What Causes Numbness And Pain In Hands And Joints?

Posted on Sat, 1 Feb 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 1 Feb 2014 Answered on

Fri, 21 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : What causes first numbness in the hands, spreading upwards to the shoulders then intense pain in the fore arm and often in the finger joints. Most frequent occurrence is in bed and lying on either side. Can get relief by sitting or reclining and letting my arms hang down.

Answered by Dr. Shailja Puri (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Neurological, muscular or rheumatological origin Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX Numbness in the forearm spreading to the shoulders suggests a neurological pathology. The pain in the forearm can be muscular pain or associated with neurological pathology. The pain in the joints can be due to joint pathology. Aggravation of all these symptoms while lying on sides and relief on sitting suggests association of symptoms with pressure. You need to consult your physician for clinical examination and relevant investigations. It is important to determine the cause of all these symptoms- neurological, muscular or rheumatological (associated with joints). Thereafter you can be referred to a specialist. If you have more queries, I will be glad to answer. Dr Shailja P Wahal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E