Frequent numbness of the hands, what to do
Discomfort such as tingling and chills in the tips of the fingers and hands are familiar to almost everyone. However, for some, such discomfort is temporary and is caused by an uncomfortable position during sleep, tight clothing, or some other compressive factor. Whereas for many people numbness of the hands and fingers becomes chronic and signals the onset or presence of a disease that requires immediate treatment.
Numbness of the hands, causes
The tingling sensation and numbness of the hands cannot be ignored, as these symptoms usually indicate problems with the nervous system and circulation. Also, such signs may indicate the development of such a common disease as osteochondrosis. Most often, numbness of the hands is observed in older people, since at this age nerve functions are not able to recover as quickly as it happens in the case of a young body. This is due to the fact that in people of advanced age, changes in the nerves, as a rule, are accompanied by diseases of the cardiovascular system. Consider the main causes of numbness in human hands:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome;
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
- Raynaud's disease;
- Polyneuropathy;
- Blockage of a large artery in the upper limb;
- Cerebral vessel blockage.
One of the most common causes of hand numbness is carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a pinching of the median nerve inside it. This disease is often triggered by prolonged straining of the hand during the day, for example, when working at a computer for a long time in an uncomfortable position. As a rule, with carpal tunnel syndrome, pain and numbness are felt not only in the area of the hand, but also in the fingers. The discomfort increases towards the end of the working day and stops bothering when the hands get rest. By the way, numbness of the hands in a dream is one of the characteristic signs of this disease, which makes itself felt as the syndrome develops.
Cervical osteochondrosis is also a common cause of hand numbness. In the presence of this pathology, the cervical vertebrae are displaced, which squeeze the blood vessels, which often leads to pinching of the nerve endings. For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, as a rule, pain and numbness are characteristic only on one side.
Raynaud's disease is a disorder of blood circulation that occurs due to damage to small capillaries. With this pathology, the patient experiences bilateral numbness of the hands. In addition, sensitivity in the toes of both feet disappears and pain is observed. An additional symptom in Raynaud's disease is an unnatural pallor of the skin, hands and feet are almost constantly freezing. Therefore, it is very important to protect your hands from the cold, do not wash dishes with cold water, and also do not forget about gloves in the winter season.
Polyneuropathy is damage to the nerves of the fingers and hands, which can result from:
- Avitaminosis;
- Diabetes;
- A slight increase in blood sugar;
- Infectious diseases;
- Pancreatitis;
- Anemia.
Another cause of numbness in the hands is a blockage of a large artery in the upper limb, called a blood clot. With such a pathology, the sensitivity of the hand gradually disappears, since the blood stops flowing into the hand. It should be noted that when the numbness of the hands does not go away for more than an hour, it is necessary to urgently seek the help of a doctor. Timely specialist intervention can prevent the development of necrosis and limb loss.
Numbness of the hands in a dream can be caused by blockage of the cerebral vessel, which often indicates an impending stroke. Often, unpleasant sensations occur in one hand and are triggered by severe stress or increased blood pressure. It is important to know that if the hand suddenly becomes numb, and then pain begins, the call to the doctor should not be postponed in any case.
Often, numbness of the hands in a dream is a consequence of the so-called wedding night syndrome, which is observed in males. When the wife sleeps on the husband's shoulder, his subclavian artery is in a compressed state: this leads to a prolonged immobility of the hand. This uncomfortable position also results in prolonged numbness in the hands.
Other causes of this symptom include:
- Endocrine problems;
- Rheumatism;
- Inflammation of the joints;
- Physical injury.
Numbness of the hands, treatment
Effective treatment of hand numbness is not possible until the exact cause of this discomfort is established. After all, if the diagnosis is unknown, self-medication can lead to the opposite effect. For example, the drugs that are used to treat osteochondrosis may not only fail to help, but also harm in the case of Raynaud's disease.
In some cases, to treat hand numbness, it is enough to do a set of simple exercises. Others require taking special medications prescribed by a doctor. And still others are treated using oriental methods, for example, acupuncture, which is considered one of the most effective ways to eliminate numbness in the hands.
In addition, if medications and exercises do not give the desired result, you can turn to traditional medicine that will help get rid of discomfort in the hand area at home. Consider some effective folk remedies:
- Warm pumpkin porridge should be applied to the entire surface of the hand - from the shoulder to the wrist, then wrap the hand with a woolen cloth or scarf. This procedure should be repeated until relief is felt;
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Pickled cucumbers must be finely chopped, mixed with three chopped pods of hot red pepper and poured over with vodka (about 1.5 liters). After insisting for a week, the infusion should be filtered and used for rubbing the hands and fingers;
- Black pepper in folk medicine is considered one of the best remedies for numbness in the hands. It stimulates metabolism well and improves blood circulation. Therefore, to eliminate this symptom, the following recipe is often used: 100 g of ground black pepper is poured into 1 liter of sunflower oil and the mixture is boiled over low heat for half an hour. The cooled mass is rubbed on the hands several times a day.
- To relieve the numbness of the hands, contrast baths are often used. To do this, pour cold water into one bowl and hot water into another. Hands must be lowered for one minute, first into one, then into the next bowl. This procedure can be repeated several times a day. In addition, it is recommended that you sometimes only immerse your hands in hot water. In this case, you need to press firmly with your fingers on the bottom of the bowl until they become sensitive.
- An ordinary woolen thread also helps to eliminate the symptom, which is simply tied around the wrist and worn until improvement occurs.
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