Hand Numbness

Hand Numbness

Numbness in one or both hands describes a loss of feeling in the hands or fingers. Numbness in hands often occurs with other changes, such as a pins-and-needles feeling, burning, or tingling.

Causes

Hand numbness can be caused by damage, irritation, or compression of a nerve or a branch of a nerve in your arm and wrist. Diseases affecting the peripheral nerves, such as diabetes, also can cause numbness.

Possible causes include:

• Cervical spondylosis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Spinal cord injury
• Stroke
• Brachial plexus injury
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Alcohol use disorder

Associated symptoms:

• Arm or hand pain
• Arm or hand weakness
• Burning pain
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Frequent feeling that the hand has “fallen asleep”

Management

• Exercise
• Gentle massage of the arm and wrist
• Agnikarma (therapeutic heat treatment) is done in several conditions.