Some of the most common causes of tingling in the hands are nerve pressure, difficulties in blood circulation, inflammation, migraine or more serious diseases such as diabetes, stroke, multiple sclerosis or heart attack.
The hands and arms are parts of the body that contain a large number of nerve endings, allowing you to have more delicate movements and feel objects and temperature changes, for example. That way, any small changes that can affect those nerves and cause tingling, and this is not always serious or should be cause for concern.
In any case, if the tingling is intense, take many days to disappear or if it arises associated with other symptoms like excessive tiredness, chest pain or difficulty speaking it is important to go to the doctor's office to start the appropriate treatment.
1. Infarction
Tingling or numbness in the left arm, or more rarely, in the right arm, can be a symptom of a heart attack, especially when it gets worse with exertion or is accompanied by other symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, malaise, or cold sweat.
What to do : If a heart attack is suspected, it is necessary to go to the emergency room immediately or call the mobile emergency service, number 192, so that, if confirmed, treatment should be started as soon as possible. to prevent irreversible damage to the heart. Learn to identify the symptoms of infarction in women, men, or the elderly.
2. Migraines
In many people, migraine can be preceded by sensory symptoms, called aura, which include tingling in the hands, arms, legs or mouth, for example, in addition to visual changes, speech difficulties or even limb weakness.
What to do : Migraine treatment is guided by the neurologist, and includes the use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory or anti-migraine medications to relieve pain, and may require preventive treatment and measures to prevent seizures, such as avoiding certain foods, smells or lack of sleep, for example. Find out which medicines are indicated to treat migraine.
3. Nerve pressure
The nerves that innervate the arms leave the spinal cord, passing through the spine, and reach the most peripheral parts of the hand and fingers. Along the way, these nerves can be pressured, either by tumors, infections or dilated blood vessels, as by the radiculopathy of the spine, which is when the nerves are still compromised in the spine, by a herniated disc, spinal osteoarthrosis or stenosis of the vertebral canal, for example. Learn more about radiculopathy and its causes.
What to do : It is necessary to seek care from the orthopedist or neurologist, so that the treatment is performed according to the cause of the nerve compression, be it with physical therapy or surgery, for example.
4. AVC
Although it is a rarer situation, one of the first symptoms of stroke is the tingling sensation in an arm or hand. In addition, other common symptoms of this problem include crooked mouth, lack of strength on one side of the body and difficulty speaking.
What to do : If a stroke is suspected, an ambulance should be called immediately by calling 192, or go immediately to the emergency room. See more what to do and how to identify the stroke.
5. Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that causes gradual degradation of nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. That way, some symptoms include loss of strength, excessive tiredness, memory flaws and tingling in various parts of the body, which can also be accompanied by the burning sensation.
What to do : The treatment needs to be done with the use of medicines that delay the development of the disease, such as Interferon or Mitoxantrone. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a general practitioner or neurologist to diagnose the disease and initiate appropriate treatment. Learn more about what it is and how to treat multiple sclerosis.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
This syndrome is the main cause of tingling in the hands and occurs when the median nerve, which innervates the palm of the hand is compressed in the region of the wrist, causing tingling or numbness that worsens at night, difficulty in holding small objects and feeling of having fingers swollen This condition is very common during pregnancy, being the most common cause of tingling in the hands during pregnancy.
What to do : Depending on the severity of the median nerve compression there are exercises that can be done to improve the symptoms, however, the only way to ensure healing is to do the nerve decompression surgery. Check out physiotherapy guidelines in the following video:
7. Synovial cyst
Synovial cyst can appear in any of the joints of the hands, such as wrists or fingers, and usually causes a small lump in the skin, filled with fluid in the joint, which may end up compressing the nerves and causing tingling in the hand, as well as loss force.
What to do : Applying cold compresses on the lump may help reduce swelling and relieve symptoms, however, there may be cases where fluid aspiration may be necessary or anti-inflammatories should be used. there is improvement after 1 week. Here's how to use the cold packs.
8. Vitamin deficiency
Deficiency of certain vitamins, especially vitamins B12, B6, B1 or E, can cause changes in nerve tingling in various parts of the body and changes in sensitivity, as well as several others such as irritability, fatigue and psychiatric disorders, for example .
What to do : These deficiencies can be counteracted by a special diet rich in these vitamins or by the replacement of vitamin supplements, either orally or intramuscularly, as may be necessary for vitamin B12.
9. Changes in circulation
Tingling in the hands and feet can be caused by circulatory diseases of the arteries and veins, which generate other symptoms such as pain and ulcer formation. Also feel your hands and fingers tingling when waking up can also indicate poor circulation.
What to do : The treatment is done depending on the type of deficiency in the blood circulation and if there were compromised veins or arteries, and may include the use of elastic stockings, use of medicines such as ASA, or even surgery, for example . To confirm and decide the best treatment, the indicated professional is the vascular surgeon.
10. Uncontrolled diabetes
Sometimes diabetes can be a difficult disease to diagnose, especially if it does not cause the classic symptoms like too frequent craving for urination or excessive thirst. In cases where the treatment is not started, or is not followed in the correct way indicated by the doctor, blood sugar levels become high in the bloodstream.
When sugar levels are too high for a long time, one of the consequences is the appearance of small nerve damage in various parts of the body and therefore diabetes can be a tingling cause in the hands, arms, legs or feet, for example.
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- Male
- female
- Less than 40 years
- Between 40 and 50 years
- Between 50 and 60 years
- Over 60 years
- Greater than 102 cm
- Between 94 and 102 cm
- Less than 94 cm
- Yes
- Not
- Two more times a week
- Less than twice a week
- Not
- Yes, relatives in 1st grade: parents and / or siblings
- Yes, relatives in 2nd grade: grandparents and / or uncles
What to do : When diabetes is suspected, it is very important to go to the endocrinologist to start insulin treatment, since only changes in diet may not be able to treat tingling. Understand how diabetes treatment is done.
11. Lateral epicondylitis
Epicondylitis, also known as a tennis elbow, is an inflammation of the muscles and tendons of the elbow that arises due to repetitive use of the joint, as in tennis players or people working on assembly lines, for example.
In these cases, there may be severe pain in the elbow and loss of strength throughout the arm, and tingling usually arises from compression of the ulnar nerve located in the arm due to inflammation.
What to do : Applying cold compresses to the elbow may relieve symptoms, however, it may be necessary to have physiotherapy sessions or take anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen, in the most severe cases. Thus, it is always important to consult an orthopedist. Learn more about epicondylitis treatment.
12. Hypothyroidism
When hypothyroidism is not treated properly it can cause lesions on the nerves that carry information between the brain and the rest of the body. That way, in addition to symptoms like hair loss, weight gain or constant cold feeling, hypothyroidism can also cause tingling in various parts of the body including the hands and arms.
What to do : When it is known that you have a thyroid problem, or when there is suspicion, you should go to the endocrinologist to start treatment with thyroid-controlling medicines. Here are some tips for regulating thyroid with food:
