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Numb Fingers and Hands
Posted By:
Monday, August 19, 2019
Numbness in the fingers and hands is never a normal occurrence. Many people experience this at sometime in their life, usually after "sleeping on it wrong" or "laying awkwardly." In these fleeting instances, a nerve or a group of nerves may be pinched and usually does not require more than a readjustment of the arm to improve the sensation and the blood flow. In some cases, the numbness or tingling can last hours or become painful. It can occur during the day, while driving, talking on the phone, resting the chin on the hand, griping a handle or using a mouse and keyboard.
The pain may be significant causing throbbing, stinging or burning sensations that radiate into the forearm. Night pain may be the first sign of the most common nerve compression in the body, carpal tunnel syndrome. Many people associate carpal tunnel with desk work and typing, but this has been found to be very unlikely. Carpal tunnel has numerous causes and risk factors. Conditions such as diabetes, smoking, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory diseases, steroid use and pregnancy are all associated with an increased risk for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Stiff wrists, overuse, age and frequent use of high vibration tools are also risk factors. Classically, carpal tunnel causes numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, middle and half of the ring finger. It can also cause pain in the wrist that migrates both into the hand and up the forearm. Weakness, frequently dropping things and trouble with picking up small objects are also signs of the syndrome. The true cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is a lack of blood flow to the median nerve as it enters the wrist. This is caused by swelling of the tendons, a tight ligaments or inflammation of the surrounding tissues.
Most treatments initially are non-invasive and painless. Treatments such as NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, meloxicam or diclofenac), night-time braces and aggressive stretching have been shown to help in mild carpal tunnel cases. Other lifestyle factors can be modified to help alleviate the symptoms such as weight loss, decreasing sugar and carbohydrate intake, decreasing inflammatory foods and improve ergonomics. Steroid injections are controversial due to the risk of skin irritation and increased glucose. Surgery is reserved for cases where symptoms are not relieved by non-invasive means.
The surgical options are quite broad with today's modern techniques. Patients can elect to have general anesthesia, sedation anesthesia or local anesthesia. Patients can have surgery in a hospital, surgery center or even the doctor's office. My general preference is in the office under local anesthesia. This helps lower out of pocket costs to the patient and decreases the risk and recovery of anesthesia.
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08/19/2019 - Numb Fingers and Hands
08/19/2019 - Ankle Sprains
07/19/2019 - The Sunshine Vitamin
07/19/2019 - Stepping up your game
07/19/2019 - Putting the Health Back in Hea
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