Why Does My Hand Go Numb? Understanding the Causes and What To Do

Hand numbness is a sensation that almost everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Whether it’s waking up with a hand that feels like it’s fallen asleep after resting on it awkwardly, or that pins-and-needles feeling after using power tools for an extended period, it’s usually a temporary and easily explained annoyance. Often, a little movement or shaking of your hand restores normal feeling, and you can get back to your day.

However, when hand numbness occurs without a clear cause, persists, or recurs frequently, it can become concerning. You might find yourself wondering, “Why does my hand keep going numb?” It’s important to understand that persistent or unexplained hand numbness isn’t something to simply ignore.

There are numerous reasons why you might experience numbness in your hand, ranging from simple pressure on a nerve to underlying medical conditions. These can include nerve compression, various medical conditions, infections, medication side effects, and even exposure to cold temperatures. While mild and fleeting hand numbness is often benign, numbness that is severe, doesn’t resolve, or keeps returning needs medical attention.

This article will delve into the various causes of hand and finger numbness, helping you understand what might be triggering this sensation and what treatment options are available.

Understanding Hand Numbness: More Than Just Tingling

Numbness in the hand can manifest in different ways and is often accompanied by other unusual sensations. While tingling is a common companion, numbness can also present as a loss of sensation. Medical professionals use specific terms to describe these varying experiences:

Anesthesia: This is the medical term for a complete loss of feeling or sensation. With anesthesia, you are unable to perceive touch. Hand numbness due to anesthesia can range from subtle, where sensations feel dulled (like wearing a glove when you’re not), to severe, where you might not even register pain from a burn or cut.
Paresthesia: This refers to the tingling sensation, often described as “pins and needles.” It can also feel like prickling, burning, buzzing, or a crawling sensation.
Dysesthesia: This is an abnormal, often unpleasant, sensation experienced when touching something. It can be painful or simply strange and uncomfortable.
Hyperpathia: This describes an increased and often exaggerated sensitivity to pain. While not directly numbness, it’s a related abnormal nerve sensation.

The Onset and Duration of Hand Numbness

Hand numbness can develop in different ways. It might start gradually and worsen over time, or it can appear suddenly. The duration can also vary significantly; it may be temporary, chronic, or intermittent, disappearing and reappearing.

When Hand Numbness Becomes a Cause for Concern

Sudden onset of hand or finger numbness can sometimes signal a medical emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke. Seek immediate medical attention by calling emergency services if sudden hand numbness is accompanied by any of these symptoms:

Weakness, especially on one side of the body
Inability to move your arm or hand
Slurred speech or difficulty speaking
Dizziness or loss of balance
Confusion
Sudden, severe headache

Even when not accompanied by these emergency signs, it’s advisable to schedule an appointment with your primary care physician if you experience hand numbness that:

Doesn’t go away
Worsens over time
Keeps recurring

These symptoms could indicate a more serious underlying condition that requires diagnosis and treatment.

Common Causes of Numbness in Hands and Fingers

Pinpointing the exact cause of hand numbness isn’t always straightforward. There are potentially over 100 reasons why you might be experiencing this sensation.

Simple factors like repetitive movements, constrictive clothing, and cold temperatures are frequent culprits. However, hand numbness can also be a symptom of nerve damage or compromised blood flow to the hands. Let’s explore some of the primary causes in more detail.

Nerve Pressure: Blocking Sensations to Your Hands

Your hands are supplied by three major sensory nerves: the median, ulnar, and radial nerves. Originating in your neck and extending down your arms to your hands, these nerves transmit sensory information. Pressure applied to any part of these nerves along their path can disrupt sensation in specific areas of your hand and fingers. The location of the numbness can often help identify which nerve is affected.

Nerve pressure can be temporary or persistent. Temporary pressure is often caused by:

Maintaining a single position for too long
External pressure on a nerve (like your head resting on your arm during sleep)
Wearing tight clothing, such as compression sleeves or tight wristbands

Numbness from temporary pressure usually resolves quickly once the pressure is relieved or you change position.

Persistent hand numbness, on the other hand, might indicate internal pressure on a nerve. This can occur when surrounding tissues like blood vessels, bones, muscles, or tendons become injured, inflamed, or infected, putting pressure on the nerve.

Hand numbness due to nerve pressure often worsens with repetitive activities, such as typing, playing musical instruments, or certain sports movements.

Conditions Causing Pressure on Hand Nerves

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This condition arises from pressure on the median nerve within the carpal tunnel in your wrist. It’s characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. Nighttime hand numbness that disrupts sleep is a common symptom.

Alt text: A person holds their wrist illustrating the location of pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: This occurs when the ulnar nerve is compressed at the elbow. Symptoms include numbness in the ring and little fingers, and pain on the inside of the elbow. These symptoms are often exacerbated when the elbow is bent for prolonged periods.
Guyon’s Canal Syndrome: Pressure on the ulnar nerve as it passes through Guyon’s canal in the wrist can lead to this syndrome. It typically causes numbness in the pinky and ring finger, along with hand weakness.
Brachial Plexus Injury: The brachial plexus is a network of nerves originating in the spinal cord and extending through the neck and armpit, controlling sensation and movement in the arms and hands. Injuries to this plexus, often from contact sports or accidents, can stretch, compress, or tear these nerves, leading to hand numbness and other symptoms depending on the severity of the injury.
Arthritis or Disc Degeneration in the Neck (Cervical Spine): Changes in the cervical spine, such as bone spurs or bulging discs due to arthritis or degeneration, can compress nerves as they exit the spinal cord in the neck region. This nerve compression can radiate pain, numbness, and tingling down into the hands.
Amyloidosis: This condition involves the buildup of amyloid, an abnormal protein, in tissues and organs. This accumulation can cause enlargement and pressure on nerves, resulting in numbness, pain, tingling, or weakness in the hands and feet.
Ganglion Cyst: These noncancerous, fluid-filled lumps can develop on wrists and hands. Depending on their size and location, ganglion cysts can sometimes press on nearby nerves, causing hand numbness.

Medical Conditions Affecting Nerve Function and Causing Numbness

Hand numbness can be an indicator that a medical condition is affecting or damaging your nerves. Certain diseases that impact the central nervous system can disrupt normal nerve function. Nerve damage can also occur if a condition is left untreated or if treatment isn’t adequately effective.

Peripheral neuropathy is a broad term for damage or disease affecting the peripheral nerves – the nerves connecting your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. It can be triggered by conditions affecting various bodily systems, including the kidneys, pancreas, liver, blood, and connective tissues. Injuries, infections, and even certain medications can also lead to peripheral nerve damage.

If a medical condition is the underlying cause of your hand numbness, you’ll likely experience other related symptoms as well.

Conditions and Factors Impacting Nerve Function

Diabetes: Uncontrolled or untreated diabetes is a leading cause of peripheral neuropathy. Often, individuals with diabetic neuropathy first notice numbness in their feet, but it can also affect the hands. High blood sugar levels over time can damage nerves throughout the body.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): Chronic high blood pressure can damage blood vessels, including those supplying nerves in the hands. This damage can impair blood flow and oxygen supply to the nerves, leading to numbness and tingling.
Infectious Diseases: Certain untreated infections can cause hand numbness due to inflammation and nerve injury. These include Lyme disease, shingles, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex, syphilis, and HIV.
Vitamin or Mineral Deficiencies: Vitamin B12 is crucial for red blood cell production and nerve health. A deficiency in vitamin B12, as well as deficiencies in potassium or magnesium, can affect blood vessels and nerves, causing numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hands, arms, feet, and legs.
Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Long-term heavy alcohol use can damage peripheral nerves, resulting in alcoholic neuropathy. This can manifest as numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands, arms, and legs.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS): MS is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves). This can disrupt nerve signals and lead to various neurological symptoms, including numbness and tingling in the hands, feet, or other parts of the body.
Certain Medications: A range of medications, including some antibiotics, blood pressure drugs, and chemotherapy agents, can have peripheral neuropathy as a side effect, causing hand numbness. It’s important to discuss any new or worsening hand numbness with your doctor if it starts after beginning a new medication.

Reduced Blood Flow: Impairing Hand Sensation

Numbness in your hands and fingers can also be a symptom of insufficient blood flow. This reduced blood flow can occur if blood vessels become narrowed, ruptured, or blocked, restricting the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the nerves in your hands.

Conditions Affecting Blood Flow to the Hands

Raynaud’s Phenomenon: This condition causes blood vessels in the fingers and toes to narrow temporarily in response to cold or stress. This narrowing reduces blood flow, leading to numbness, coldness, and color changes (pale, blue, then red) in the fingers and toes.

Alt text: Image depicting hands exhibiting the characteristic color changes associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon, from normal skin tone to white and bluish fingertips.
Buerger’s Disease (Thromboangiitis Obliterans): This rare condition primarily affects small and medium-sized blood vessels in the arms and legs. Blood vessels become inflamed and can become blocked with blood clots, restricting blood flow to the hands and feet, causing pain, numbness, and potentially leading to tissue damage. It is strongly linked to tobacco use.
Atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries): Plaque buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis) can narrow the blood vessels in the arms and hands, reducing blood flow and potentially causing numbness, pain, and coldness, especially during activity.
Blood Clots: A blood clot in an artery in the arm or hand can suddenly block blood flow. This is a serious condition requiring immediate medical attention and can cause sudden, severe hand numbness, pain, coldness, and paleness.

Diagnosing the Cause of Hand Numbness

If you’re concerned about persistent or recurring hand numbness, it’s crucial to consult your primary care physician. Before your appointment, try to observe and record details about your symptoms:

When does the numbness occur?
What activities are you doing when it happens?
How long does it last?
Are there any other symptoms accompanying the numbness?

During your appointment, your doctor will conduct a physical examination of your hand and ask about your symptoms, medical history, lifestyle habits (such as alcohol consumption), and other risk factors. Based on this initial assessment, they may recommend further diagnostic tests to pinpoint the cause, including:

Lab Work: Blood tests can assess thyroid function, vitamin and electrolyte levels, and screen for toxins in your system. These tests can help rule out conditions like diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and thyroid disorders that can cause neuropathy.
Imaging Studies: To rule out more serious conditions such as tumors, strokes, or structural issues, your doctor might order imaging tests like X-rays, MRI, or ultrasound. These can visualize bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels to identify nerve compression, disc problems, or other abnormalities.
Other Diagnostic Procedures: Depending on the suspected cause, your doctor may utilize other specialized tests. For example, nerve conduction studies and electromyography (EMG) can evaluate nerve function and identify nerve damage. An angiogram or other cardiac tests might be used to assess blood flow and rule out heart-related issues.

Treatment Options for Hand Numbness

The most effective treatment for hand numbness is directed at addressing the underlying cause. For instance, if the numbness is a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes, your doctor will create a personalized diabetes management plan to help regulate your blood sugar levels. Often, once the underlying condition is effectively treated, the hand numbness will resolve.

If the numbness persists even after treating the underlying cause, or if a direct cause cannot be identified, your doctor may recommend treatments to manage the hand numbness itself and improve your comfort and function. These may include:

Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapists can teach you strategies and exercises to modify your daily activities, improve hand and wrist mechanics, and reduce nerve pressure. They may also recommend adaptive equipment to make tasks easier and less stressful on your hands.
Physical Therapy: Physical therapy can focus on strengthening and stretching exercises to improve range of motion, reduce pain, and alleviate nerve compression.
Injections: Corticosteroid injections into the carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel can reduce inflammation and relieve nerve pressure, providing temporary symptom relief.
Medications: Depending on the cause and type of numbness, medications such as pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants, or anti-seizure medications (often used for nerve pain) might be prescribed.
Integrative Medicine: Approaches like acupuncture, massage therapy, and certain supplements may be considered as complementary therapies to manage pain and improve nerve function. Always discuss any complementary therapies with your doctor.
Surgery: In some cases, particularly for conditions like severe carpal tunnel syndrome or cubital tunnel syndrome where conservative treatments are ineffective, surgery to relieve nerve compression may be recommended.

Home Remedies for Managing Hand Numbness

For mild or temporary hand numbness, and even to complement medical treatments for more persistent symptoms, home remedies can be helpful.

Pay Attention to Posture: Be mindful of how you position your arms and hands during daily activities and while sleeping. Avoid prolonged awkward positions or putting pressure on your wrists or elbows.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers: Medicines like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), and naproxen sodium (Aleve) can help reduce pain and inflammation associated with nerve irritation and may provide relief from numbness. However, these medications are not suitable for everyone, especially with long-term use, so consult your doctor before using them regularly.
Rest Your Hands: Take frequent breaks from activities that trigger or worsen hand numbness. Avoid repetitive motions and give your hands time to recover.
Heat or Cold Therapy: Depending on the cause of the numbness, heat or cold therapy can be beneficial. Heat can improve blood flow and relax muscles, while cold can reduce inflammation and numb pain. Experiment to see which provides more relief. Apply a heating pad or ice pack for 15 minutes at a time, several times a day. Heat is often preferred for numbness related to poor circulation, while ice may be better for numbness from a recent injury or inflammation.
Wear a Splint: Wrist splints, particularly for carpal tunnel syndrome, can help immobilize the wrist and reduce pressure on the median nerve, especially during sleep or repetitive tasks. However, splints are not always helpful and can sometimes worsen symptoms if not used correctly, so consult your doctor before using one.

Alt text: An individual wearing a wrist splint, a common treatment for managing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Improve Nutrition: If vitamin deficiencies are contributing to hand numbness, dietary changes or vitamin supplements can be beneficial. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein supports overall nerve health and can help manage conditions like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure that can cause neuropathy.

Seek Relief for Uncomfortable Hand Numbness

Hand numbness is a common symptom with a wide range of potential causes. While some causes are minor and temporary, hand numbness can also be a sign of a more serious underlying health issue. It’s important to pay attention to your body and seek medical advice if you experience hand numbness that doesn’t go away, worsens, recurs frequently, or is accompanied by other concerning symptoms.

Your doctor can help determine the cause of your hand numbness and recommend the most appropriate treatment plan to provide relief and address any underlying medical conditions. If you suspect carpal tunnel syndrome or believe your hand numbness is related to nerve pressure, consulting a hand specialist can provide targeted expertise and care.