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Numbness in the fingers
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Numbness of the fingers can be a sign of many diseases associated with the nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. Most often, this is the case with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Causes of numbness in fingers
Numbness of the fingers is the first sign of a nerve conduction disorder. This symptom can often be found in cervical osteochondrosis. You can check yourself - if you feel a crunch, discomfort or pain when tilting your head to the sides or turning your head - there is a possibility that the cervical vertebrae are affected by osteochondrosis. With this disease, the thumb or index finger mainly goes numb. To confirm the diagnosis, it is enough to do an X-ray of the cervical spine. Most often, osteochondrosis occurs after 45 years. Similar symptoms occur with a herniated disc or spondyloarthrosis.
The reason can be simpler – for example, if the limb was clamped for a long time while you were sleeping. Or only one finger may go numb if the ring is not the right size.
Numbness of the fingers occurs in women during menopause and pregnancy. It also occurs in those suffering from migraines.
Numbness of the fingers of the left hand sometimes indicates heart problems. This condition can be caused by angina. You should be especially wary of numbness of the ring finger or numbness that extends to the forearm.
Sometimes the cause of numbness is a traumatic brain injury or a threat of stroke.
Numbness in fingers after injury
Numbness of the fingers may be associated not only with nerve damage or inflammation, but also with a hand injury or craniocerebral trauma. In this case, other unpleasant symptoms often occur: burning, pain in the hand, tingling, spasm and even itching. Twitching of the limb is possible. If the symptoms are accompanied by unsteadiness of gait, it may be multiple sclerosis.
After a head injury, weakness often occurs along with numbness. Often, a patient who has suffered a traumatic brain injury loses consciousness. Numbness also occurs with neck injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Special exercises for joint development will help to cope with numbness of the fingers after an injury. Often, mobility is limited not by the hand injury itself, but by its prolonged immobility while in a cast. It is immobilization that causes muscle atrophy and circulatory disorders, leading to numbness. After operations on nerves and tendons, fingers must be developed.
If your hands often go numb and tingle after an injury, you should visit an orthopedist. He will determine what you should do next, what exercises you need, and may prescribe a set of physiotherapy procedures. Upon referral from a doctor, you can contact an osteopath or a chiropractor. Sometimes acupuncture helps.
Do not carry heavy objects in the recently injured arm or on the shoulder on that side. In addition to exercise therapy and physical therapy, your doctor may prescribe multivitamin preparations. Numbness in the fingers can often occur with a vitamin B12 deficiency. You should also avoid stress and emotional overstrain, especially long-term ones. When doing monotonous work, take breaks, walk and run more.
Numbness in fingers after hand fracture
After a fracture, a poorly applied plaster cast may be the cause of numbness in your fingers. When you wear a plaster cast, avoid wearing tight clothing.
Numbness and tingling can often be caused by shoulder injuries, sprained joint capsules, and bone cracks. These injuries are often suffered by older people who fall on ice in winter, or by professional athletes. The arm quickly swells and it becomes impossible to move it. Usually, gymnastics in a cast begins on the 5th day. The healthy hand bends and straightens the fingers of the sore hand. Active movements begin from the second week: take a cup, pencil, comb in your hand. Three weeks after removing the cast, you can already carry 2 kg of weight in your hand.
After several hand injuries, Raynaud's disease may develop, characterized by pain, cyanosis, and constantly cold hands. To avoid exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to wear warm natural gloves in cold weather.
Numbness of fingers due to osteochondrosis
With cervical osteochondrosis, the following symptoms attract attention:
- Movement in the cervical spine is severely limited.
- I suffer from headaches and shoulder pain.
- The pain may resemble pain in the heart.
The disease is provoked by stress, sedentary work, and excess body weight.
With Raynaud's disease, the fingers of both the right and left hands go numb, and with osteochondrosis, only one hand goes numb.
Numbness of the fingers is also a common problem for people with diabetes. This condition is called polyneuropathy. The problem can be dealt with by regulating blood sugar levels and doing feasible physical exercises.
When visiting an orthopedist and neurologist, numbness of the fingers is a very common complaint. Most often, numbness increases after sleep or in transport.
Symptoms of numbness in fingers
The bundle of tendons that moves our fingers passes through a narrow canal. The nerve responsible for the sensitivity of the entire palm also passes through this canal. It is usually protected. But sometimes it happens that the hand swells during long monotonous work. Numbness of the fingers is accompanied by throbbing pain, tingling, a feeling of goosebumps and loss of sensitivity, itching and burning, muscle spasms and twitching. If carpal tunnel syndrome is not treated in time, you can lose the ability to bend your thumb. There are other possible causes of numbness in the fingers. They were discussed above. But the symptoms are similar, for example, with professional abuse, and with damage to the spine and even with panic attacks. A doctor should clarify the cause.
A stroke may cause numbness in the lower arm, speech impairment, and impaired coordination. Chest pain and difficulty breathing may indicate a heart attack. Surgical interventions, adhesions in the lungs and bronchi may also cause numbness in the fingers.
Most often, the problem can be solved by prescribing a course of tablets and ointments. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to avoid mental overload, infections, and hypothermia.
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Numbness of the thumbs
Numbness of the thumbs often occurs with frostbite, multiple sclerosis, stroke, some diseases of the blood vessels and nerves, radiculitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, hand injuries, circulatory disorders, Raynaud's disease, osteochondrosis, arthritis, diabetes, pancreatitis, deficiency of certain vitamins and microelements. If numbness occurs frequently and is accompanied by weakness, it becomes difficult to perform everyday tasks, fine motor skills are impaired, if vision and gait disorders are added, you need to urgently find out from a neurologist what to do. Hospitalization may be required, for example, with a stroke. Numbness of the thumb along with the index finger indicates that something is wrong with the cervical spine.
Numbness of the fingers is a common occurrence today. You can't work without breaks. Running, skiing, swimming, contrast baths for hands and honey wraps are useful. It is enough to lubricate your fingers with honey and wrap your hand in a cloth.
Numbness in fingertips
Waking up in the morning, sometimes we feel tingling in the fingertips due to an uncomfortable position. More often, such symptoms bother the elderly. But there are more serious reasons for numbness of the fingers, a tingling sensation in the fingertips. For example, with thrombosis, an artery can become blocked and cause numbness. Thrombosis is a dangerous condition. If left untreated, you can lose your hand.
When there is a threat of stroke, numbness always occurs in only one hand. The patient has high blood pressure. There may be speech disorders. In this case, help should be provided immediately, without wasting precious time. If the treatment is incorrect or delayed, a stroke leads to persistent functional disorders.
Diabetic neuropathy is also a fairly common cause of this disorder. In diabetes, sugar from the blood corrodes the vessels. People with diabetes are also at increased risk of getting gangrene. Keep your blood glucose levels under control.
Rarely, numbness occurs with rheumatism, nervous strain or after injuries. Sometimes the cause of numbness is hyperventilation of the lungs, shallow, rapid breathing. Sometimes there are vascular spasms in the hands with Raynaud's disease. With this disease, a person constantly feels coldness in the hands and a burning sensation. Sometimes the fingers can itch. The fingers can turn blue or, on the contrary, become very pale.
Whatever the cause, it is impossible to establish it without consulting a competent specialist. He may advise you to undergo a course of osteopathy. In case of polyneuropathy, diabetics may be prescribed both drugs to correct blood glucose levels and those that change blood properties. You need to improve your diet, not eat foods with dyes and preservatives, give preference to meat, vegetables and greens.
Numbness and tingling in fingers
Sometimes the cause of unpleasant symptoms can be a banal change in the weather. But still more often it occurs against the background of fractures and other injuries or disc herniation, osteoporosis. The cause of the disease, unfortunately, can also be hidden in very serious pathologies of the brain, for example, tumors.
In cervical myelopathy, when the spinal cord is compressed by osteophytes or a herniated disc, the impairments increase gradually, and the hands become very weak over time. When the neck is bent, the spinal cord is greatly stretched. An extensive infarction may occur. In patients with cervical myelopathy, elevated protein levels can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid during laboratory testing.
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Numbness in fingers and hands
The feeling of numbness in the hands is especially common in the elderly. This happens because the elderly move less. But there are other factors that cause numbness. There are a huge number of reasons for this. Among them:
- Polyneuropathy due to avitaminosis, diabetes mellitus. Fingers are also affected due to anemia.
- Raynaud's syndrome, in which the fingers become cold, pale and blue.
- Blockage of a cerebral vessel by a thrombus.
- Uncomfortable sleeping position.
- Inflammation of the joints.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Cervical spondylosis.
- Nerve compression.
You can recognize a stroke yourself. You should know that the first sign of an impending stroke may be numbness in the fingers. Then there are difficulties with breathing and walking, visual impairment and paralysis. If you or your loved ones experience these symptoms, call an ambulance!
If you ignore the problem, you may be bothered by pain for a long time. Even complete paralysis of the arms is possible.
If your hands go numb while working, spread them apart and move your fingers, clench them into a fist.
Maybe there are some products that are good to eat when you have numbness? Yes, we advise you to eat more greens that contain special substances – oxalates. They are found in sorrel and cabbage. But salt in large quantities is harmful to you. You should think about finding a good chiropractor, taking a course of water treatments or acupuncture.
Numbness in fingers during sleep
Numbness of the fingers at night, during sleep, most often occurs due to a violation of normal blood circulation in the hand. To avoid this, we advise you to buy an orthopedic pillow. It will support your head in the correct position during sleep, which will help to avoid clamps in the cervical spine. It perfectly relieves tension in the neck muscles. Also, numbness can be caused by uncomfortable clothes with tight cuffs. Buy looser pajamas. Take off jewelry at night. You can try to change your sleeping position. You should not sleep with your arms above your head, “hugging” the pillow. In this case, the blood may simply not flow sufficiently to the hands, since the heart works a little slower during sleep.
If your neck crunches and hurts, you can assume that your fingers go numb at night due to cervical osteochondrosis. The pain is constant and nagging.
However, if you cannot eliminate the cause of numbness, make an appointment with a neurologist, cardiologist, and orthopedist and find a solution to the problem together with a specialist. For example, you may not know that the loss of sensitivity in your hands is due to a blood clot that simply blocked the normal blood supply to the upper limb.
Numbness in fingers and toes
Headache, decreased performance, dry mouth, flushed face, numbness in fingers and toes, tingling, burning and itching are very serious neurological symptoms. They may indicate a threat of stroke or that an attack has already attacked you. It may also be a microstroke, which, if left untreated, can end very badly, you may get persistent physical and mental disorders.
Another cause of numbness is Raynaud's disease, which manifests itself as a disorder of sensitivity of the hands and feet. The cause of the disease is a hereditary factor and smoking, infections. Patients are cold, the third and fourth fingers on the hands and feet suffer greatly.
Also, numbness of the limbs occurs with a vertebral hernia, which compresses the nerve endings. Sitting for a long time in one position increases the sensation of crawling ants. Treatment of intervertebral hernia is initially conservative: with the help of manual therapy, exercise therapy, physiotherapy. Only if such measures are ineffective, they think about surgery.
Severe scoliosis and radiculitis, sciatica even before the appearance of hernias can lead to a feeling of discomfort, "pins and needles" in the limbs. You should pay attention to these symptoms as early as possible.
Metabolic diseases are a fairly common cause of numbness in the fingers and toes. With gout, for example, urea is deposited in the joints. This leads to numbness in the big toes. Gout is more common in men.
Particular attention should be paid to cases where speech and coordination of movements are impaired along with numbness of the limbs. Such a person should be immediately taken to the hospital and examined by a neurologist. It is necessary to establish whether a stroke has caused numbness of the arms and legs; perhaps another cause will be found, for example, an old injury or vitamin deficiency, problems with the spine, its arthrosis or osteochondrosis, hernia, hypothermia, tunnel neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy, migraine, pancreatitis, Raynaud's disease. The list goes on.
You can try to cope with mild numbness by running and swimming, but cycling is not recommended. Do not keep heavy things in your pockets. Take breaks from work, during which you actively move your arms, walk, and at lunchtime it is better to leave the office for fresh air. Even just walking up the stairs instead of the elevator will help. It is necessary to include as many fruits, salads, and vegetable dishes in your diet as possible. Do not overindulge in diets. Give up alcohol. A lack of vitamin B12 negatively affects the overall tone of the body, a person becomes irritable and his limbs may go numb.
Numbness in fingers in the morning
Nowadays, even young people wake up from unpleasant numbness in their fingers, although earlier this problem was much more common in older people. The reason for this is the widespread use of computers and laptops, long-term constant work on which contributes to the disorder of normal blood circulation. If your fingers go numb in the morning after waking up, we advise you to do the following: analyze what can cause the compression of blood vessels. Perhaps you sleep in uncomfortable tight pajamas. If everything is in order with your clothes, you should think about doing more warm-ups during work. It is also a good idea to know the level of glucose and iron in the blood, since diabetes and anemia can also cause such sensations.
Numbness of the face and fingers
Numbness of the face and hands with loss of consciousness occurs if the lumen of the vessel narrows. For example, when it is blocked by a thrombus or an atherosclerotic plaque.
Sometimes it can occur after careless dental procedures. Smoking, in addition to facial numbness, can also lead to taste disorders. By the way, numbness of the extremities is a fairly common problem for smokers, so we wish you to get rid of bad habits as soon as possible.
Anemia, gait disturbance, numbness of the face and fingers occur with a vitamin B12 deficiency. To detect it, you need to take a biochemical blood test. Vitamin B12 is found in red meat and liver, consume them in sufficient quantities.
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Constant numbness in fingers
The number of people complaining of numbness in their fingers is growing every year. Neurologists and traumatologists are worried about this. And if a person comes to the doctor, then, as a rule, this happens more than once, that is, it is impossible to blame everything on an uncomfortable position, clothes or pillow. Here are some reasons:
- Cervical osteochondrosis. With this disease, numbness occurs not only in the morning, but throughout the day.
- Inflammation of the joints.
- Psycho-emotional overload.
If your hands are constantly numb, try Academician Bolotov's recipe. Take 3 liters of whey, three glasses of crushed garlic and a glass of sugar. Mix. Add a teaspoon of sour cream and let it ferment for 3 months. Take 100 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
Do massage and self-massage of the neck.
An infusion of marsh wild rosemary can also help. Pour 2 tbsp of the herb with a glass of boiled water. Keep in a water bath for 15 minutes. Let the infusion cool and mix it with apple cider vinegar 1:3. Rub.
A warming compress of warm pumpkin porridge applied to the entire arm may help.
Remember that you can't drink strong coffee and tea. They cause vascular spasm. It's better to eat sprouted grain or oatmeal, rhubarb, sorrel, buckwheat porridge for breakfast. Run, skate in winter, roller skate in summer, swim. In frosty weather, don't go without a hat and mittens. While working at the computer, at least occasionally rotate your wrists. Keep your hands on the table, close to your body, and don't let them hang down.
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Partial numbness of fingers
Partial numbness of the fingers should make you act. Check the condition of the spine, especially the cervical spine, take an X-ray and MRI. Based on the results, you will be prescribed massage and exercise therapy. Monitor how you react to stress. If you have frequent panic attacks, it is time to visit a neurologist or psychotherapist. Remember if you have had any injuries to the shoulder, elbow or wrist.
First of all, a neurologist at the reception of a patient with such complaints excludes cerebrovascular accidents - ischemia and stroke. To find out the cause of numbness, you may need to take a blood test for hormones or toxins if your work is associated with occupational hazards.
After the examination, medications are prescribed to relieve pain and improve sensitivity. A timely visit to the doctor will allow you to get rid of unpleasant symptoms in a short time and influence the cause of the disease.
Numbness of fingers after childbirth
Edema often accompanies the last months of pregnancy, hands are no exception. The accumulated fluid compresses the nerve bundle on the wrist, located in a narrow channel, and this is where all the troubles begin. Of course, a woman gets used to unpleasant sensations during pregnancy, sometimes it is easier to think that this is because the hand was in an uncomfortable position for a long time. But still, it is worth looking for the cause inside the body, which changes every day during this period.
We recommend monitoring your weight during pregnancy. Weight gain contributes to numbness in your fingers. Your hands should not be under stress during pregnancy. Do not lift more than 4 kg.
Numbness of the fingers after childbirth sometimes indicates problems with the heart, which was overloaded during pregnancy. Do not be nervous during pregnancy. This is a wonderful period in your life! Nervous overload also sometimes leads to numbness.
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Treatment of numbness of fingers
Numbness of the fingers can be a sign of serious problems in the body. Of course, it happens that this condition is caused, for example, by a lack of vitamin B12. If you do not eat meat and fish, add brewer's yeast to your diet. They are available in pharmacies. Eat red vegetables, as well as greens, these products contain a lot of another important vitamin for combating numbness - vitamin A. From nuts and grains you can get nicotinic acid, which is essential for your nervous system.
Elderly people often wear a woolen thread on their wrist. This is a very old way to combat numbness in the upper limbs.
Your physician or neurologist may refer you to a cardiologist if you complain of numbness in your little finger. He or she will prescribe appropriate treatment.
If a pinched nerve is found during a consultation with a neurologist about numbness, the doctor will prescribe you B vitamins and a procedure such as amplipulse with the addition of analgin. It is also necessary to give up alcohol, smoking and strong tea.
Parsley and celery will help with numbness in people with circulatory problems. Take 1 kilogram of each, as well as a glass of honey. Pass the mixture of these products through a meat grinder. Use 4 tbsp. in the morning on an empty stomach.
In case of poor blood circulation, Raynaud's syndrome, it is important to provide the body with ascorbic acid. It is a real elixir for blood vessels. Eat more citrus fruits, replace tea with a rosehip drink.
Massage for numbness in fingers
The elasticity of the arteries can be lost with frequent hypothermia. And this also causes numbness, pain, "goosebumps". In this case, you need to wear warm clothes and try to avoid vibration. Massage is also a good means of both preventing and treating numbness of the fingers.
Hand massage normalizes the work of capillaries. Take a small ball and roll it in your palm. Rub the fingers of your left hand with the index finger of your right hand. Then change hands. Contact massage with rubbing in lilac juice tincture can also help.
Now on weekends we work hard on our garden plots, and our hands get very tired during the day. General hand massage will help: stroking, rubbing.
10 g of camphor alcohol should be diluted in a liter of cold water and massage the hands with rubbing in the solution. Or another mixture: take a glass of vegetable oil and sugar and mix. Massage the numb areas.
Cure for numbness in fingers
If numbness in the fingers occurs due to tunnel syndrome, glucocorticoid injections are given into the carpal tunnel, massage is performed, and overloads and occupational hazards are excluded.
What kind of substances are glucocorticoids? These are hormones produced by the adrenal glands. They have been used for a very long time, since the middle of the 20th century. Hydrocortisone is used most widely. Its anti-inflammatory effect is due to the suppression of phospholipase A2 activity, which inhibits the formation of prostaglandins, which cause inflammation and pain.
These drugs have some toxic effect on the body, which can be reduced by prescribing liver enzyme inducers. When treating with glucocorticoids, it is undesirable to simultaneously take drugs containing estrogen. Diuretics interact with glucocorticoids in such a way that arrhythmia may occur. Be careful. Glucocorticoids also suppress the immune system, reduce the effectiveness of insulin, heparin and vaccines.
There are also many folk remedies for combating finger numbness. You can make a tincture of pickled cucumbers and red pepper. Dice the cucumbers and chop the pepper and add 0.5 l of vodka. Leave it for a week and then rub your fingers with the tincture.
Numbness of the fingers should not be ignored - find out the cause and only then begin treatment and be healthy!
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