What causes numbness in hands and tingling in fingers

Hand numbness is very common, and it’s likely that everyone has experienced it at some point. It can happen for a wide range of reasons – for example, if you fall asleep on your arm or spend the afternoon cutting down buckthorn with an electric saw. Often the numbness goes away with a little time (or a little shaking) and you’re back to everyday activities.

But what if you don’t know what’s causing the pins-and-needles feeling in your hand or fingers? What if the numbness doesn’t go away?

There are many causes of hand numbness, including pressure on nerves, medical conditions, infections, medications and cold temperatures. Hand numbness that’s mild and temporary usually isn’t anything to worry about but talk to a doctor about hand numbness that’s severe, doesn’t go away or keeps coming back.

Below, we cover different causes of hand and finger numbness, what could be causing it and treatment options.

What is hand numbness? It can include tingling and loss of sensation

Numbness and tingling often go together, but not always. Doctors use different words to describe the types of numbness you can have in your hands and throughout your body, including:

Anesthesia is the medical term for a loss of feeling or sensation. This means you’re unable to tell if you are touching something. Hand numbness may range from mild (when sensations feel dulled, or like you are wearing a glove when you are not) to severe (when you cannot tell if you have burned yourself or cut a finger).
Paresthesia is the tingling or “pins and needles” feeling. It can also feel like a buzzing or crawling sensation.
Dysesthesia is an unusual, unpleasant or painful sensation that happens when you touch something.
Hyperpathia is when you have an increased sensitivity to pain.

How hand numbness and tingling starts, and how long it lasts

Hand numbness usually starts gradually and gets worse over time, but it can also start suddenly. It may be temporary or chronic, or it could go away and come back.

When to worry about numbness and tingling in hands and fingers

Sudden hand or finger numbness can be a sign of an emergency situation, like a heart attack or stroke. Call 911 if sudden hand numbness comes with weakness, the inability to move, difficulty speaking, dizziness, confusion or a sudden headache.

In general, it’s best to make a primary care appointment if you have hand numbness that doesn’t go away, gets worse or keeps coming back since it can be a sign of a more serious condition.

What causes numbness in hands and fingers?

Figuring out the cause of hand numbness isn’t always easy. The truth is that there are at least 100 reasons why you may have numbness in your hands and fingers.

Repetitive motions, clothing and cold temperatures are common causes of numbness in hands and fingers. But numbness can also be a sign of nerve problems or that something is blocking blood flow to your hands. Below, we’ll cover some of the main causes of hand numbness and why it happens.

Pressure on the nerves can block sensations to the hands and fingers

There are three sensory nerves in your hands – the median, ulnar and radial nerves. These nerves start in your neck and run down your arms to your hand. If something presses down on any part of one of these nerves, it can affect the feeling in different parts of your hand and fingers. For that reason, the location of the numbness can help determine which nerve is under pressure.

Pressure on nerves can be temporary or ongoing. You can cause temporary pressure on a nerve when you stay in one position for a long time, if there’s something heavy pressing down on a nerve (like your head during sleep), or if you wear tight-fitting clothing, such as compression tops. Numbness caused by temporary pressure usually goes away after you remove the pressure – or when you move your hand around.

If hand numbness doesn’t go away, it may be that a nerve is under pressure from something inside the body. Internal pressure on the nerve can happen if the blood vessels, bone, muscles or tendons around the nerve become injured, inflamed or infected.

Hand numbness caused by nerve pressure often gets worse with certain repetitive motions – for example, typing or swinging a tennis racket.

Examples of conditions that can apply pressure to your hand nerves

Carpal tunnel syndrome – Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve in your wrist. With this condition, it’s common to have numbness, tingling and pain in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger. You may also experience hand numbness at night that wakes you from sleep.
Cubital tunnel syndrome – This condition is caused by compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome include hand numbness into the ring and small fingers, and pain on the inside of your elbow. These symptoms are usually worse when the elbow is bent.
Guyon’s canal syndrome – The syndrome is caused by pressure on the ulnar nerve as it enters the hand. Guyon’s canal syndrome typically causes numbness in your pinky and ring finger, and weakness in the hand.
Brachial plexus injury – The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that are responsible for sensations in the arms, hands and fingers. They start in the spinal cord and go down the neck and into the armpit. These nerves can get stretched, compressed or torn, for example during contact sports or in car accidents. Other symptoms vary based on the seriousness of the injury, but hand numbness is a common symptom.
Arthritis or disc degeneration in your neck – Changes to your cervical spine (neck) can cause bone spurs or disc bulges to press on nerves as they exit the spinal cord.
Amyloidosis – This is a condition where amyloid, an abnormal type of protein, collects in your tissues or organs, causing them to get bigger. This can increase pressure on nerves, causing numbness, pain, tingling or weakness in the hands or feet.

Medical conditions can affect nerve function and cause numbness in hands and tingling in fingers

Hand numbness can be a sign that your nerves have been affected or damaged by a medical condition. Some diseases that affect your central nervous system can interfere with how your nerves function. And damage to nerves can happen if a condition is untreated or if treatment isn’t working as well as it should be.

Peripheral neuropathy is the general term for damage or disease that affects the nerves connecting the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by conditions that affect different parts of your body, including your kidneys, pancreas, liver, blood and tissues. Nerves can also get damaged because of an injury, infection or medication.

If a medical condition is the reason for hand numbness, you will likely have other symptoms.

Examples of conditions and factors that affect how nerves work

Diabetes – Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes is one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy. With this problem, people typically notice numbness in their feet first.
High blood pressure – High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels and nerves in hands. This can affect the flow of blood and oxygen, causing numbness and tingling.
Infectious diseases – Some untreated infectious diseases can cause hand numbness as a result of inflammation and nerve injuries. These include Lyme disease, shingles, Epstein-Barr, herpes simplex, syphilis and HIV.
Vitamin or mineral deficiency – Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that your body needs to make red blood cells. If your body doesn’t get enough vitamin B12, it can affect your blood vessels and nerves, causing numbness, tingling and weakness in your hands, arms, feet and legs. Hand numbness can also happen if you don’t have enough potassium or magnesium in your body.
Heavy use of alcohol – Years of heavy drinking can damage the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body, causing numbness, tingling and pain in the hands, arms and legs.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) – This condition is the result of the body’s immune system attacking the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves. Over time this can lead to abnormal sensations, such as numbness and tingling in the hands, feet or other areas of the body.
Certain medications – A variety of medicines, including some antibiotics, blood pressure medications and anticancer drugs can cause numbness in your hands. Make sure you talk to your doctor if you have hand numbness that starts after you begin taking a new medication.

Reduced blood flow can make hands and fingers go numb

Numbness in your hands and fingers can also be a sign of poor blood flow. Reduced blood flow can happen if blood vessels are narrowed, ruptured or blocked.

Examples of conditions that affect blood flow to the hands

Cold temperatures – When it’s extremely cold, your body sends less blood to your fingers and toes as a way to prevent heat from escaping your body. This is a natural response to cold, but it’s also a good reminder to put on cozy mittens since numbness can be an early sign of frostbite.
Stroke – Sudden numbness in a hand and arm, leg or face can be a warning sign of a stroke. It happens because not enough blood is going to the part of the brain that processes sensory input from your skin. Other symptoms of a stroke include face drooping, confusion, difficulty seeing, dizziness and severe headache.
Heart disease – Hand numbness can be a symptom of some types of heart disease. For example, if you have coronary artery disease, plaque buildup can narrow your arteries, making it more difficult for your heart to push blood to your arms, legs and rest of your body.
Raynaud's disease – This is a condition where small arteries in your fingers and toes narrow and spasm, cutting off blood flow. This can cause the affected area to feel numb, cold or look white or blue. Raynaud's disease is usually caused by cold temperatures or stress and is generally harmless.
Vasculitis – Vasculitis refers to a group of conditions that cause inflammation in the blood vessels. This inflammation can cause the walls of blood vessels to thicken, making the inside of the vessel narrower so less blood is able to get through.

Diagnosing the cause of numb hands depends on your symptoms

If you’re concerned about hand numbness, make an appointment with your primary care doctor. Before your appointment, try to keep track of the times you have hand numbness, what you’re doing when it happens, how long it lasts and if you have other symptoms.

During the appointment, your doctor will examine your hand and ask you about your symptoms, overall health, habits (for example, how often you use alcohol) and other risk factors. Based on those factors, they may use additional tests, such as:

Lab work – Some possible tests check thyroid function, vitamin and electrolyte levels, and toxins in your system.
Imaging – To rule out more serious causes like tumors or strokes, your doctor may recommend an ultrasound or other imaging test.
Other diagnostic procedures – Since there are many causes of numb hands, your doctor may use other tests for diagnosis. For example, they may use an angiogram or other test to check your heart, or an electromyograph to check your nerves.

How to treat hand numbness: It depends on the cause

The best treatment for hand numbness depends on the underlying cause. For example, if the numbness is a symptom of untreated diabetes, your doctor will work with you on a personalized treatment plan to help you control your blood sugar. The good news is that hand numbness often goes away once the underlying condition is treated. If it doesn’t, your doctor may recommend other treatments to help with hand numbness that could include occupational therapy, physical therapy, injections, medications, integrative medicine or surgery.

Home remedies can help manage numbness in hands and fingers

Home remedies can be especially effective for symptoms that are mild or temporary. They can also help manage more severe symptoms. Here are a few things to try:

Pay attention to your posture – Watch how you’re holding your arms and hands during everyday tasks or when you fall asleep.
Over-the-counter pain relievers – Medicines like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) may help with numbness caused by inflammation or irritation. These medicines aren’t right for everyone, so talk to a doctor before taking them.
Give your hands a rest – Take regular breaks from activities that cause temporary hand numbness.
Heat or cold therapy – Depending on the cause of the numbness, ice or heat therapy may help. This typically involves applying a heating pad or ice pack to the area for 15 minutes, multiple times during the day. If numbness is caused by poor circulation, heat may be a better option because it increases blood flow. Ice may be better if you have numbness related to a new hand injury from sports or another activity.
Wearing a splint – Hand splints may help hand numbness when it’s caused by problems in your hand or wrist. Wearing one can be very helpful when performing repetitive tasks or to keep your wrist from moving while you sleep. But wearing a splint may not always help and could even make things worse, so talk to a doctor before you use one.
Improve nutrition – If hand numbness is caused by a vitamin deficiency, changing your diet or taking a supplement can help. Plus, a nutritious diet full of fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean proteins can help prevent or manage some conditions that cause hand numbness, like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Uncomfortably numb hands or fingers? Make an appointment to get relief

There are many possible causes of hand numbness. Some of these causes are mild and temporary, but hand numbness can also be a sign of more serious health issues. So, talk to your doctor if you have hand numbness that doesn’t go away, gets worse, comes back or if you start to have other symptoms. They’ll be able to help identify what’s causing the numbness and, if necessary, they’ll refer you to a specialist for additional treatment.

If you think you have carpal tunnel syndrome or that the numbness in your hand or fingers is related to nerve pressure, make an appointment with a hand specialist.