Mankind is built with several body systems that make a human, human. Aside from vital organs and systems such as the brain, heart, lung and kidneys, the limbs are indeed an important part of the human body. With limbs, humans are able to perform daily routines and as means of mobility. When a person experiences some degree of discomfort such as numbness of the hand, a person may be feeling uncomfortable and wary of the situation. Certainly, this person will find ways to get rid of the hand numbness. Before knowing how you get rid of numbness in your hands, you may want to understand more about the hand numbness itself.
Hand numbness is defined as an abnormal sensation of the hand which is characterised by lack of sensation or sensory disturbance. This causes the hand to feel as if it is being pricked by pins and needles, burning, stinging or ache that is not caused by any obvious visible causes or trauma first hand. Other symptoms associated with hand numbness include failure to differentiate hot or cold sensation and in some severe cases resulted in a person to be clumsy due to the altered hand motor activity. Hand numbness can occur in part of the hand, fingers or even the whole hand. This may happen in one or both hands at the same time.
There are countless causes that make a hand go numb. Among the causes are damages, compression or irritation of the hand’s nerve, part of the brain’s nerve connecting to the hand or the spinal cord responsible for the hand movement and sensation. Examples of medical conditions that could precipitate hand numbness include carpal tunnel syndrome, ganglion cysts of the hand, stroke, traumatic brain injury, diabetes and vitamin deficiency. Since there are numerous nerve sites that could lead to hand numbness, a healthcare professional will take a thorough medical history and perform examinations such as general physical examination and neurological examination to help narrow down the possibilities. This is then supported by further tests such as blood tests, x-ray, CT-scan, MRI, ultrasound or nerve tests such as electromyography.
Back to our main focus, how to get rid of hand numbness? There are some steps that can be taken to ease the hand numbness. Below are some tips that might be useful to alleviate this condition:
1- Over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol can help to reduce the hand numbness and reduce painful sensation.
2- Anti-inflammatory medications or steroid injections by healthcare professionals can give immediate relief to the numbness.
3- Use hand splint or wrist splint to help your hand rest and minimise movement that could aggravate the numbness.
4- Hand exercise or hand therapy.
Although the above measures can be taken to get rid of the hand numbness, it is worth noting that if the symptoms do not go away or get worse, you should get medical advice. This is because not all hand numbness can go away on its own. In some cases, surgical procedure may be needed if the causes of the numbness are nerve compression. Hence, the best way to reduce chances of acquiring permanent hand numbness is to find a neurologist or hand surgeon to evaluate the severity of the numbness and to meet them right after you experience the symptom. Of course, this is to be considered after a month or so the hand numbness does not show any sign of improvement and after attempting to get rid of it by yourself. It is important to note that not all cases of hand numbness can be fully healed. Talk to your doctors for further information.
