Numbness in the limbs

Introduction Muscles of the extremities are symptoms that often occur in people's daily lives. For example, pregnancy, incorrect sleeping posture, and long-term use of toilets can be triggered. Generally, they will be eliminated in a short period of time, and there will be no major problems. The numbness of the hands and feet of healthy people occurs mostly after being in a posture or pressure on the limbs for a long time. This type of numbness rarely exceeds ten minutes and can quickly disappear without any other symptoms.

Cause

There is no obvious cause of pathological numbness caused by disease, long duration, or repeated attacks, light and heavy, often accompanied by other symptoms, such as numbness caused by cerebral arteriosclerosis, may be accompanied by dizziness, headache, memory loss Vision loss, blood pressure increase or decrease, blood lipids increase, etc., and the numbness of the hands and feet is half-sided, and the patient's age is also too large; the numbness caused by cervical spondylosis is numbness of the affected side or upper limb, accompanied by pain, limited activity The numbness caused by multiple peripheral neuritis is symmetry numbness of the extremities (finger, toe), accompanied by pain; thrombotic vasculitis can also cause cold or cold at the toe or foot, severe pain, weakening of the dorsal artery pulsation Or disappear, etc.; if patients with high blood pressure, repeated numbness of unilateral hands and feet, should go to the doctor to rule out pathological numbness.

an examination

Related inspection

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tetanus antitoxin intradermal test (TAT) CT examination

There are generally six aspects:

First, people with diabetes will have numbness in their limbs. As long as numbness, soreness, and swelling often occur in any part of the body, it is necessary to check blood sugar in time, especially for the elderly.

The second is numbness caused by drugs or chemicals. Such as cold or diarrhea, taking berberine or , it will cause numbness of the limbs; in the environment containing hydrogen, arsenic, carbon disulfide and other long stay, there will be numbness of the limbs.

The third is numbness caused by neuritis. The most common conditions of neuritis are numbness in the limbs, muscle atrophy, and weakness in the limbs. If you have a diarrhea or a cold for half a month, it can cause neuritis.

The fourth is the numbness of the limbs scattered. The limbs do not appear numb at the same time, but are scattered. This situation is that the local nerves are stimulated, such as strokes after drunkenness, irritations caused by head nerve stimulation, stimulation of the nerves of the elderly gangsters, and upper limb numbness caused by cervical spondylosis. Lumbar scapular nerve stimulation caused by leg numbness.

Fifth, cerebral thrombosis causes nerve damage in the brain, resulting in numbness of the hands and feet. This situation requires a visit to the hospital's neurology department, and the corresponding drug treatment can be taken after diagnosis.

Sixth, the bone hyperplasia of the cervical vertebrae oppresses 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 treatment of bone hyperplasia drugs and neurotrophic drugs, if the pressure is severe and the drug treatment is invalid, you need to consider surgery.

Differential diagnosis

No matter what causes the numbness of the limbs, you should first go to the hospital neurology department 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 limbs are numb due to other causes, then go to other related departments for treatment.

Apoplexy is more common in middle-aged and older people over the age of 50. Most of them have a history of hypertension, diabetes or arteriosclerosis. They are characterized by sudden numbness and weakness, and some of them are numb and weak. They only get better in a few minutes. Many people will have a stroke after a few hours or a day or two. Therefore, if the middle-aged and the elderly have numbness and weakness, they should be alert to a stroke and should seek medical advice promptly.

Peripheral neuropathy is characterized by end nerve numbness like the feeling of loss after wearing gloves or wearing socks. This disease is caused by a lack of vitamin B1, or by drugs and heavy metal poisoning. After appropriate treatment, it usually takes 2-6 months. It will heal. However, the phenomenon of finger numbness, if it lasts too long or the symptoms worsen, it should not be numb, because the elderly have a feeling of numbness on one side of the thumb, often a sign of stroke, should go to the hospital to check blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar and fundus (It is best to check with a neurologist) to prevent problems before they happen.

When the ulnar nerve damages the ulnar nerve of the forearm and upper arm, it can cause ipsilateral small finger and ring finger pain and partial finger movement disorder when it is traumatized, oppressed or affected by tumor. It is more susceptible to injury or compression at the ulnar nerve groove at the back of the elbow. Most of them will gradually recover after about half a year after the injury, but they often require surgery if they have a tumor, are completely ruptured or are severely stressed.

The median nerve damages the median nerve of the forearm and upper arm due to trauma, tumor, compression, etc., causing pain in the palm, thumb, index finger, and middle finger. The wrist is most vulnerable to injury or compression, called carpal tunnel syndrome. The principle of treatment is the same as before.

The sacral nerve damage is more susceptible to injury in the lower and middle segments of the upper arm. The back of the index finger is numb and the fingers and wrists sag. The principle of treatment is the same as before.

Brachial plexus damage in the axillary or anterior cervical lesions or injuries, can cause mixed symptoms of full or partial damage of the ulnar, median, and tibial nerves. The principle of treatment is the same as before.

Spinal cord disease When the spinal cord has inflammation, tumor or trauma, it can be manifested as numbness of one limb and weakness of the other limb, or manifested as numbness in the lower part of the body.

If the cervical spondylosis is a cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, the numbness of the upper limb or the upper limbs (mainly the numbness of the thumb, index finger, middle finger or ring finger, little finger) may be treated by traction, physiotherapy, etc., and the symptoms may be alleviated or disappeared.

Parathyroid diseases Some people often have intermittent numbness or convulsions on their fingers or toes. In severe cases, they can spread to the whole body, and they will not heal for many years. Sometimes, although they can be better for a while, they can relapse. This symptom is most likely a sign of parathyroid disease.

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.