Pinky Finger Numbness

Numbness, be it in any part of the body, has always something to do with the branch of network located in the affected area. In this case of pink finger numbness, it is a kind of damage to the network of nerves that travel to the fingers, hands, or arms.

This damage usually occurs when the nerves are compressed or irritated. And there could be various reasons behind such damage. Some people may feel the numbness being accompanied with a sensation similar to burning, and tingling in the affected finger. Pain, and weakness are also commonly observed.

Although most cases of finger numbness may not signal anything grave, severe conditions such as stroke might occur as an unpleasant and sudden surprise. So patients are always advised to call for medical help if the numbness occurs all a sudden, has affected the entire arm, or is accompanied with paralysis, slurry speech, confusion, dizzy spells, and a severe headache. More on this follows...

This section discusses some of the common and severe medical conditions whose one of the symptoms is numbness of any part of the body, including the pinky finger.

Type 2 diabetes keeps the body from producing enough of the hormone known as insulin or makes the body resistant to whatever of this hormone is produced. So this elevates the blood sugar level to such a stage wherein, the tiny blood vessels that nourish the nerves of the body, are damaged. And as mentioned, when nerves sustain any injury, numbness is one classic symptom to watch out for.

And as I was saying, stroke may be around the corner if you have been experiencing frequent numbness in your pinky or other places in your body. Stroke refers to the death of the brain cells. This occur when a part of the brain does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients through the artery that nourishes them.

And this is commonly caused due to a blockage in the artery by a blood clot, giving the name to the stroke as 'ischemic stroke'. The death of the brain cells may not take more than a few minute thus, causing potential complications.

So if at any point of time you start feeling your pink finger is going numb, along with the limbs, and the face on one side of the body, then you may suspect that you are having a stroke. Causing one side of the body to go numb, weak and paralyzed is one classic symptom of stroke that must not be ignored.

Numbness can also be regarded as an indication that something is interfering with the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. And this may happen when the nerves get affected. One of the common factors which causes this is known as multiple sclerosis. This autoimmune disorder causes the protective sheath of the nerves to deteriorate.

And this interferes with the relay of information from the brain to the rest of the body thus, causing weakness and numbness in one or more limbs. Typically, only one side of the body gets affected by this, at a time. So an episode of numbness in the pinky of your left hand or that of the right hand, may signal the onset of this medical problem.

Your chances of having multiple sclerosis becomes higher if you also have symptoms such as tingling pain, blurred vision, sensations as if you have experienced an electric shock, shaking movements, fatigue and dizziness.

Most people get diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy after they complain about numbness of their pinky or other body parts. It is another name for nerve damage, that may occur from traumatic injuries, deficiency of vitamins and minerals (particularly the B vitamins), certain infections, excess alcohol, cancerous or non-cancerous tumors, and other diseases.

• Shingles
• Atherosclerosis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Raynaud's disease
• Lyme disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Injury to the spinal cord
• Inflammation of blood vessels

One common and benign reason of finger numbness is sleeping over your hands unknowingly. Doing so hinders the blood supply to the entire region, and you may suddenly wake up in the middle of the night not being able to feel your hand(s).