numb fingers at night

At night, I am awakened by totally numb fingers on my hands.  Always the last two fingers- pinkie and 4th finger.  anyone have any ideas?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hi,

You are probably suffering from Ulnar nerve entrapment.

Ulnar nerve entrapment can give symptoms of " falling asleep " in the ring finger and little finger, especially when the elbow is bent. There may be an aching pain on the inside of the elbow. In some cases, it may be harder moving the fingers in and out or manipulating objects.

Numbness and tingling in the ring finger and little finger are common symptoms of ulnar nerve entrapment. Often, these symptoms come and go. They happen more often when the elbow is bent, such as when driving or holding the phone. Some people wake up at night because their fingers are numb, which is in your case.

I feel that you need to consult an orthopedic surgeon.

The doctor will examine the arm to determine where the nerve is compressed. If the nerve is irritated, tapping over the nerve at the " funny bone " can cause a shock into the little finger and ring finger, although this can happen when the nerve is normal as well.

The doctor will probably move the shoulder, elbow and wrist to see if any of these cause symptoms. The doctor will test the sensation in the fingers.

Although most causes of compression of the ulnar nerve cannot be seen on an X-ray, the doctor may take an X-ray of the elbow or wrist to look for bone spurs, arthritis, or other places that the bone may be compressing the nerve.

The doctor may recommend nerve conduction studies. These are special tests to determine how well the nerve is working and to help localize the area of compression. Nerves work like wires; when the nerve is not working well, it takes too long for the nerve to conduct. During this test, the nerve is stimulated in one place. The amount of time it takes for the response to be conducted to another place is determined. The area where the nerve conduction takes too long is likely to be the place where the nerve is compressed.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted.

Kind Regards.