What causes little finger paralysis?

Having enough food and clothing cannot be achieved without a pair of hardworking hands. We can even say that no matter how many ideas there are in the brain, if there are no hands to realize them, they will only be ideas in the brain. It is precisely because the hand plays such a great role and is used in so many places that various situations may occur with our fingers. From simple peeling to finger stiffness, our hands are at risk for a variety of possible pathologies. So, what is the cause of the little finger paralysis that we often hear about?

Numbness in the hands is not just a simple wrist problem, the culprit should be found from the root cause of the numbness. There are many diseases that cause numbness and pain in the hands, and the most common causes are the following.

1. Gout: A man in his 30s, who worked in water and electricity repair, often felt numbness and pain in his hands after surfing the Internet for less than five minutes. During the medical examination, the doctor found that the patient's big toe and ankle joints were red and swollen. A blood test showed that the uric acid level was as high as 9.2mg/dl (the normal value should be 4-7), confirming that the patient had gout. After treatment, problems such as numbness in the hands and joint pain were also improved. Clinically, about 1% of patients with hand numbness suffer from gout, which may be caused by uric acid deposited in the median nerve, compressing the median nerve and causing numbness and pain in the hands.

2. Transient cerebral ischemia : This is a common cause of numbness in the hands of the elderly. The elderly often suffer from high blood pressure and high blood lipids. High blood pressure can cause vascular spasm, and high blood lipids can cause vascular sclerosis. In addition, the blood viscosity of the elderly increases and blood flow is slow during sleep. These factors can lead to transient cerebral ischemia and numbness of the hands. Therefore, the elderly should check their blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood rheology tests regularly. If they have high blood pressure or high blood lipids, they should receive treatment. Drink more water and take 1 to 2 tablets of low-dose aspirin before going to bed. You can also use nimodipine, salvia miltiorrhiza, and vinca lutong under the guidance of a doctor. These can reduce blood viscosity, prevent thrombosis, improve blood supply to the brain, and the numbness of your hands will be eliminated.

3. Cervical spondylosis : Cervical spondylosis is a common disease among middle-aged and elderly people. It is caused by compression of local blood vessels and nerve tissues of the cervical spine due to cervical bone hyperplasia, intervertebral disc degeneration or relaxation of local joint ligaments. Its symptoms are varied, and numbness of the hands is one of them. If you suffer from cervical spondylosis, you can diagnose it by taking a cervical spine X-ray. Treatment measures include physical therapy, traction and the use of blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing drugs. In normal times, you can do some slow neck exercises, and pay attention to the height of the pillow when sleeping. Generally, 7-9 cm high is appropriate, not too high or too low, and the hardness should be moderate. The sleeping posture should be correct to avoid compression of local blood vessels and nerve tissues in the cervical spine and numbness of the hands.

4. Diabetes: Diabetes can cause many complications, diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of them. Once this complication occurs, there will be symptoms such as numbness and abnormal sensation in the limbs. To diagnose diabetes, just test the blood sugar. If the fasting blood sugar is ≥7.0 mmol/L or the blood sugar ≥11.1 mmol/L 2 hours after a meal, it can be diagnosed. If you suffer from diabetes, you must receive regular and reasonable treatment, control your blood sugar to a normal range, and pay attention to supplementing vitamins B1, B6, and C. You can also use ginkgo leaf preparations, ligustrazine and other drugs, and the numbness of the limbs will be eliminated.

5. Peripheral neuritis : If the digestion and absorption function is poor and malnutrition is present for a long time, it will cause vitamin B1 deficiency and lead to peripheral neuritis, which will also cause numbness in the hands. At this time, just pay attention to increasing some nutrition and supplement more vitamin B1.

6. Compression of the brachial nerve: If the sleeping posture is incorrect, the neck is tilted or the arm is under pressure, the hand will become numb due to compression of the brachial nerve. At this time, simply change the sleeping posture and move your arms, and the numbness can be eliminated.

7. Drug-induced: Overdose of certain drugs such as gentamicin may cause side effects such as numbness in the lips and limbs. Be careful to avoid overdose. In addition, pregnancy can also cause numbness in the hands. In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, especially after 7 months of pregnancy, the increased circulation in the body and poor venous blood return can cause numbness in the hands and swelling of the fingers. The countermeasures that should be taken are to eat a low-salt diet; move your fingers frequently; get adequate rest, stay in bed more often, and do more exercises such as bending and straightening your fingers (i.e. making a fist); eat more foods containing vitamin B1, such as nuts, whole-wheat cereals, green leafy vegetables, etc.