My left arm is sore and my hand is numb

The phenomenon of sore arms and numbness in hands often occurs in life. The most typical cause is compression of blood vessels. We usually sleep on our stomachs, which will cause these symptoms due to long-term compression of the arms. However, the cause is obvious and easy to confirm. If you often experience soreness and swelling in your left arm accompanied by numbness in your hand, you should be careful that it may be caused by an illness, as many diseases have such symptoms. So, what is the reason for the soreness and numbness in the left arm and hand?

1. Cervical spondylosis

It is more common in middle-aged and elderly people, especially those who have had incorrect posture for a long time. It is mainly caused by radiculopathy of cervical spondylosis. Due to the dislocation of the cervical joints, nerves or blood vessels are injured, causing pain and numbness in the tendons, muscles, and skin controlled by these nerves or blood vessels.

But the main symptoms are soreness in the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, and stiff neck, which limit the patient's movements. Patients with severe conditions may experience neck and shoulder pain that radiates to the headrest and upper limbs, some accompanied by dizziness, and severe cases are accompanied by nausea and vomiting, and are bedridden. A few people even experience vertigo and cataplexy.

2. Rheumatism

It mainly refers to diseases that invade the joints, muscles, bones and soft tissues around the joints, such as tendons, ligaments, bursae, fascia, etc. Common ones include autoimmune connective tissue disease, systemic vasculitis, bone and joint lesions, etc.

Among them, pain is the main symptom of rheumatism and an important cause of functional impairment in patients. Rheumatic pain is most common with pain originating from the joints and their attached structures.

Rheumatic diseases often affect the joints, muscles, bones and soft tissues, causing symptoms such as pain, swelling, joint dysfunction and fever.

In addition to symptomatic treatment to relieve symptoms, treatment of the cause is also required. Autoimmune disorders require immune regulation:

① For mild systemic lupus erythematosus, the combined treatment of low-dose prednisone, chloroquine, and MTX can significantly reduce side effects;

② Rheumatoid arthritis is treated with combination therapy, a combination of first-line and second-line drugs.

③ Large doses of immunoglobulin are used to treat severe cases.

3. Single labor causes arm pain

Tennis elbow and other injuries are caused by fatigue. The wrist and forearm move vigorously, and the force is concentrated on the outside of the elbow, which stretches and stimulates the lateral malleolus of the humerus. Over time, acute or chronic cumulative injuries will occur at the muscle attachment point, causing "tennis elbow" and arm pain.

If the disease occurs, be sure to let your arm rest in time, and at the same time, adopt acupuncture, physical therapy, massage and other treatment methods under the guidance of a doctor.

4. Traumatic arthritis

It is mostly caused by trauma or continuous chronic strain, which leads to degeneration of articular cartilage or formation of bone spurs, manifested as swelling, pain and movement disorders in the affected joints.

5. Osteoarthritis

The peak age of onset is 20 to 40 years old, while for female patients it is 40 to 60 years old. Rheumatoid arthritis that occurs before the age of 16 and rheumatoid arthritis that occurs in adults also initially show redness, swelling, pain and difficulty in moving the affected joints. Over time, the joints will become deformed or stiff. Osteoarthritis is most likely to affect the distal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the hands, the knees, elbows and shoulders, and the spinal joints, while the wrist and ankle joints are less likely to be affected.

6. Gouty arthritis

Purine metabolism disorder and/or decreased uric acid excretion result in uric acid deposition in the joint capsule, synovial bursa, cartilage, and bone, causing obvious redness, swelling, heat and pain in the soft tissues around the joints. The area cannot tolerate being covered by a blanket or being vibrated by the surrounding area. The patient wakes up from foot pain in the middle of the night and suffers from chronic arthritis with pain like a knife cutting or biting.

7. Transient cerebral ischemia

It is a common cause of numbness in the fingers of the elderly. The elderly often suffer from hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Hypertension can cause vasospasm and hyperlipidemia can cause vascular sclerosis. These factors can lead to transient cerebral ischemia.

The blood viscosity of the elderly will increase, and the blood flow will be slow during sleep at night, which can easily cause transient cerebral ischemia and lead to numbness of fingers.

Drink more water and take a small dose of enteric-coated aspirin tablet before going to bed to reduce blood viscosity. You can also use nimodipine, salvia miltiorrhiza, and vinca lutong under the guidance of a doctor to improve blood supply to the brain and eliminate numbness in your fingers.

8. Cerebral arteriosclerosis

At the same time, there is sclerosis and stenosis of the internal carotid artery, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the brain, functional disorders of the sensory and motor centers, numbness of one upper or lower limb or half of the body, fatigue, and temporary headache or dizziness. The disease progresses and worsens, leading to sudden ischemic stroke, difficulty speaking and paralysis.

9. Diabetes

Middle-aged and elderly people may feel numbness and pain in their hands and feet, which is most likely caused by diabetes. Numbness or pain in the hands and feet is one of the symptoms of diabetes. 40% of diabetic patients, in addition to numbness in the limbs, also have crawling and burning sensations on the skin. The key to treating diabetes is to lower blood sugar. You should control your diet and keep blood sugar at normal levels. The numbness and pain in the hands and feet will gradually decrease or disappear.