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Numb Arm And Fingers During Flight. What Do I Do?
i just had a four hour flight to hong kong. My arm and finger started getting numb after take off. we had only been in the air. 20 mins. it continued entire flight and still after. is this a bad sign, i have been told my airline they wont accept me on the plane through transit if its the same. what do i do? is it serious?
Mon, 25 Feb 2013
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query.
The most common cause in your case could be neuropraxia, where there is mechanical pressure on the nerves in the skin, leading to numbness and tingling. In this case, spontaneous recovery should occur soon.
The other case to be excluded if you do not improve or get worse is brain stroke, where there is a lack of blood flow to a part of brain.
If possible, please meet a doctor to sort out the diagnosis.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Thank you for posting your query.
The most common cause in your case could be neuropraxia, where there is mechanical pressure on the nerves in the skin, leading to numbness and tingling. In this case, spontaneous recovery should occur soon.
The other case to be excluded if you do not improve or get worse is brain stroke, where there is a lack of blood flow to a part of brain.
If possible, please meet a doctor to sort out the diagnosis.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
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