You don’t have to be a virtuoso pianist to be negatively affected by numbness in your fingers. This symptom can make typing more difficult, and it can also make it harder to grasp the handle of coffee cups and other objects you pick up every day.
People experience numbness in different ways. For some, it may feel like a prickling sensation; others may feel it as a tingling or burning sensation. Feelings of numbness typically don’t just happen on their own. Typically, they’re caused by a greater problem that can be found as far away as your neck or elbow.
Physical therapists can help you determine the cause of the numbness in your fingers. These medical specialists can assist you in finding effective treatment options for the issue causing your numbness as well.
Numbness in your fingers can be caused by these three issues:
1. Carpal tunnel syndrome — Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a wrist problem that affects about 3% of the U.S. population every year. This means that about 9.9 million Americans deal with this condition annually. CTS tends to result from inflammation in the wrist, and this inflammation can affect the nerves running through the wrist and trigger numbness. Typically, the numbness caused by CTS will affect the thumb, pointer and middle fingers.
2. Ulnar nerve entrapment — The ulnar nerve runs through the elbow, and it ultimately provides sensation to the pinkie and ring fingers. There isn’t much soft tissue in the elbow to protect this nerve. The result is that any elbow inflammation can lead to the ulnar nerve being pinched, which is called ulnar nerve entrapment. In turn, this issue can trigger pinkie and ring finger numbness.
3. Arthritis — The elbow, wrist and finger joints can all be affected by arthritis. Often, this issue occurs when the cartilage in joints wears out naturally over time. The result of this wearing is typically increased joint friction and inflammation. It’s this inflammation that can pinch nerves around the joints and lead to a lack of sensation in your fingers.
Find help for the numbness in your fingers at Arrow PTR
Are you ready to find ways to address the issue causing numbness in your fingers? Our Arrow Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation team is primed to help you find and address the source of your numbness. We offer free screenings that can pinpoint the root cause of this symptom. In addition, our physical therapists excel at building personalized hand therapy plans that can reduce numbness and prevent it from returning.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help with your elbow, wrist and hand issues or to schedule your initial appointment.
