Since a year ago, 59-year-old Sister Zhang has often had numbness and swelling in her hands and feet, especially in winter and spring, and the discomfort of numbness is more serious.
After going to the hospital for an examination, it was found that Sister Zhang was diagnosed with diabetes. The symptoms of numbness and swelling in her hands and feet are related to her poor blood sugar control.
There are many patients like Sister Zhang. My body is not painful or itchy, but my hands and feet are numb occasionally, is this also a sign of disease?
Numbness is also a sign of disease
Many people only think that pain is a sign of disease, but this idea is very one-sided. From a medical point of view, "numbness" is an abnormal sensation due to a certain stimulus, while "wood" represents a loss of sensation, indicating that some parts of the body may have been disrupted.
Why does the body appear numb?
This is because our nervous system is divided into central and peripheral nerves. The former is the brain, spinal cord, which we are very familiar with. The latter is a nerve that starts from the brain and spinal cord and gradually extends to all corners of the body. When there is a problem with the central nervous system and peripheral nerves, there may be numbness in the body.
However, there are two types of numbness in the body, such as physiological numbness and pathological numbness.
Physiological numbness is caused by insufficient blood supply to the hands or feet and compression of nerves due to poor posture such as hands, squatting for too long, and lifting heavy objects for too long.
Unlike physiological numbness, pathological numbness is long-term numbness that can occur intermittently without an obvious cause. Some of the following diseases often cause numbness in the hands and feet.
01 Diabetes.
When there is a problem with insulin secretion or metabolism, which causes the glucose in the blood to be broken down in time, the excessive blood sugar concentration will increase the viscosity of our blood. Unstable blood status can easily lead to numbness in the hands and feet.
When the fingers are numb and the onset is often symmetrical, it may be a precursor to diabetes complications. Many sugar friends will describe this abnormal feeling of numbness in the hands and feet as a tingling sensation in wearing prickly gloves and socks.
02 Arteriosclerosis.
Arteriosclerosis is extremely closely related to poor blood circulation. Some people with arteriosclerosis not only have numbness in their hands and feet, but also have reduced dexterity in their limbs and fingers. As the disease progresses, the patient may even have difficulty holding things and walk with a limp. This kind of numbness is especially like thousands of small ants crawling on the **, and the overall duration is relatively long.
03 Stroke.
Stroke is caused by bleeding or ischemia in the brain tissue due to brain problems, resulting in intermittent or persistent numbness in one finger or half of the body, and sometimes dizziness, sudden darkening of the visual field, and decreased body coordination.
04 High blood pressure.
Before high blood pressure comes to the door, the patient's body has more or less poor blood circulation and slow metabolism. When blood flow is slow and blood viscosity increases, local blood supply is insufficient. And the blood vessels of the tongue are a major "hard-hit area". Some people with high blood pressure may feel tingling, painful and slightly whitish on the tip of the tongue.
05 carpal tunnel syndrome.
Trauma or long-term strain can also cause pathological numbness. At this time, due to the high pressure in the wrist, the nerve is blocked, and the patient's fingers are numb and painful, and there will be a slight burning sensation. The high-risk groups are mainly people who have done a lot of housework such as mopping floors and washing clothes for a long time, as well as white-collar workers who type a lot and assembly workers on the assembly line.
06 Cervical radiculopathy.
Sedentary inactivity, such as desk work, bowing your head and playing with your mobile phone, and pillows that are too high can easily lead to degenerative changes in the cervical intervertebral discs. These herniated cervical intervertebral discs and hyperplasia arthritis compress the nerve roots and vertebral arteries of the cervical spinal cord near the cervical spine, causing numbness in the hands and feet. In addition to this, patients are also prone to symptoms of blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, tinnitus, and shoulder and neck muscle aches.
Do 4 things well, hands and feet are not numb, and blood vessels are healthy.
The discomfort of numbness in the hands and feet will be reversed, and it is difficult to be thorough. The most critical thing is that it is a common complication of many diseases. If you want to stay away from numbness in your hands and feet, in addition to going to the hospital to clarify ** as soon as possible **, you also need to pay more attention in your daily life.
Eat less salt and more high-fiber vegetables In terms of diet, try to maintain a light diet, eat less fatty meat and other animal fats, and eat more vegetables with high fiber content.
Drinking more water, preventing thrombosis, drinking more water can reduce blood viscosity, prevent thrombosis, and improve blood supply to the brain.
Appropriate exerciseWhether it is middle-aged and elderly people, or young people who often work and study at their desks, they must develop the habit of exercising appropriately and improving blood supply. Sometimes, you can go for a walk, jog, or tai chi outdoors. Even if you don't have time to exercise, you should always stand up, stretch your legs and twist your waist to move your body.
Pay attention to the sleeping positionIt is best to lie flat when sleeping, and do not press the hands and feet, otherwise it is easier to numb. Pillows are also exquisite, 7-9 cm in height, the material of the right soft and hard pillow is better.