatment at least stops the problem from getting worse, that can be considered a good benefit. To reduce the chances of permanent numbness, tingling, or weakness, find a hand surgeon to evaluate you early after symptoms start.

This content is written, edited and updated by hand surgeon members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Find a hand surgeon near you. Figure 1. Compression neuropathy is pressure on a nerve and a potential cause of numbness in hands. This image shows the sensory distribution of nerves. Figure 2. The exact cause for entrapment may not be known. Fluid buildup and swelling inside the elbow; previous elbow fracture or dislocation; or leaning on the elbow for long periods of time can put pressure on the ulnar nerve inside the cubital tunnel.

Symptoms include numbness and tingling of the hand and fingers, sometimes leading to weakness and even muscle wasting in the hand. Treatment begins with wearing a supportive brace and adjusting activities to avoid further irritating the nerve. Surgery is usually not needed unless the nerve compression is causing weakness and loss of use in the hand. Top Symptoms: hand weakness, weakness in one hand, numbness in one hand, pain in one elbow, pain in one forearm.

Fibromyalgia is a set of chronic symptoms that include ongoing fatigue, diffuse tenderness to touch, musculoskeletal pain, and usually some degree of depression. The cause is not known. When fibromyalgia appears, it is usually after a stressful physical or emotional event such as an automobile accident or a divorce. It may include a genetic component where the person experiences normal sensation as pain.

Anyone with rheumatic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may be more prone to fibromyalgia. Poor sleep is often a symptom, along with foggy thinking, headaches, painful menstrual periods, and increased sensitivity to heat, cold, bright lights, and loud noises. There is no standard test for fibromyalgia.

The diagnosis is usually made when the above symptoms go on for three months or more with no apparent cause. Top Symptoms: fatigue, arthralgias or myalgias, anxiety, depressed mood, headache. Peripheral neuropathy refers to the feeling of numbness, tingling, and pins-and-needles sensation in the feet. Idiopathic means the cause is not known, and chronic means the condition is ongoing without getting better or worse.

The condition is most often found in people over age Idiopathic neuropathy has no known cause. Symptoms include uncomfortable numbness and tingling in the feet; difficulty standing or walking due to pain and lack of normal sensitivity; and weakness and cramping in the muscles of the feet and ankles. Peripheral neuropathy can greatly interfere with quality of life, so a medical provider should be seen in order to treat the symptoms and reduce the discomfort.

Diagnosis is made through physical examination; blood tests to rule out other conditions; and neurologic and muscle studies such as electromyography. Treatment involves over-the-counter pain relievers; prescription pain relievers to manage more severe pain; physical therapy and safety measures to compensate for loss of sensation in the feet; and therapeutic footwear to help with balance and walking.

Top Symptoms: distal numbness, muscle aches, joint stiffness, numbness on both sides of body, loss of muscle mass. The "thoracic outlet" is the space on either side of the base of the neck where nerves, arteries, and veins travel beneath the collarbone. If these become compressed or damaged, the condition is called thoracic outlet syndrome or TOS. The most common causes are trauma, such as a car accident or fall; and repetition or overuse, such as a sports injury.

It is important to see a medical provider about these symptoms so that the damage does not become permanent. Diagnosis is made through patient history, physical examination, imaging such as x-ray or ultrasound, and sometimes nerve conduction and blood flow studies.

Top Symptoms: pain in one shoulder, spontaneous shoulder pain, arm weakness, arm numbness, pain in one shoulder blade. Hypocalcemia is a condition where there is not enough calcium in the blood. Calcium is a mineral contained in the blood, which helps the heart and other muscles function properly, and is needed to maintain strong teeth and bones.

Top Symptoms: fatigue, shortness of breath, irritability, general numbness, tingling foot. De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, you will feel pain upon turning your wrist, grasping anything, or making a fist. Top Symptoms: hand numbness, thumb pain, hand weakness, weakness in one hand, numbness in one hand.

The brachial plexus is a web of nerves between the neck and shoulder, connecting the spinal cord nerves to the arm. There is one web on each side of the neck. Any injury that forces the shoulder to stretch down, and the neck to stretch up and away, can damage these nerves and cause brachial plexopathy. Sports injuries and car accidents are often involved. Inflammation, tumors, and radiation treatment can also damage the brachial plexus.

Milder symptoms include numbness and weakness in the arm, with a shocklike stinging or burning sensation. A more severe injury can cause paralysis and loss of feeling in the arm, with pain in some parts of the arm, hand, and shoulder.

These symptoms should be seen by a medical provider since permanent damage can result if the injuries are not treated. Treatment usually involves rest and physical therapy. Surgery may be necessary to remove scar tissue or repair the damaged nerves.

Top Symptoms: pain in one arm, shoulder pain that shoots to the arm, arm weakness, numbness in one arm, shoulder pain. Symptoms that never occur with brachial plexopathy shoulder nerve issue : pain in the front middle part of the neck. B12 is an essential vitamin for the production of myelin, a compound that speeds up the conduction of nerve impulses, and the production of red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.

It only occurs naturally in diets containing animal byproducts. However, if you experience frequent, persistent episodes of hand numbness, visit your doctor to find the exact cause of your condition in order to get appropriate treatment.

Visit your physician to discuss the exact cause of your symptoms in order to get appropriate care. Depending on the cause of your symptoms, your physician may suggest:. If you experience any symptoms of speech difficulty, facial drooping, or weakness to the point you cannot raise your hand or arm, call immediately.

These could be signs of a stroke. Your hands may go numb when you go to sleep due to nerve irritation or positioning. Carpal tunnel syndrome, a common cause of irritation, can manifest as hand numbness at night. Additionally, we generally do not have control over how we toss and turn during sleep.

Some of these tosses may end up with your hands in a position that irritates the nerves or cuts off blood flow, leading to temporary numbness. Yes, shoulder pain can lead to numbness in the hands. Your sense of touch is carried by nerves that run from the skin to the spinal cord and up to the brain. The nerves which handle sensation of the hand run in bundles through the shoulder. Shoulder pain can represent an injury to the shoulder that irritates or compresses one of these nerves, leading to numbness in the hand.

If you experience this symptom, you should seek medical evaluation to avoid permanent loss of sensation. Left hand numbness may be caused by many conditions. Most commonly, this is due to positioning restricting blood flow to the hand or irritating the nerve.

However, if your hand suddenly becomes numb or clumsy, this can be a sign of a more serious condition, such as a stroke or nerve injury. If left untreated, joint pain and hand or limb numbness are some of the symptoms associated with the later stages of Lyme. Multiple sclerosis MS is a disease of the central nervous system aka your brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves in which your immune system attacks and damages myelin, a fatty substance that protects the nerve fibers of your brain and spinal cord, which can result in hand numbness or tingling, Dr.

When paired with other symptoms, Dr. This can be life-threatening, as brain cells begin to die due to lack of oxygen. However, high blood pressure or cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes are leading causes, per the CDC. Other stroke symptoms to watch out for include a crooked smile, slurred speech or problems thinking, dizziness, and blurry vision.

And, if left untreated, hand numbness can develop as a result of or diabetes-related nerve damage, Dr. In fact, diabetes is one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy, or damage to the nerves outside of your brain and spinal cord.

Blurry vision, kidney trouble, and heart failure are all risks associated with untreated diabetes , too. Cold temperatures, stress, injuries to the hands, tissue damage, and even certain drugs like high blood pressure or migraine meds may all be triggers. Stay updated on the latest science-backed health, fitness, and nutrition news by signing up for the Prevention.

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