My fingers are numb as if I were electrocuted

Hands are the most commonly used organs of people and help people solve many things. However, the health of hands is often neglected. Some people find that their fingers are numb as if they were electrocuted, but they don't know the specific reason. In this situation, you can move around first to see if the hand nerve paralysis is caused by doing the same action for a long time. If the symptoms cannot be relieved, you need to see a doctor.

The reason why fingers feel numb as if they were electrocuted

1. Carpal tunnel syndrome

If you often feel weakness in one or both hands, numbness and stiffness in the fingers and palms, accompanied by wrist pain, and pain and difficulty flexing and extending the fingers, you should be alert to carpal tunnel syndrome. The most common symptom of this disease is numbness, which is especially aggravated at night. In severe cases, it can even affect sleep and may even wake you up in the middle of the night due to numbness and pain.

2. Peripheral neuritis

If finger paralysis occurs symmetrically on both hands and is accompanied by pain and fatigue, it may be caused by peripheral neuritis. Peripheral neuritis can be caused by a variety of reasons. If it is caused by poisoning, the pain will be more severe; if it is caused by nutritional metabolic disorders, the symptoms of fatigue and numbness will be more obvious.

3. Transient cerebral ischemia

Cerebral ischemia is also one of the common causes of numbness in fingers, which usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. Cerebral ischemia has a sudden onset and lasts for a short time. Most patients will experience symptoms such as limb paralysis, fatigue, dizziness, and headache. This disease should be considered especially when numbness occurs on one side of the limbs. If the above symptoms appear, you should seek medical attention promptly and comprehensively check for high-risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, atrial fibrillation, etc., and actively receive treatment.

4. Diabetes

Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes, and bilateral symmetrical numbness of the fingers is one of its common symptoms. Many diabetic patients have poorly controlled blood sugar levels, and some do not even know they have diabetes. Often, multiple complications appear in the early stages of diabetes. Therefore, you must have regular physical examinations to detect blood sugar problems in a timely manner. After suffering from diabetes, you must receive regular treatment and control your blood sugar levels. At the same time, you should pay attention to supplementing with multiple vitamins and follow the doctor's instructions to use medications to improve blood circulation to help eliminate numbness in the fingers.

5. Hand numbness caused by cervical spine

Cervical spondylosis is also one of the common diseases that cause finger paralysis. Many people often sit for long periods of time with their necks fixed for long periods of time due to work or other factors. In particular, if they use computers or mobile phones for too long, the intervertebral discs in the neck will undergo degenerative changes, leading to disc herniation or joint hyperplasia. When these protruding or hyperplastic tissues compress the adjacent nerve roots, finger numbness will occur. If numbness in the fingers is accompanied by symptoms such as neck and shoulder muscle soreness, and upper limb movement disorders, it is likely caused by cervical spine problems.

How to deal with numb fingers like electric shock

First of all, this finger numbness must not be ignored. Everyone should go to the hospital as soon as possible to screen whether it is caused by cervical spondylosis, cerebrovascular disease, or diabetes. Especially for cerebral stroke, numbness of fingers is often a precursor. We must find the underlying disease through screening to ensure that treatment is not delayed.

However, if there is no obvious organic lesion, we need to regulate and improve it from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Here’s how:

Find the Shixuan point on the palm of the affected side (i.e. the tips of the ten fingers, as shown in the picture). Use a toothpick or the tip of a ballpoint pen to apply moderate pressure for 10 minutes.

Then find the Shousanli point (located on the radial side of the back of the forearm, on the line connecting Dangyangxi point and Quchi point, 2 inches below the elbow crease, as shown in the picture), and the Houxi point (located at the junction of the red and white flesh of the distal palmar crease on the posterior and ulnar side of the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint, as shown in the picture). For these two acupoints, first press them hard with your fingertips, and then use moxibustion sticks for 20 minutes. After half an hour of conditioning every day, the numbness in the hands will be greatly improved.

What is the secret of this method?

Let’s talk about the ten Xuan points first. The purpose of pricking the Shixuan point is to promote qi circulation, resolve blood stasis, and dredge the meridians. In clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine, the Shixuan acupoint is often used for bloodletting treatment. Ordinary people like us don’t need to do this, just acupuncture can suffice.

There is one effect here that is particularly worth mentioning, which is to promote the flow of qi and eliminate phlegm and dampness through this kind of purgation method. The great Chinese medicine work "Essentials of Dan Xi's Treatment Methods" clearly states: "Numbness is caused by qi deficiency, and stiffness is caused by phlegm, dampness and dead blood." From this it can be seen that numbness is related to phlegm and dampness. The reason why phlegm and dampness cannot be transformed is due to qi deficiency. Therefore, we use the purgation method to stimulate the Shixuan acupoint, which can activate the meridians, promote the flow of qi, and help the phlegm and dampness to be transformed.

Next, let’s talk about Shousanli. This acupoint is widely praised as the key point for treating "numbness" of the hands.

What's the reason behind this? Some people say that this acupoint belongs to the Yangming meridian, which has abundant qi and blood, so it is very good at promoting qi circulation. In fact, this is only half right. The real magic lies in the circulation of qi and substances in the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. It turns out that Shousanli, as a key acupoint of the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, is the place where the rain water of the Large Intestine Meridian is received and descended. It is called Sanli because it covers a large area and has far-reaching influence. When water prevails, earth loses. If we use a combination of acupressure and moxibustion to stimulate Shousanli, it will clear away, warm, and evaporate moisture, thereby enriching the spleen and earth qi. If the spleen and earth are solid, water and moisture will not overflow, which is beneficial to the transformation of phlegm and dampness in the palms, and will naturally improve numbness.

Finally, let’s talk about Houxi acupoint, which is the intersection point of eight meridians. Its characteristic is that it is connected with the Du meridian. If we stimulate it and warm it, we can draw the Yuan Yang Qi in the Du Meridian to our hands. When the Yuan Yang Qi is sufficient, it can naturally transform water and dampness, and promote the flow of Qi and blood, thereby improving the symptoms of numbness. The mystery of the Houxi acupoint is not difficult to understand.

It can be seen that it is very reasonable to use Shixuan acupoint, Houxi acupoint and Shousanli acupoint to treat numbness of the hands. If we follow the methods described above carefully, we will soon see improvement in symptoms.