How Severe Can Nerve Damage in Hand Be? Here’s What You Need to Know
Did you know that the nerves in your hand play an essential part in your day-to-day life? They are the wires connecting to your brain. So, when the brain sends out a signal to do a job, your nerves move on their own. This is why experiencing nerve damage in your hand can cause severe problems.
Damaged nerves can disrupt the flow of your body and cause hindrances in your daily activities. Since nerves are in charge of carrying messages, an injury could lead to huge setbacks. But what causes nerve damage in the hands, and how can you prevent it from happening? Let’s find out.
What Causes Nerve Injuries to the Hand?
Many reasons could lead to nerve damage. In fact, some of them could even be dangerous in the long run. For instance, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs due to extreme pressure applied to your hand’s median nerve. It causes numbness and tingling, along with short bursts of pain that travel from your wrist to the forearm. Moreover, this pain only gets worse over time.
Nonetheless, mentioned below are the top reasons that could lead to nerve damage in your hand or arm.
- Applying too much Pressure or Stress
- Constantly Stretching out your Nerves
- Cuts or Lacerations
- Third Degree Burns
- Repetitive Motions
- Nerves getting Crushed
- Blunt Force Trauma or other Injuries
Symptoms of Nerve Damage in Hands
Many people think that all injuries are the same. However, that is not the case. Different injuries can cause different reactions. Following are the common signs of a nerve injury in hand:
- Feeling of Numbness
- Fingers and Wrist feeling Extremely Weak
- Sharp Pangs of Pain
- Change in the Shape of your Hand or Fingers
- Sudden Twitching
- Experiencing a Tingling Sensation
- Unable to Sense Objects or Feel Anything
- Hand Paralysis
How to Treat Damaged Nerves
The treatment varies according to the type of injury your hand sustains. The critical the damage, the longer it takes to heal.
Mild Damage — In the case of mild injuries, the nerve heals on its own. This can either take a few hours or days. However, there may be some disruption in your daily routine.
Severe Damage — When your nerves suffer from severe injuries, it could take time to heal. Be it months or even years. During this time, all the signals your brain sends to the nerve will not be received. As a treatment, these injuries may require physiotherapy or, at times, a minor surgery.
Cut or Crushed Nerves — Surgery will be vital if your nerves get harmed through blunt force trauma or they’ve been cut or crushed. The split nerves will need to be sewn back together so that they can heal properly. Moreover, this will also allow them to settle back into your skin and muscles.
The Final Outlook
All in all, nerve damage on the hand can be pretty serious. Make sure to stretch your arms and follow through with light hand exercises to maintain flexibility. Nonetheless, if you’re still curious and want a professional rheumatic evaluation, visit Rheumatology Care. You can also contact us at 832-532-9779, so we’re there to help you out every step of the way.