What causes numbness in hands and feet?

Nowadays, the pressure of life is getting higher and higher, and many people are experiencing symptoms of numbness in their hands and feet. Some people suffer from numbness in their hands and feet due to overwork, such as staying in front of the computer for a long time typing without any activity. However, for some people, the problem is caused by disease invasion, which requires specific analysis and targeted treatment based on different causes. So, what usually causes numbness and soreness in hands and feet?

What causes numbness in hands and feet?

Numbness and soreness in the hands and feet are caused by poor peripheral blood circulation. Numbness occurs due to insufficient local blood supply to the hands and feet. Numbness and soreness in the hands and feet are common symptoms in people's daily lives, which can be caused by pregnancy, incorrect sleeping posture, and squatting on the toilet for a long time. It will usually disappear in a short time and there will be no big problem. However, for some people, the numbness and soreness in their hands and feet cannot be relieved for a long time (more than a day), which may be a sign of illness in the body.

Numbness and soreness in the hands and feet is actually called arthralgia in the category of traditional Chinese medicine. It is an important signal that wind, cold, dampness, and evil toxins have invaded the body. Before the evil poisonous gas invades the internal organs, the first feeling is numbness and soreness in the hands and feet, soreness, heaviness, pain and tingling in the limbs. This is the signal sent by the obstruction of the meridians and is also the last line of defense of the human body. If not treated in time, the meridians will be damaged, thus destroying the human body's nerve conduction function system, causing nerve necrosis, and eventually leading to stroke, hemiplegia, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, and diabetic gangrene, causing lifelong regrets.

Causes of numbness in hands and feet

1. Being oppressed

When the sleeping or sitting posture is incorrect and the limbs are in a state of oppression for a long time, it is easy to feel numbness or even no sensation. This situation is generally normal and there will be no big problem. It will be relieved quickly after some exercise, so there is no need to worry too much.

2. Cold and Frozen

The human body has a sensitivity to temperature. When the temperature is colder than the human body's sensitivity, the sensory nerves in the hands and feet fail, resulting in numbness and soreness in the hands and feet and loss of sensation. If the area is exposed to cold for too long, permanent tissue necrosis will occur.

3. Diabetes

If your hands and feet are often numb without being compressed, you should consider whether it is caused by diabetes. Diabetes can also cause body aches and swelling, so the elderly should pay special attention.

4. Medication

Some drugs or chemical substances can also cause numbness and soreness in the hands and feet under certain circumstances. For example, berberine and furazolidone can cause numbness and soreness in the hands and feet after taking them. If you stay in an environment containing hydrogen, arsenic, carbon disulfide, etc. for too long, it will also cause numbness and soreness in your hands and feet. Therefore, you must be careful when taking medicines and avoid going out for fun or walks near chemical plants.

5.Neuritis

Neuritis can damage the nerves in various parts of the body, causing them to not function normally and making the reactions of various parts of the body slow, thus leading to symptoms such as numbness and soreness in the hands and feet, muscle atrophy, and weakness in the limbs.

6. Nerve stimulation

Another reason for numbness and soreness in hands and feet is that after the nerves are stimulated, local numbness usually occurs, not numbness of the hands and feet at the same time. For example, cervical spondylosis causes arm numbness, lumbar shoulder nerve stimulation causes leg numbness, etc., all of which are caused by local stimulation leading to numbness in specific parts.

7. Drug reaction

Antihypertensive drugs, heart medicines, sedatives or paralytic drugs can cause local numbness of the limbs. Please take them according to your doctor's instructions.

8. Physical stimulation

Burns, scalds, heavy hammering, slapping, etc. can cause numbness and soreness in the hands and feet, which can be treated symptomatically.

Numbness and soreness in the hands and feet may not have any impact on your life and work at first, so they are easy to be ignored. If allowed to develop, it will lead to worsening of the disease, longer and longer numbness time, and may eventually lead to paralysis, so it must be taken seriously.

What to do if your hands and feet are numb

1. Proper exercise promotes blood circulation

Maintaining a fixed posture for a long time will cause poor blood circulation, paralysis of nerve endings, and numbness in the hands and feet. As long as you move your hands and feet in time, you can return to normal in a short time. When the elderly experience numbness and soreness in their hands and feet, they can do some appropriate exercise to move their bodies, speed up blood flow and promote blood circulation, which can effectively help the elderly relieve the symptoms of numbness and soreness in their hands and feet.

2. Appropriate supplementation of vitamin B

Long-term gastrointestinal dysfunction and reduced food intake can cause the body to lack adequate protein and vitamins. In particular, a lack of B vitamins can lead to nutritional and metabolic dysfunction and a slowdown in nerve conduction, causing peripheral neuritis and radiculopathy, resulting in numbness of the hands and feet. Therefore, the elderly should supplement vitamin B appropriately to improve the body's metabolic function and relieve numbness in hands and feet.

3. Pay attention to the side effects of drugs

If the elderly suffer from multiple diseases, they will definitely take multiple medicines at the same time. Among them, antibiotics such as sulfa, furazolidone, furazolidone, ofloxacin, anti-tuberculosis drugs such as remifentanil and ethambutol, and chemotherapy drugs such as vinblastine may induce peripheral neuritis and cause limb numbness if the dose is too large or the medication time is too long. This numbness usually starts from the hands and feet, then gradually spreads upward, and is often accompanied by hyperesthesia or paresthesia. Therefore, the dosage should be strictly controlled when taking these drugs.

4. Seek medical attention promptly to find out the cause of the disease

According to statistics from the World Association for the Study of Thrombosis, China, India and some Central European countries are the countries with the most serious paralysis among patients with numbness in hands and feet. According to statistics from my country's Arthralgia Research Association, 83% of the tens of millions of paralyzed patients in my country are paralyzed due to illness, and all of them have experienced numbness in their hands and feet. Numbness in hands and feet occurs in middle-aged people, 22% become paralyzed before the age of 60, and 74% become paralyzed between the ages of 60 and 74. The elderly suffer from numbness in their hands and feet, and 86% are paralyzed. Therefore, when family members find that the elderly have hair loss on their hands and feet, it is best to take them to the hospital for medical treatment in time to avoid delaying the treatment.

5. Keep warm

The human body has a sensitivity to temperature. When the temperature is colder than the human body's sensitivity, the sensory nerves in the hands and feet fail, resulting in numbness and soreness in the hands and feet and loss of sensation. If the area is exposed to cold for too long, permanent tissue necrosis will occur. The health of the elderly is getting worse and worse, and their sensory functions are also declining. Their ability to perceive cold and heat is lower than that of normal adults. Therefore, they should pay more attention to keeping warm in cold weather to avoid getting sick.

6. Strictly control blood sugar

Experts point out that numbness and pain in the hands and feet of the elderly may also be complications caused by diabetes. Due to long-term high blood sugar causing poor blood circulation in the body, the hands and feet that are far away from the heart are most susceptible to nerve ischemia and hypoxia, which gradually lead to numbness and neuralgia. This disease may not have any symptoms in the early stages, but once numbness and pain occur, it is quite difficult to treat. Experts recommend that once diagnosed with diabetes, blood sugar should be strictly controlled and diabetic peripheral neuropathy should be screened at least once a year.

7. Prevent arteriosclerosis

If the elderly suffer from cerebral arteriosclerosis, on the one hand it can slow down the conduction speed of nerves, and on the other hand it can reduce the local blood supply and oxygen supply to the brain and cause central dysfunction. In particular, ischemic and hypoxic dysfunction in the sensory center can cause numbness of the corresponding limbs. For some patients, if numbness on one side is accompanied by weakness in the limbs on the same side, they need to be hospitalized for treatment in time to avoid developing hemiplegia.

Numbness and soreness in the hands and feet are common symptoms in people's daily lives, which can be caused by pregnancy, incorrect sleeping posture, and squatting on the toilet for a long time. It will usually disappear in a short time and there will be no big problem. Proper supplementation of vitamin B can improve the body's metabolic function and relieve numbness and soreness in hands and feet.