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Suggest Treatment For Tingling And Numbness On Hands

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Posted on Mon, 11 May 2015
Question: My husband has been experiencing right hand tingling, numbness in the 3rd-5th finger, loss of grip, with some pain, this has increased over the last week. The numbness has creeped to his elbow. I just took his B/P Left arm is 134/70, right arm 176/110. He takes HCTZ 25mg. QD.
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (51 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
he need to consult a physician.

Detailed Answer:
Hello.

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I read carefully your query.

The difference of blood pressure between his arms is considerable.
Small differences in blood pressure can be normal but differences of more than 20 mm Hg for systolic pressure or more than 10 mm Hg for diastolic pressure may be a sign of an underlying problem.
The most common cause of this big difference of blood pressure between arms is the obstruction or progressive narrowing of the main arteries of the arm,in the arm with higher blood pressure.This is called peripheral artery disease .

Common symptoms of this condition are : pain or discomfort in arm when doing daily tasks or work , that goes away when resting the arm.
Pain in finger or cold finger that can turn blue or pale,slow-growing fingernails ,the skin of the arm can look pale and with no hair, are some other symptoms.

The symptoms you describe of hand numbness ,and the characteristic distribution in the 3-5 th finger ,loss of grip are not related to the circulation problem.The symptoms are indicative for a compression of ulnar nerve ,most commonly in elbow.These symptoms are very typical for this condition.
In this case NSAIDs (Ibuprofen ,Tylenol, Naproxen ) can help with the symptoms .He should avoid activities that require him to keep the arm bent for long periods of time and try to keep the arm straight at night when sleeping.
Your husband need to consult a physician and get examined.The doctor will measure the blood pressure in both arms again and if this big difference between the arms persist ,the doctor will order further investigations including an echo doppler of the arm arteries.

The doctor also will evaluate the function of the hand and if ulnar nerve is affected.He may order some tests in order to evaluate the ulnar nerve function like Nerve conduction studies.

Hope it helps.
Let me know if you need further help.

Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Rovena

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2013

Answered : 1243 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Tingling And Numbness On Hands

Brief Answer: he need to consult a physician. Detailed Answer: Hello. Welcome to Healthcare Magic. I read carefully your query. The difference of blood pressure between his arms is considerable. Small differences in blood pressure can be normal but differences of more than 20 mm Hg for systolic pressure or more than 10 mm Hg for diastolic pressure may be a sign of an underlying problem. The most common cause of this big difference of blood pressure between arms is the obstruction or progressive narrowing of the main arteries of the arm,in the arm with higher blood pressure.This is called peripheral artery disease . Common symptoms of this condition are : pain or discomfort in arm when doing daily tasks or work , that goes away when resting the arm. Pain in finger or cold finger that can turn blue or pale,slow-growing fingernails ,the skin of the arm can look pale and with no hair, are some other symptoms. The symptoms you describe of hand numbness ,and the characteristic distribution in the 3-5 th finger ,loss of grip are not related to the circulation problem.The symptoms are indicative for a compression of ulnar nerve ,most commonly in elbow.These symptoms are very typical for this condition. In this case NSAIDs (Ibuprofen ,Tylenol, Naproxen ) can help with the symptoms .He should avoid activities that require him to keep the arm bent for long periods of time and try to keep the arm straight at night when sleeping. Your husband need to consult a physician and get examined.The doctor will measure the blood pressure in both arms again and if this big difference between the arms persist ,the doctor will order further investigations including an echo doppler of the arm arteries. The doctor also will evaluate the function of the hand and if ulnar nerve is affected.He may order some tests in order to evaluate the ulnar nerve function like Nerve conduction studies. Hope it helps. Let me know if you need further help. Kind regards, Dr.Rovena Murati