Upper limb numbness

Introduction Upper limb numbness is an abnormal feeling of the limb, which is common in cervical spondylosis or stroke. The upper limb nerve compression can also cause numbness pain in the thumb, food and middle finger. Upper limb numbness is one of the main manifestations of cervical spondylosis. Cervical spondylosis refers to the clinical manifestation caused by deformation or stenosis of the cervical spinal canal or intervertebral foramen caused by cervical degeneration, which stimulates and compresses the cervical spinal cord, nerve roots and sympathetic nerves to cause structural or functional damage. Sexual pathological changes are based on the disease. This disease is more common in patients over 40 years old.

Cause

Cervical spondylosis

The most common disease causing hand numbness is cervical spondylosis, which is one of the numbness of hand numbness in middle-aged and elderly people. When a person enters middle age, some organs tend to undergo degenerative changes. When the cervical disc is degenerated, it often leads to cervical disc herniation or hyperplasia or hypertrophy of the joints. These prominent cervical discs or hyperplastic joints Cervical spondylosis occurs when the adjacent cervical nerve root is compressed. In addition to finger numbness and abnormal sensation, cervical spondylosis is accompanied by other symptoms such as neck and shoulder soreness, radiation pain or movement disorder in the upper limbs. It is not difficult to diagnose cervical spondylosis, just take an X-ray film. There is also a simple method for examining cervical spondylosis. One person holds the lateral head and holds the upper limb of the affected side in one hand and abducts it 90°. Both hands push and pull in the opposite direction at the same time. Those with radiation pain or numbness can be initially diagnosed as cervical vertebrae. disease.

Stroke

Another common cause of hand numbness is stroke. "Sanitary Baojian·Zhongfengmen" once said: "Where mortal people feel that the big fingers, the second refers to numbness or no use, there is a stroke in three years." Prevention: should be careful, daily diet, far away, wide Emotional. Although the numbness of the fingers does not necessarily cause a stroke, but for middle-aged people over the age of 40, if there are frequent headaches, dizziness, top-heavy, numbness, swelling of the tongue and other symptoms, and patients usually have high blood pressure, high When blood lipids, diabetes, cerebral arteriosclerosis and other diseases should be paid more attention, be sure to be alert to the occurrence of stroke.

Upper limb nerve compression:

First, the numbness of the thumb, food, and middle finger is often accompanied by a history of nighttime awakening. After waking up, the activity can be improved. Severe cases may be accompanied by hand muscle atrophy, affecting the fine movements of the hand, because the median nerve is oppressed in the wrist, the so-called "carpal tube syndrome"; the second is the numbness of the ring, the little finger, but also the night A history of waking up, severe cases accompanied by muscle atrophy, the flexion of the ring and little finger decreased, affecting the fine use. This is because the nerve is jammed at the elbow, the so-called "elbow syndrome" hand numbness.

In general, one person with diabetes will have numbness in the hands and feet, mainly caused by vascular disease. The second is numbness caused by drugs or chemicals. The third is numbness caused by neuritis. The fourth is the numbness of the four limbs scattered. Local nerves are stimulated, such as strokes after drunkenness, coma caused by head nerve stimulation, upper limb numbness caused by cervical spondylosis, and leg numbness caused by lumbar shoulder nerve stimulation. The fifth is the numbness caused by the compression of nerves such as tumors. Six is ion disorder, acid-base imbalance, endocrine disorders, psychological factors.

an examination

Related inspection

X-ray lipiodol angiography CT examination magnetic resonance scan

The diagnosis of hand numbness symptoms requires reference to cervical vertebrae, electromyography and other auxiliary examinations to confirm the judgment. Once diagnosed, if the symptoms are still mild, regular non-surgical treatment can be improved to varying degrees. If the symptoms are obvious and there is obvious atrophy of the intramuscular muscles, surgical treatment should be taken in time to prevent the disease from developing. The muscles are irreversibly severely atrophied, causing severe functional impairment of the hand.

Differential diagnosis

Accompanying symptoms and diagnosis

First, cerebral thrombosis causes nerve damage in the brain, resulting in numbness of the hands and feet. This situation requires a neurological treatment in the hospital, and the corresponding drug treatment can be taken after diagnosis.

Another possibility is that the bone hyperplasia of the cervical vertebra compresses the spinal cord nerves of the neck, causing numbness in the hands and feet. This kind of situation should go to the orthopedics of the hospital, preferably the spine surgery, cervical X-ray, CT or MRI. If it is indeed the cervical spinal cord compression, you can take traction or use drugs to treat bone hyperplasia, if the pressure is severe and the drug treatment is invalid, you need to consider surgery.

The numbness of the hands and feet can not be treated symptomatically, but the cause should be treated. No matter what causes the numbness of the hands and feet, you should first go to the hospital neurology to check whether the nerves are damaged or not.

If it is a neurological problem, an electromyogram examination is needed to further confirm the degree, extent, and nature of nerve damage. If the numbness of the hands and feet caused by other reasons, then go to other related departments for treatment.

The numbness of the hands and feet caused by nerve damage should be selected according to the degree and nature of nerve damage. Medications are usually combined with acupuncture and physiotherapy to promote rapid recovery. Surgical treatment is to open the compressed nerve by surgery to relieve the nerve compression and stimulation.

The degree of cure depends on the cause and nature of the neuropathy. If it is a damage to the peripheral nerves (other than the brain and the spinal cord), it usually takes a long time to recover.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.