Reasons for Numb Fingers

Finger numbness occurs when someone can not feel their fingers, often characterized by a tingling sensation. Numbness is not to be confused with paralysis. Numbness occurs when the fingers are still able to move, but the person can not feel them. Paralysis is completely different in that the fingers will not be able to move. If the numbness of finger occurs for any reason other than falling asleep on it overnight, then it is important to consult a doctor. Most cases of finger numbness come from either an injury or serious illness.

Nerve Injury

• The most common cause of finger numbness occurs from nerve injuries. The nerves are one fourth of the nervous system and one of its main functions is to send messages to your brain regarding the five senses. When someone has numbness in their fingers, it is possible there is damage to the nerves so the brain isn't receiving the message that the fingers are sending it. One way to tell is numbness is due to nerve injury is if there is any pain before the numbness begins. Nerve injuries are often first met with pain, like being pricked with a needle or a burning sensation, before becoming numb.

Diabetic Neuropathy

• Diabetes can cause many negative occurrences in the body. Diabetes increases the level of blood glucose, decreases the insulin levels, damages blood vessels and causes inflammation in the nerves. All of these things can lead to nerves not getting the right amount of oxygen and nutrients, which will lead to nerve damage. Diabetic neuropathy is often a slow process that occurs over time so the longer someone has been diabetic the more likely they are to have diabetic neuopathy. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, 60 to 70 percent of all diabetes patients will have neuropathies.

Frostbite

• In cold weather, numbness in the fingers could be a symptom of frostbite. When frostbite occurs small ice crystals form in the skin or tissue. Frostbite usually occurs when somebody spends a lot of time in cold weather below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The amount of time that it takes to develop frostbite depends on the temperature, the wind shill and dampness. In addition to numbness of fingers, frostbite can be identified by the skin turning red at first and then becoming hard, swollen and turning white.

Multiple Sclerosis

• Numbness is usually the first and most common symptom of multiple sclerosis. Numbness can occur in the tongue, causing slurred words, it can disable someone's ability to walk because of numbness in the legs or feet and it can cause difficulty writing and hold things by causing numbness in the hands. Sometimes the numbness a multiple sclerosis patient has lasts a few minutes, sometimes it last a few hours and sometimes it lasts a longer period of time. Numbness occurs from multiple sclerosis because it causes lesions on the nerves and the inflammation causes the nerves to not operate properly.

Alcoholic Neuropathy

• Long term excessive alcohol use can do damage to nerves in the body. Long term use of alcohol is considered to be 10 years or more. The damage done to the nerves can cause numbness in the fingers as well as other body parts. The damage alcohol does to nerves is also a permanent damage. There are no cures for nerve damage from alcoholic neuropathy.