Helping Hands Heal since 2005
From Dr. Z - Carpal tunnel syndrome specialist
It's completely normal to have occasional and temporary finger numbness. But if it's sudden, it means it could be an emergency situation, like having a stroke. If so, call your doctor immediately. (See warning signs of stroke here.)
However, most cases of finger numbness usually are not an emergency. It's a sign there's a problem with one of the nerves in your hand and fingers.
Nearly everyone will feel numbness in their fingers at some point in their lives. And they can generally trace the numbness back to a recent trauma. The trauma could be as simple as lifting something heavy, or banging your arm against a wall or furniture. Or it could mean you simply slept on your hand or arm the wrong way.
But chronic finger numbness, or numbness that comes and goes often, means something else. It indicates one or more of the nerves in your hand and fingers are damaged. So what causes the nerve damage that leads to finger numbness?
The following is a list of the top 3 most common causes of finger numbness that doctors see, according to the
National Institutes of Health. Simple and effective remedies to deal with these 3 causes are provided at the end of this article.
All of the causes of finger numbness are a result of nerve damage or neuropathy. The damage can be minor or may signal a more severe condition.
The two nerves in the hand that usually cause finger numbness are the ulnar nerve and median nerve. Normally, these nerves carry sensations from the fingers to the brain. But when they're damaged, they produce paresthesia (numbness or tingling sensation).
Note that paresthesia can result from damage to one or both of these nerves. And the damage can occur anywhere along the nerve's path. The diagram below illustrates these paths, and where they cause hand or finger numbness.
Neuropathy in these nerves can be caused by various factors. They can be internal (like a disease) or external (like a trauma). The 3 most common factors, discussed in detail below, are:
The leading cause of finger numbness (usually along with pain and weakness) is carpal tunnel syndrome. Over 8 million cases of this condition are reported each year.
Most estimates put carpal tunnel syndrome's prevalence at about 5% of the adult population. That's nearly 17 million Americans. Obviously, this is a very common disorder, and it's symptoms can be quite severe.
Take this simple self-test to see if you have carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a neuropathy (or damage) of the median nerve at the wrist joint. Inflamed tendons (exacerbated by overuse) swell and and expand. This swelling pushes on the adjacent median nerve and crushes it.
This crushing is the reason the median nerve reacts and results in feeling hand or finger numbness, severe pain, tingling, burning, shooting electric shocks, and/or weakness. Clumsiness, dropping things, and difficulty manipulating small objects (buttons, shoelaces, coins) often occurs. If left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can result in thumb (thenar) muscle wasting in the hand. That means losing most of your hand's ability to grasp.
Want to know how severe your carpal tunnel is? Take this Free Quiz.
Luckily, most patients will see Mild carpal tunnel symptoms resolve within a month just with simple rest. But more than half of patients (particularly those with Moderate or Severe symptoms) will see their symptoms worsen without additional treatment.
You're at highest risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome if you:
Particular occupations are known for straining their hands by overuse and repetitive stress. These occupations are also at high-risk for for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. They are:
Cubital tunnel syndrome is similar to carpal tunnel syndrome in many ways. It occurs when the ulnar nerve is compressed, stretched, or irritated where it crosses the elbow joint. While cubital tunnel syndrome is only half as common as carpal tunnel syndrome, it's still a leading cause of finger numbness and pain.
Cubital tunnel syndrome occurs when the area around the ulnar nerve (at the elbow joint) becomes trapped by fibrous adhesions. Therefore, rather than moving freely with your elbow joint's movement, the ulnar nerve is trapped in one place. This stretches or compresses the nerve as your elbow moves. The result is nerve damage (neuropathy).
The symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome are hand and pinky finger numbness, pain, and tingling. Hand weakness can also occur, as can loss of dexterity.
Diminished sensation and fine motor control may also occur. That means you tend to drop objects or have difficulty in handling small objects. When left untreated, hand muscle wasting and permanent nerve damage will occur.
Unlike carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome affects more men than women. People most commonly affected are those who have jobs requiring repetitive movement of the elbow or a prolonged bent elbow. Examples of such jobs are:
Amazingly, the third most common cause of finger numbness is how you sleep! According to the Sleep Foundation, there are 3 sleep positions that can be detrimental to your hands and cause numbness.
What's common to all of them is that each position results in crushing (or "compression") of one or both of the nerves in your hand. Therefore the way you sleep can be causing your finger numbness.
Your head weighs about 11 pounds. If you cradle your head while you sleep, it exerts all of this weight on your hand.
That weight can compress the ulnar or median nerve (or both) in your hand. This is especially the case if your head's weight concentrates on your wrist joint rather than your palm.
The result can be waking up with either pinky finger numbness (due to ulnar nerve compression) or numbness in your other fingers (due to median nerve compression).
According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, sleeping with bent wrists can compress (or “pinch”) the median or ulnar nerves at the wrist joint.
Bending your wrist for a short time is harmless. But if you sleep for hours with bent wrists, it could result in temporary nerve damage.
The photo illustrates a woman with two bent wrists while sleeping. The right wrist is over-extended and the left wrist is over-flexed. Both positions can result in compression of the median and ulnar nerves at the wrist joint. The result could be waking up with finger numbness or pain.
People change their sleeping position about 36 times each night. However, there are 4 particular sleeping positions which can compress the median and ulnar nerves in your hand. The result can be finger numbness or pain in the morning.
The position most associated with pinky finger numbness is sleeping on your back. If you lay your arm on your chest or stomach, then you must bend your elbow. With your elbow bent, you are pushing it into the mattress with almost the entire weight of your forearm. This could compress the ulnar nerve and result in pinky finger numbness in the morning.
The other sleeping positions can also potentially damage the nerves of your hand. The ulnar nerve can be compressed at the elbow or wrist if you sleep on top of your arm or hand. Similarly, the median nerve can be compressed at the wrist when it’s beneath your body.
If your finger numbness is due to carpal tunnel syndrome, there are 4 key treatments you should know about. Happily, none of these treatments require surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.
The treatments most often recommended by doctors and therapists (and are the first line of defense) are Night Bracing, Rest, Exercise, and Massage.
If your symptoms are Mild, then rest and night bracing may be sufficient to eliminate symptoms. But if your carpal tunnel symptoms are severe, you will likely need to perform all 4 treatments simultaneously.
Brace your wrist when sleeping. Keeping your hand immobile relieves stress on the median nerve. And that reduces harmful pressure inside the joint. CAUTION: Never wear a “pharmacy” wrist brace for carpal tunnel. They all contain a “palmar spine” which makes the condition much worse. A certified carpal tunnel brace does not have such a palmar spine. Also, do not wear a brace during the daytime. Doing so will worsen your condition because your hand will subconsciously fight the brace, further stressing your wrist joint.
Rest your hand frequently. Take short “mini-breaks” when working with your hands (about 1 minute for every hour of work). Take that opportunity to perform carpal tunnel stretching exercises (see next). Finally, if you know what’s stressing your hand, either avoid doing the activity or cut down on how long you perform it. (See the list of harmful hand activities here.)
Stretch your hand and fingers frequently. There are 4 core carpal tunnel stretching exercises every sufferer should know about. They’re the best defense against carpal tunnel syndrome, and they prevent it from worsening. Do these stretches as often as you can, especially during your “mini-breaks” from work (as above).
Massage your wrist area. By far, the most effective type of massage is called myofascial release for carpal tunnel syndrome. Most therapists use it to successfully treat carpal tunnel patients. You can use the CarpalRx, or do it yourself (or use a partner) by concentrating the massage on the wrist area for about 15 minutes, twice daily. For most cases of moderate carpal tunnel syndrome, symptoms will dissolve in about 4-6 weeks.
Cubital tunnel syndrome is not as difficult to treat as carpal tunnel syndrome. In most cases, the following simple techniques will make symptoms disappear in a few weeks.
Note that severe cases of cubital tunnel will require more attention and a more extensive regimen of the following treatments. This is especially true of the cubital tunnel syndrome exercises below.
Adjust your sleeping position. Sleeping on your back can pinch the ulnar nerve at the elbow. This can cause “transient” cubital tunnel syndrome or make your chronic cubital tunnel much worse. Remember, a prolonged straightened (un-bent) elbow is best to relieve finger numbness and pain. When sleeping, you can use an elbow brace or an Ace Bandage to discourage bending it. Also, be sure to avoid sitting with your arms flexed for long periods (as when holding a phone).
Use over-the-counter medicines. Most people with cubital tunnel syndrome find relief from finger numbness and pain with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve, etc. usually work well. But never take these medicines daily for more than 2 weeks. That’s because they can have serious side effects. It’s important to consult with your doctor to make sure you can take these NSAIDs, and for how long.
Do nerve gliding exercises. These are a great, proactive method to free the ulnar nerve from entrapment at the elbow. Most people require only a few weeks of this exercise therapy (depending on the severity of their cubital tunnel syndrome) to see finger numbness disappear completely. The 4 key components of these nerve gliding exercises are 1) elbow flexion and extension, 2) head tilting, 3) arm flexion, and 4) arm flexion and rotation.
Do elbow massage. Similar to nerve gliding exercises, massaging the elbow area can free the median nerve and relieve symptoms. Concentrate on the area of your inner elbow -- immediately in front and to the rear of it. Make small circular rotations with your opposite thumb. Doing this for 5 minutes at each spot, 2-3 times daily will usually make finger numbness disappear in a few weeks.
If your finger numbness is due to your sleeping position, then modify how you sleep. This is a simple fix that anybody can do. There are 3 basic ways to accomplish this: elbow guarding, nighty splinting, and sleep training.
Use an ebow guard. Elbow compression (against your mattress or body) is a major contributor to finger numbness. Therefore, you should protect your elbow from injury, even in bed. Use an elbow guard with soft cotton or gel padding to prevent ulnar nerve compression, especially if you sleep on your back.
Brace your wrist while sleeping. To prevent over-bending your wrist at night, wear a splint (brace). The splint will keep your hand in the neutral (straight) position, even if you unconsciously try to bend it. This position will avoid any nerve pinching at the wrist joint. CAUTION: Do not use an ordinary wrist splint if you have carpal tunnel syndrome (see above).
Sleep training. To change your sleeping position, try “sleep training” or "positional training". You can do this with an electronic sleep trainer. Basically, it shocks you awake if you’re in an undesirable position. A cheaper and effective alternative is to use the “tennis ball trick”. Just tape a tennis ball (whole or half) to your pajama or undershirt on the side you want to avoid sleeping on. In a short while you’ll learn to sleep on the side you choose without the ball.
Doctors usually find there are 3 primary causes of finger numbness. They are carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and your sleeping position. In each case, the underlying cause of the numbness is due to crushing either the median or ulnar nerve in the hand, wrist or elbow. By far, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most serious of these conditions. It's also the most difficult to treat. Finger numbness caused by cubital tunnel syndrome and sleeping position can be relieved with minor adjustments, along with other simple therapies.
