New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) Tingly fingers might seem like something you can just shake off and chalk up to poor blood flow or a cold house, for example.
However, experts say many people don’t take this symptom seriously, and in the process they risk permanently damage over the years.
Hand surgeons from a hospital in the eastern German city of Dresden explain that the tingling sensation could indicate that there is pressure on the nerve bundles in the carpal tunnel of your wrist, DPA news agency reported on Monday.
This pressure can lead to blood supply in the area to be cut off, killing off nerve fibres. Dexterity can be affected, making opening doors or holding things more difficult, for example, due to numbness.
Being proactive and seeing a doctor if you frequently experience a tingling sensation, especially in your thumb, index or middle finger, or especially during sleep, is a good way to avoid such damage.
The first step in treatment is usually a special splint worn at night that is used to immobilise the wrist.
Professions that require the use of vibrating equipment, such as construction workers, or carrying a lot of heavy items, such as waiters, should take it easy on their hands if a doctor finds that this could be the cause of the tingling.
If tingling, numbness and symptoms of paralysis persist despite these conservative treatments, surgery on the hand may be required.