Common causes of tingling in hands and fingers

By Lim Ju-won

Tingling is abnormal sensation which can occur anywhere in the body, but is often felt in the hands and fingers. This sensation is one type of neuropathic pain that results from injury in nerve. This pain can be described as burning, tingling, shooting, stabbing, or shocking.

The tingling sensation in the hands and fingers is frequently associated with Raynaud's Syndrome, polyneuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical radiculopathy, peripheral vascular disease or stroke.

Raynaud’s Syndrome is the abnormal vasoconstriction of arteries and arterioles in fingers and toes. This disease is characterized by discoloration, tingling pain and numbness in the fingers. These symptoms occur in response to cold temperatures or emotional stress.

Polyneuropathy is a nerve disease affecting many peripheral nerves (poly means many). This disease tends to start distally and progress proximally. The most common causes of polyneuropathy are diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, and amyloidosis.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel. The symptoms are tingling and numbness in the hand usually affecting the thumb, index and middle fingers. These symptoms are typically worse at night; and in severe cases can awaken affected patients from sleep. In long-standing cases there is weakness of grip due to atrophy of the thenar eminence.

Cervical radiculopathy is a dysfunction of the cervical spine. It usually presents with pain in the neck and one arm with a sensory loss in the affected nerve root distribution. The most common cause of this disease is foraminal stenosis of spinal nerve due to decreased disc height and degenerative changes in the intervertebral joint. Foraminal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal foramen, the hole through which a spinal nerve passes.

Peripheral vascular disease is a disease of blood vessels located outside the heart and brain, and manifests as insufficient blood supply caused by existing atherosclerosis in peripheral vessels.

A stroke results from impaired blood supply to brain. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. So this disease is a medical emergency. It can be caused by ischemia or hemorrhage. An ischemic stroke is due to a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. Sudden numbness or weakness of the arm, leg, or face occurs on one side of the body.

A tingling sensation in the hands and fingers should be treated according to the diagnosis. The treatment varies depending on the causes.

Common causes of tingling sensation in hands and fingers

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Raynaud’s Syndrome

Polyneuropathy

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Cervical radiculopathy

Peripheral vascular disease

Stroke

The author is an assistant professor at Seoul National University Hospital International Healthcare Center (SNUH-IHC).