[Medical Q&A] What diseases should you be alert to if you often have numbness in your hands and feet?

Author: Zhang Lei Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Pan Hua, Chief Physician, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University

Numbness in the hands and feet is a common clinical symptom, and many people have experienced this feeling. Severe cases may even affect grasping things or walking, and are even more severe with pain, which seriously affects daily life and even makes people unable to sleep all night, making people feel miserable. If the symptoms of numbness in the hands and feet are temporary, it may be related to nerve compression caused by maintaining a certain posture for a long time. Changing posture and taking a rest can usually relieve the symptoms, so there is no need to worry too much. However, if the symptoms of numbness in the hands and feet persist, we need to pay attention to it.

Many people worry whether numbness in the hands and feet is related to cerebrovascular disease (stroke, commonly known as "stroke"), but in fact, the numbness caused by cerebrovascular disease (such as cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage) is usually on one side of the body, and is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as limb weakness and incoordination. If you suddenly experience numbness in one upper or lower limb, you should consider whether it is related to cerebrovascular disease.

The reason for numbness in most people's hands and feet is peripheral nerve damage, which is mainly seen in: compression of nerves in the wrist can cause numbness in the hands, also known as "carpal tunnel syndrome"; people who work with elbows bent for a long time or sleep with their elbows on their head are prone to cubital tunnel syndrome, also known as "tennis elbow"; the most common single nerve damage disease that causes numbness in the feet is damage to the common peroneal nerve, which is common in office workers who sit for a long time and often cross their legs. Symptoms include foot drop and numbness of the instep; many years of diabetes and long-term heavy drinking can also cause peripheral nerve damage, resulting in numbness in the hands and feet. In addition to the above diseases, some other potential causes may also cause numbness in the hands and feet, such as vitamin deficiency, drug side effects, environmental poisoning, etc.