Severe numbness and pain in both hands at night.

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hands have been going numb since I was about 10 years old. Doctors told my parents that I was the oldest of 6 children and I just wanted attention. Now I am 29 and the problem seems to be getting worse. The problem mostly occurs when I am sleeping. I wake up at night (about 1-3 times) with my hands feeling numb and if I try and move my hands feel like they are broken. I can barley move them. All of my joints in my hands hurt and I cry every night because I am in pain and I am tired of doctors saying I cry wolf. I dont even like going to the doctors or taking pills. The only thing that helps relieve the pain is for me to stand up out of bed and walk around the house. Then the pain goes away immediately.

Dear Melissa: According to your description, possibly a Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) should be rule out in your case. This is an entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel at the level of the wrist. Usual symptoms include numbness, tingling, ”pins and needles” and pain in the wrist and hand, especially the thumb, index and middle fingers, which is worse at night. The conservative treatment includes first of all, a work-site ergonomic assessment may help to reduce potentially exacerbating factors, you should modify all the postures or activities that reproduce the symptoms. The use of a wrist-hand brace that sets the wrist joint in neutral position (to be worn at nighttime for a minimum of 3-4 weeks) many off-the-shelf wrist splints seem to work well. A specific stretching/strengthening program for the hand and wrist may be useful in improving strength and dexterity. The use of anti inflammatory medications (i.e.: “Aleve”) may be of benefit to control pain. Lack of aerobic exercise (along with increased Body Mass Index) is a risk factor for the development of CTS and should be addressed. Overuse of legal drugs (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, alcohol) can contribute to CTS and should therefore be reduced. Most individuals with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) respond to conservative treatment, the local corticosteroid injection may be considered in those cases that show poor improvement with the conservative treatment (although injection rarely is used in practice). If you try all of the above and your symptoms do not improve, probably you will require further evaluation to rule out other causes for the pain.