Hand numbness
Hand numbness: Introduction
Numbness usually arises from damage or disease of nerves.
Numbness is often associated with or preceded by
abnormal pain-like sensations often described as pins-and-needles,
prickling or burning sensations called paresthesias; see hand paresthesias.
Any numbness or abnormal sensations need prompt professional medical advice.
» Review Causes of Hand numbness:
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Causes of Hand numbness
See all 37
causes of Hand numbness
Causes of Types of Hand numbness:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Hand numbness:
See full list of 3
types for Hand numbness
Hand numbness: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Hand numbness, as listed in our database.
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Symptom Checker
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Symptom Checker combinations related to Hand numbness
Hand numbness Treatments
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Hand numbness: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
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Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Research the causes of related medical symptoms such as:
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Hand numbness
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Hand numbness:
Diagnostic Guides for Hand numbness
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Hand numbness
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Hand numbness.
Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Hand numbness
Medical Books Excerpts
- Paresthesia
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Paresthesia
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Hand numbness: Undiagnosed Conditions
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
- Nerve Disorders: serious diseases commonly undiagnosed:
- Chronic Pain Disorders -- serious medical disorders that may be undiagnosed:
- more undiagnosed conditions...»
Hand numbness: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
- Nerve Specialists:
- Pain Specialists:
- Arthritis & Joint Health Specialists (Rheumatology):
- more specialists...»
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Misdiagnosis and Hand numbness
Rare neurological disorder misdiagnosed as anxiety condition: Posterolateral sclerosis is an uncommon neurological disorder
that can be misdiagnosed as an anxiety disorder.
Symptoms such as peripheral numbness,...read more »
Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps,
particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes.
However, there are also various other...read more »
Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency
is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis)....read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Hand numbness
Diagnostic tests for Hand numbness:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Hand numbness. Some of these are listed below :
- General appearance - abnormal posture, muscle wasting, abnormal arm movements.
- Physical examination
- May be necessary to examine a variety of joints including the cervical spine, shoulder, elbow , wrists and the various joints of the hand
- Test muscle tone, power, reflexes and co-ordination of upper limbs
- Test sensation of upper limbs ( including pain , touch , temperature and vibration sensation)
- Examine each nerve of the upper limb (including radial, median, ulnar nerve and also brachial plexus
- more tests...»
See full list of 25
diagnostic tests for Hand numbness
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Hand numbness.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you noticed numbness in your hand? - to establish if acute or chronic.
- What areas of the hand are affected by the numbness? - can help determine which nerves are affected e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome causes numbness of the pulps of the thumb, index, middle and half of the ring finger; peripheral neuropathy typically causes a glove and stocking sensory loss to hands and feet; C8 spinal cord or nerve root lesion causes numbness of the little finger; C7 spinal cord or nerve root lesion cause numbness of the middle finger; C6 spinal cord or nerve root lesion causes numbness of the outer side of the forearm and thumb.
- Are both hands affected and is it symmetrical?- helps determine which nerves are affected e.g. peripheral neuropathy is symmetrical compared with individual nerve or nerve root disease which should be suspected if sensory loss is asymmetrical or confined to one limb
- Is the arm also affected by the numbness? - helps to determine which nerves may be affected.
- Is there a time of day when hand numbness is worse? - can help determine the cause of hand numbness e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome is usually worse at night.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Hand numbness (23
listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition.
The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Hand numbness) may include:
- Arm or hand pain? - if also pain in the involved extremity this usually suggests herniated cervical disc , spinal cord tumor or cervical spondylosis. Other conditions to consider are brachial plexus neuropathy, thoracic outlet syndrome, cervical rib, Pancoast's tumor, Raynaud's disease, sympathetic dystrophy or various entrapment syndromes such as carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow.
- Arm or hand weakness? - may suggest a type of brachial plexus; compression of the C8 segment by cervical spondylosis or a disc herniation, median or ulnar nerve lesions; diabetes mellitus causing a peripheral neuropathy.
- Neck pain? - may suggest a cervical spinal cord or nerve root lesion due to cervical spondylosis (degeneration) or herniated cervical disc.
- Are there any other areas of the body which are numb? - e.g. numbness of the face may suggest a diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease, a mass in the brain, migraine or multiple sclerosis.
- Headaches? - may suggest migraine or mass in brain.
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Hand numbness (23
listings)
Home Diagnostic Testing and Hand numbness
Home medical tests possibly related to Hand numbness:
- Diabetes: Related Home Testing:
- Nerve Neuropathy: Related Home Testing:
- more tests...»
Stories from Users for Hand numbness
Real-life user stories relating to Hand numbness:
Symptom specific forums:
The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards
relate to Hand numbness or relevant symptoms:
Videos for Hand numbness
Almost half of all people with diabetes experience some form of nerve damage, which can develop into a complication known as peripheral neuropathy....
Treating nerve damage from diabetes requires a two-pronged approach: controlling blood sugar and alleviating the pain caused by peripheral...
Whenever you go to a hospital or clinic for a major procedure or diagnostic test, one of the many forms you are given to sign is an "informed...
Health insurance is important to everyone, especially people with chronic conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Tune in to...
See full list of 4 related videos
Patient Surveys for Hand numbness
Medications or substances causing Hand numbness:
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Hand numbness as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
See full list of 29
medications causing Hand numbness
Drug interactions causing Hand numbness:
When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react
causing Hand numbness as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
- Thalidomide and chloramphenicol interaction
- Thalomid and chloramphenicol interaction
- Thalidomide and cisplatin interaction
- Thalomid and cisplatin interaction
- Thalidomide and dapsone interaction
- Thalomid and dapsone interaction
- Thalidomide and didanosine interaction
- more interactions...»
See full list of 32
drug interactions causing Hand numbness
Organs affected by Hand numbness:
The list of organs typically affected by Hand numbness may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Hand numbness
The list below shows some of the causes of Hand numbness mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 37
causes of Hand numbness
How Common are these Causes of Hand numbness?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Hand numbness.
Of the 37
causes of Hand numbness that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 3
causes are "very common" diseases
- 1
causes are "common" diseases
- 2
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 0
causes are "rare" diseases
- 1
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 34
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 37
causes of Hand numbness
Conditions listing symptoms: Hand numbness:
The following list of conditions
have 'Hand numbness' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
A
Acidic dry cell batteries inhalation poisoning
... numb fingersAcroosteolysis neurogenic
... numb handsAcroparesthesia syndrome
... hand numbnessB
Brachial Plexus Injury
... numbness in handBroken finger
... finger numbnessBroken hand
... hand numbnessC
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
... hand numbness, numbness in fingersChemical poisoning - Allyl chloride
... hand numbnessChronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
... numbness in toes and fingersChronic Kidney Disease
... sensory loss in hands and feetCiguatera poisoning
... numb handsD
Dana syndrome
... numbness in handsDermatomyositis
... numbness around nailbedDiabetes
... hand numbnessDiabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
... numbness in hands, numbness in fingersE
Excessive dieting
... numbness in handsG
Ganglion cyst
... numb handH
Halm-Munk syndrome
... finger numbnessHand neuropathy
... hand numbness, finger numbnessHereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies
... hand numbness, finger numbnessHyperventilation
... numb handsHypocalcemia, autosomal dominant
... numbness in handsK
Keratosis palmoplantaris - periodontopathia - onychogryposis
... finger numbnessL
Limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis
... numb fingersLupus
... finger numbnessO
Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy
... hand numbnessP
Pernicious anemia
... numb fingersPOEMS syndrome
... hand numbnessPolyneuritis
... hand numbnessPolyneuropathy - Ophthalmoplegia - Leukoencehalopathy - Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction
... hand numbnessPyridoxine deficiency
... hand numbnessR
Radiation-Induced Brachial Plexopathy
... finger numbnessRaynaud's phenomenon
... finger numbnessS
Syringomyelia, cervical lesion
... finger numbnessT
Type 2 diabetes
... hand numbnessW
Whiplash Injuries
... hand numbness
Conditions listing complications: Hand numbness:
The following list of conditions
have 'Hand numbness' or similar
listed as a complication in our database.
The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear,
and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
D
Diabetes
... hand neuropathyT
Type 1 diabetes
... hand neuropathyType 2 diabetes
... hand neuropathy
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Causes of Hand numbness Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Hand numbness based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Hand numbness?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Hand numbness, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
Classifications of Hand numbness:
Subtypes of Hand numbness:
Finger numbness (16 causes)
Medical Conditions associated with Hand numbness:
Hand symptoms (1115 causes), Numbness (378 causes), Arm numbness (63 causes), Pain (5609 causes), Sensations (5876 causes), Nerve symptoms (6219 causes), Arm symptoms (1340 causes), Common symptoms (7717 causes), Limb symptoms (1215 causes)
Symptoms related to Hand numbness:
Hand paresthesia (40 causes), Hand burning, Diabetes (183 causes), Peripheral artery disease, Peripheral neuropathy (83 causes), Peripheral nerve trauma, Peripheral nerve compression, Cold Compartment syndrome
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Medical News summaries about Hand numbness
Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Hand numbness and many other medical conditions:
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Hand numbness
Medical research papers related to Hand numbness include:
Research More Evidence-Based Medicine at TripDatabase.com
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