Why Do My Fingertips Feel Numb?

If we compress the blood vessels for a long time, it will lead to numbness in local tissues of the body. Of course, this is a normal phenomenon because if the blood does not circulate, the delivery of neurotrophic substances will be slower. In addition to this situation, some diseases can also cause numbness in our peripheral nerves, such as nerve damage, inflammation, etc. If the reasons for compression are excluded, numbness in the fingers should be taken seriously.

The diagnosis of hand numbness requires reference to auxiliary examinations such as electromyography to make a clear diagnosis. Once diagnosed, if the symptoms are mild, they can be improved to varying degrees through regular non-surgical treatment. If the symptoms are obvious and there is significant atrophy of the intrinsic muscles of the hand, treatment should be promptly taken to prevent further progression of the disease, in order to avoid irreversible severe atrophy of the intrinsic muscles of the hand and resulting severe dysfunction of the hand.

One of the causes of upper limb nerve entrapment is numbness and pain in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, often accompanied by a history of waking up at night due to numbness, which improves after waking up and moving. In severe cases, it can be accompanied by atrophy of the hand muscles, affecting the fine movements of the hand. This is because the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, known as "carpal tunnel syndrome".

Another cause is numbness and pain in the ring and little fingers, which can also be accompanied by a history of waking up at night due to numbness. In severe cases, there may be muscle atrophy, decreased flexion strength of the ring and little fingers, and impaired fine motor skills. This is because the nerve is compressed at the elbow, known as "cubital tunnel syndrome".

Cervical spondylosis is the most common disease that causes hand numbness. It is one of the diseases that often occur in middle-aged and elderly people. As people enter middle age, some organs often undergo degenerative changes. When degenerative changes occur in the cervical intervertebral discs, they often lead to protrusion of the cervical intervertebral discs or hyperplasia or hypertrophy of the articular processes. When these protruding cervical intervertebral discs or hyperplastic articular processes compress adjacent cervical nerve roots, cervical spondylosis occurs.

In addition to finger numbness and abnormal sensation, cervical spondylosis is also accompanied by other symptoms. Stroke is another common disease that can cause hand numbness. Although finger numbness does not necessarily indicate a stroke, middle-aged people over 40 years of age who frequently experience symptoms such as headache, dizziness, feeling of heaviness in the head and lightness in the feet, numbness in the limbs, and swelling of the tongue, especially if they also have hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cerebral arteriosclerosis, should be particularly vigilant and alert for the occurrence of stroke.

Women entering menopause sometimes also experience hand numbness, but it is not obvious. As menopause ends, the phenomenon of hand numbness will gradually disappear.