Why do we have numbness in our hands?

Why do we have numbness in our hands?

Numbness in hands is common symptom.

Numbness in one or both hands describes a loss of sensation or feeling in your hand or fingers.

Often, hand numbness may be accompanied by other changes, such as:

  • A pins-and-needles sensation, burning or tingling.
  • Your arm, hand or fingers may feel clumsy or weak.
  • Numbness can occur along a single nerve in one hand, or it may occur symmetrically in both hands.

Causes

Hand numbness is usually caused by damage, irritation or compression of one of the nerves or a branch of one of the nerves in your arm and wrist.

Diseases affecting the peripheral nerves, such as diabetes, also can cause numbness, although with diabetes similar symptoms usually occur first in your feet.

Uncommonly, numbness may be caused by problems in your brain or spinal cord, although in such cases arm or hand weakness or loss of function also occurs. Numbness alone isn’t usually associated with potentially life-threatening disorders, such as strokes or tumors.

Your doctor will need detailed information about your symptoms to diagnose the cause of your numbness. A variety of tests may be needed to confirm the cause before appropriate treatment can begin.

Possible causes of numbness in one or both of your hands include:

Brain and nervous system conditions

  • Cervical spondylosis
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Stroke

Trauma

  • Brachial plexus injury
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Cubital tunnel syndrome
  • Frostbite

Chronic conditions

  • Alcohol use disorder
  • Amyloidosis (buildup of abnormal proteins in your organs)
  • Diabetes
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Raynaud's disease
  • Sjogren's syndrome 

Infectious diseases

  • Lyme disease
  • Syphilis

Also numbness in hands can be caused by ganglion cyst, vasculitis, vitamin B-12 deficiency.

 

Source: 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/numbness-in-hands/basics/definition/sym-20050842