Suggest Treatment For Numbness In The Fingers

Posted on Mon, 20 Jul 2015

Question: I am a 28 year old male who woke up this morning, after a night out drinking, with numbness in my pinky and ring finger. As well as loss of strength in my whole hand. I have full range of motion in my hand, but it's a tad difficult to write and grip things. My question is, should I go too the ER immediately, get it checked out later when I have a day off, or just wait for the nerve to heal? I am 100% sure that I slept on my elbow wrong.

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Saturday night palsy

Detailed Answer:
Hi there.

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I have read your query and understood your problem.

After you drank alcohol and came back home to sleep, it appears as though the nerves in your arm and neck may have been compressed of you were lying in a chai with the arms and armpits under pressure of the arm - rests. This leads to compression of the nerves on the upper limb and when you wake up you feel numbness and weakness over your upper limb. This is caked Saturday Night palsy.

This damage to the nerves is usually reversible within few months. I advise you to consult with your Orthopaedic surgeon in this regard and get examined and necessary investigations like Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) to tell the type of nerve injury and hence the prognosis and his long it will take to recover.

Eat healthy. Keep well hydrated. Stay stress free. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Exercise regularly.

I hope I have answered your query.

Thanking you,

Dr. Aashish Raghu

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T