

Ulnar nerve entrapment affects the nerve on the pinky side of your arm and usually causes index and pinky finger numbness. If RA is the cause, you most likely will experience symptoms on both sides of your body.

You may also experience a burning sensation in your hands. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that can cause numbness in the fingers, swelling, pain, and tenderness in the joints.

It commonly causes thumb, index, and middle finger numbness and is sometimes associated with pain or tingling. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by repetitive motions such as typing on a keyboard or using hand tools. Some of these conditions include: Carpal Tunnel SyndromeĬarpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve that provides feeling to your hand becomes obstructed or pinched. Many different conditions can lead to your fingers or hands going numb. Whether it’s from damage, compression of a nerve, or irritation, numbness can interfere with daily activities. Many different things can cause hand numbness. Potential Causes of Hand and Finger Numbness 11 Reach Out to The Hand and Wrist Institute Today.10 How Can You Prevent Finger Numbness?.8 How Will Your Finger Numbness Be Diagnosed?.7 When Should You See a Doctor For Finger Numbness?.6 Additional Potential Causes of Numbness in the Fingers or Hands.1 Potential Causes of Hand and Finger Numbness.The recurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome after surgery is rare. Complications from carpal tunnel release surgery are unusual. Over 90% of patients are satisfied with the outcome of the surgery. The majority of patients experience improvement in the numbness and tingling in the hands at night after surgery. Carpal tunnel surgery is the best way to prevent nerve damage in the hand.Ĭarpal tunnel release surgery is the most common procedure performed on the hand in the United States. If the nerve compression is severe, or if non-surgical treatment has not been successful, carpal tunnel release surgery is usually recommended. Steroid injections often are helpful to relieve symptoms in mild to moderate cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. Stretching exercises and hand therapy may help some patients. Wearing a wrist brace at night is often helpful to prevent the nerve from being pinched in the wrist while sleeping. Many patients with mild to moderate CTS can improve with non-surgical treatments.

In some cases, a nerve study/EMG is ordered to confirm the diagnosis or rule-out other neurologic conditions. The diagnosis is usually obvious to most experienced hand surgeons, based on patient symptoms and physical examination. Hand surgeons treat patients with carpal tunnel syndrome every day. Risk factors for CTS are: family history, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disorders, pregnancy, and wrist fracture. Constant numbness in the hand and thumb muscle atrophy are signs of nerve damage. In severe cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb become weak and smaller. The hand numbness and tingling can become constant. Numbness and tingling are common while holding a phone, driving, typing, or gripping tools during the day.Īs carpal tunnel syndrome gets worse, the symptoms become more frequent. Many patients wake up at night to shake out the hand for relief. The hand can also have burning or electric pain. Sometimes the whole hand can feel numb or asleep. Patients feel tingling and “pins and needles” in the thumb, index, and middle fingers. This is basically a type of pinched nerve in the wrist. These symptoms could be signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.Ĭarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most prevalent compression neuropathy in the hand and arm. Numbness and tingling in the hands can wake you from sleep.
