Why do i have numbness in my hands?

Have you ever experienced a tingling, pins and needles sensation or even numbness in your hands? If so, it can be an unsettling feeling that we want to get rid of as soon as possible. But why does this happen? In this article, we will uncover the various reasons for experiencing numbness in your hands.

Anatomy of Our Hands

Before diving into the causes of hand numbness, let’s take a brief tour of our hand’s anatomy. The hand is made up of bones (phalanges), joints (metacarpophalangeal joints), muscles (flexor and extensor muscles) and connective tissue surrounded by arteries, veins, nerves like median nerve, ulnar nerve, radial nerve. Each part plays its own important role.

Common Causes for Hand Numbness

There are several reasons why someone could experience numbness in their hands:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The carpal tunnel houses the median nerve that travels from the forearm through the wrist into your palm along with many tendons running down towards fingers.The carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when there’s compression on that particular median /midway/nerve causing symptoms like discomfort or even pain resulting from inflammation formed inside/inflammation building up within the tunnels .

Repetitive Stress Injury

Repetitive actions involving holding onto objects tightly without release lead to muscle fatigue disorder/Muscle Fatigue Disorders -wherein regular inflow /gushes blood flow decreases\ref{1}. This puts pressure on-pain-nerves which leads to And ultimately culminating gives way-too an uncomfortably tingling sensation-kind-of-feeling ,which slowly escalates-resulting-in-numb fingers!

Raynaud’s Disease/Syndrome/Finger Condition

Raynaud’s disease occurs due to decreased blood supply/poor circulation exasperating the nerves . It makes fingers go numb, cold or even change color resulting in a lack of sensitivity/low response to touch stimuli.

Vitamin B6 Deficiency

B vitamins are essential for cell functioning and nerve health. One such example is vitamin B6 deficiency affecting someone’s peripheral neuropathy-Neuropathic disorders that result in Tingling sensation/paresis,numbness/prickliness along arms which increases drastically thus preventing one from feeling their own limbs!

Less common Causes of Hand Numbness

Apart from the most common causes discussed above, there are less well-known reasons why someone could experience hand numbness:

Cervical Radiculopathy/ Spinal Stenosis

When spinal cord passages ‘shrink’ due to arthritis /an injury, it puts enough immoderate pressure on your cervical spine leading up-to-neck-and-causing damage along with tingling sensations all-around impairing mobility\ref{2}. This condition gets known as Spinal Stenosis!

Diabetes

Sugar levels going down-abysmally reducing circulation-Likewise neuropathy can lead to venous ulcers and much worse stroke –leaving long term effects like permanent disabilities .

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

This syndrome arises when subclavian vein passes around collarbone having undue compression increasing pressure symptoms culminating into parethesia/Numbness near chest & neck region\ref{3}

Diagnosis Steps When Symptoms Persist

If you experience any unusual symptom of lasting longer durations (numb fingers) ,it’s shareworthy -we take medical guidance not ignore instead.
Here are some ways through doctors diagnose :

1. Electromyography (EMG)
2. Imaging tests such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI)/Computed Tomography(CT)
3. Blood Tests
   4.Nerve Conduction Studies(NCS)

Don’t Panic! Just try lifestyle changes ,have balanced diet, ergonomic improvements in your workstation (adjust your sitting position/chair-height) or exercises like carpal tunnels release-based moves could even help\ref{4}.

Prevention is Key

While it’s not always possible to prevent the onset of hand numbness, there are some actions we can take to decrease our risks:

1. Have good posture
2. Take regular breaks and stretch!
3. Exercise regularly
4. Rest and Relaxation therapy /Stress Management Strategies
   5.Maintain-your-blood sugar levels due-to Diabetic-Numbness(Sometimes may get worse over time).
   6.Trauma/ Injuries that lead up to these symptoms should be closely monitored with immediate medical attention looked-for!

Final Thoughts

Hand numbness can disrupt one’s daily routine drastically – so it’s essential to understand why this occurs by discussing with healthcare professionals . The key takeaway is determining exact causes for it ,follow necessary treatment plans carefully if diagnosed along while adopting life-style tracking measures,treatments such as taking rest, doing yoga/stretching & physically staying active can go a long way!. Here’s wishing everyone hap-pins /happier hands!