Numb arm pregnancy

6 weird things that may happen to your body during pregnancy

Heartburn is a common condition during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a very exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming when your body starts changing and suddenly you don’t feel or look like yourself anymore. You might even find yourself googling strange symptoms in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep.

Morning sickness, extreme tiredness and stretch marks are more widely known discomforts and signs of pregnancy, but there are also some lesser known symptoms and conditions that can occur in pregnancy that you might not know about.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that causes pain, numbness and tingling in the hand and arm. It can develop during pregnancy thanks to hormonal changes – an increase in fluids during pregnancy compresses the median nerve in the wrist causing a sense of weakness in the hand and the tingling feeling.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can range from mild discomfort, sporadically painful, or severe. Symptoms of carpal tunnel are tingling and numbness in the hands, which usually resolve on their own soon after birth. Splinting and resting the wrist, physiotherapy or anti-inflammatory medication may be helpful for some women experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome.

If you are experiencing tingling and numbness in your hands make sure you let your maternity care provider know.

Skin tags

You may have been told that you’ll be glowing during pregnancy but unfortunately skin conditions like acne, stretch marks, rashes and skin tags are also common.

Skin tags are a type of skin lesion that not uncommon and are non-cancerous. They are hormonally related and can increase in number during pregnancy. Skin tags are caused by the hyperactive growth of your skin and is most likely brought on by hormonal changes and increased blood flow. They usually appear in areas that are often rubbed or hot, moist areas such as you neck, torso or breast folds.

Skin tags are not painful and there is nothing you can do to prevent them. When you give birth it’s possible they will disappear. Your GP or dermatologist can easily remove them by scalpel, or by freezing or burning them off.

Restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrome is exactly what it sounds like: you become restless and it often can prevent women from sleeping during pregnancy. It is a condition of the nervous system which presents as an urge to move your legs due to a burning, tingling or itching feeling. You may also experience symptoms such as uncontrolled jerky movements or have similar sensations in the arms. Treatment includes having hot baths, leg massages, reducing caffeine and managing your stress levels.

Discoloured vagina

During your pregnancy, you may have noticed your skin darkening in certain body parts such as your nipples, scars and/or face but did you know your vagina can also darken in colour? This is known as Chadwick’s Sign and can be an early sign of pregnancy.

The cervix and/or vagina can turn a deep bluish-purple colour during pregnancy, due to increased blood flow. So, if you look downstairs and notice things are looking a little unusual, don’t panic!

Cramping legs

Up to half of pregnant women will experience leg cramps. These are more likely to occur in the second and third trimester. Cramps occur when a build-up of acids cause a contraction in the muscle and will most likely happen at night.

During a cramping episode you can walk around, stretch and massage the affected muscles to disperse the build-up of acids or try applying a warm pack to the muscle. Speak to your maternity care provider if you’re thinking about taking any new supplements during pregnancy to help ease symptoms.

Heart burn

Heart burn, also known as acid reflux, occurs when the contents of the stomach backs up into the oesophagus, the tube connecting you stomach to your mouth. This can cause an unpleasant burning feeling. It can happen to anyone, but is more common in pregnancy because of the hormone progesterone.

Progesterone relaxes the muscles in the body and affects the entire digestive system. It is also likely to occur in the latter stages of pregnancy as your uterus places pressure on the stomach. It’s best to avoid big fatty meals, caffeinated drinks and spicy foods if you are experiencing heart burn.

You can find out more about treating heartburn here.

Worried about pregnancy symptoms?

It’s normal to be concerned when you notice a change in your body, especially during pregnancy when changes seem to happen daily! If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or you’ve noticed anything else new, make sure you let your maternity care provider know or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for more information.

Pregnancy: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome | Kaiser Permanente

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Overview

Tingling, numbness, and pain in the hands are common during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester. These problems are usually caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, and they usually go away after pregnancy.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a specific group of symptoms that can include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain in the fingers, thumb, hand, and occasionally in the arm. These symptoms occur when there is pressure on the median nerve within the wrist.

The carpal tunnel is a small space or "tunnel" in the wrist formed by the wrist bones (carpal bones) and a ligament (transverse carpal ligament). The median nerve and several tendons pass through the carpal tunnel from the forearm to the hand. The median nerve controls some movements of the thumb, and this nerve supplies feeling to most of the thumb and to the index finger, middle finger, and part of the ring finger.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a combination of health conditions and activities puts pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist. Anything that decreases the amount of space in the carpal tunnel, increases the amount of tissue in the tunnel, or increases the sensitivity of the median nerve can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

The swelling that is common in pregnancy can crowd structures in the tunnel and lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, especially when combined with forceful or repetitive hand and finger movement or the use of vibrating equipment.

If your symptoms are not severe, expect your health professional to recommend nonsurgical treatment to see whether symptoms improve. Nonsurgical treatment includes:

Changing or avoiding activities that may be causing symptoms, and taking frequent breaks from repetitive tasks.
Wearing a wrist splint to keep your wrist straight, usually just at night. See an illustration of a wrist splint.
Doing exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles in the hand and arm.
Learning ways to protect your joints as you go through your daily activities.

Unless carpal tunnel symptoms become intolerable, a pregnant woman should delay surgery until after childbirth. After delivery, symptoms often disappear without treatment when pregnancy-related fluid buildup is relieved.

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Numb hands during pregnancy: causes, symptoms, treatment

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About 70% of expectant mothers experience hand numbness. A decrease in sensitivity in the limbs does not always indicate a pathological process. But nevertheless, an unpleasant symptom should not be ignored, especially if the hands go numb only during pregnancy, and before there were no such symptoms.

Why do hands go numb during pregnancy?

The main reason that leads to hand numbness in pregnant women is pinched nerve endings. The risk factors that lead to infringement are largely due to the physiological changes that accompany pregnancy.

Hormonal changes

During pregnancy, the hormone progesterone is intensively produced, the action of which is aimed at relaxing smooth muscles. Thanks to this, the uterus does not come into tone, and the baby feels comfortable inside it. However, smooth muscle tissue is not only part of the myometrium, but also lines many other organs, such as the walls of veins. Relaxing, the vessels are easily stretched by excess blood volume. The pressure on the walls increases, and the plasma seeps into the subcutaneous fat, forming edema. Fluid retention in tissues leads to compression of nerve endings, as a result of which blood circulation is disturbed and fingers become numb during pregnancy.

Pathological weight gain

An unusual load on the body becomes one of the factors leading to numbness. Moreover, a significant role is played not only by the number of kilograms gained, but also by the rapid rate of weight gain during pregnancy.

Decreased locomotor activity

Clumsiness, growing by the 3rd trimester, forces the expectant mother to neglect physical activity. This leads to disruption of blood circulation and nutrition of nerve endings.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency

The expectant mother's need for nutrients increases due to the intensive consumption of vitamins by a growing baby. Many trace elements provide adequate nerve conduction. These include potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and vitamins A and B. The lack of these substances leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of the limbs.

Uncomfortable posture during sleep

A rapidly growing tummy does not allow a woman to take her usual sleeping position. Sometimes comfort is achieved in the most unusual positions. And then the pregnant woman does not miss the chance to sleep. If your hands go numb during pregnancy, this may be due to being in the wrong position for a long time, which contributes to squeezing blood vessels and nerves. It is worth noting that in such cases, the hand or fingers go numb only on one side, due to the position taken. As a rule, sensitivity is restored within a few minutes.

Hands go numb during pregnancy: what other reasons can there be?

The body of a pregnant woman is subject to frequent exacerbations of chronic processes, as well as the manifestation of diseases that the expectant mother has not previously encountered.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Or "tunnel syndrome" is caused by prolonged work with the keyboard and computer mouse. A constant monotonous load on certain phalanges and tendons leads to pinching of the median nerve and loss of sensation in the fingers, and then in the entire hand. As a rule, the right working hand suffers.

Diseases of the spine

Osteochondrosis of the cervical region, as well as intervertebral hernias, occur in 20% of middle-aged people. Pinched nerve as a result of these processes leads to painful sensations in the neck, back, shoulders, limbs, as well as to numbness of the fourth or fifth fingers. The increasing load on the spine during pregnancy exacerbates the course of the pathological process.

Other chronic conditions

Why do hands still go numb during pregnancy? This condition accompanies a large number of cardiovascular, neurological and inflammatory diseases. These include polyneuropathy, trauma, thromboangiitis, tumors, diabetes mellitus, and others.

Hereditary predisposition

What symptoms should I look out for?

If the hands become numb during pregnancy, first of all, it is necessary to inform the obstetrician-gynecologist. The doctor will determine whether this complaint is related to the special position of the woman, or is it a reason to look for a concomitant disease.

Pay attention to the characteristics of numbness:

whether there is discomfort in both hands or in one;
whether the right or left arm goes numb during pregnancy;
whether the sensitivity of the whole arm or only part of it is lost;
how long discomfort persists;
when the problem occurs - at night or during the day;
whether numbness is accompanied by other symptoms:
- discoloration of the skin: redness, blue, blanching;
- change in skin temperature: cooling, warming;
- burning, stinging or tingling sensation;
- pain.

If hands go numb at night, but after waking up within a few minutes everything returns to normal, most often this is due to physiological moments. Pathological processes can be judged by prolonged discomfort during the daytime, increasing in strength and accompanied by additional symptoms.

Clarifying questions will help to correctly establish the diagnosis and select therapy together with a narrow specialist - a neurologist, traumatologist, endocrinologist, vascular surgeon.

How to deal with hand numbness during pregnancy?

To get rid of unpleasant sensations or prevent their development, it is recommended to turn to preventive measures:

Limiting salt intake to prevent edema.
Determination of the daily volume of fluid intake, together with a doctor.
Moderate physical exercise aimed at maintaining muscle tone in the arms and strengthening the spine.
Rational nutrition enriched with essential vitamins and microelements.
Comfortable sleeping conditions: comfortable posture, special pillow for pregnant women, orthopedic mattress and pillow.
Regular breaks at the computer and warming up the hands.
Wear loose clothing that does not restrict movement.
Swimming and yoga for pregnant women.
Prevention of cold hands.
Minimization of psycho-emotional stress.

If general recommendations do not have the desired effect, additional therapeutic measures may be offered to pregnant women:

Vitamin and mineral complexes.
Painkillers and sedatives in the form of ointments or rubbing gels that improve microcirculation in the limbs.
Physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis, laser, microcurrents.
Acupuncture.
Therapeutic massage.
Manual therapy.

If fingers go numb during pregnancy, this may be the first sign or the result of a serious illness. It is contraindicated for a pregnant woman to engage in self-diagnosis and attribute the loss of sensitivity solely to her special position. An integrated approach to the prevention and treatment of numbness will allow you to get rid of discomfort in your hands and prevent the development of complications of chronic pathologies.

Sources:

Clinical and physiological characteristics of diabetic polyneuropathy during pregnancy / Poroshnichenko A.I., Burshinov A.O., Elistratova N.V. // Russian Medical and Biological Bulletin named after Academician I.P. Pavlov. — 2015. — № 4
Assmus H., Antoniadis G., Bischoff C. Carpal and cubital tunnel and other, rarer nerve compression syndromes. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2015;112(1-2):14-26. doi: 10.3238/arztebl. 2015.0014.
Ibrahim I., Khan W.S., Goddard N., Smitham P. Carpal tunnel syndrome: a review of the recent literature. Open Orthop J. 2012;6(Suppl. 1):69-76. doi: 10.2174/1874325001206010069.
Alfonso C., Jann S., Massa R., Torreggiani A. Diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the carpal tunnel syndrome: a review. neurol sci. 2010;31(3):243-252. doi: 10.1007/s10072-009-0213-9.
Yurkovskaya A.I., Chekhonatsky V.A., Chekhonatsky I.A. Osteochondrosis in pregnant women. Bulletin of Medical Internet Conferences (ISSN 2224-6150) 2017. Volume 7. Issue 6.
Pizova N.V. Tunnel syndromes of the carpal and cubital tunnels as the most common variants of compression neuropathies of the upper extremities. Medical advice. 2020;(19):52-60. doi: 10.21518/2079-701X-2020-19-52-60.

Author: gynecologist Ekaterina Koshelnikova

what to do about it and how not to miss the body's signals about the presence of the disease

Table of contents

Causes and symptoms
The dangers of hand numbness and possible consequences
Prevention of numbness
Folk remedies for numbness
Cucumber tincture
Milk trays
Pumpkin Puree Wraps
Lemon and garlic tincture
Camphor morning ointment
Hand shower
Copper bracelets
Drawing conclusions

Pregnancy makes its own adjustments to the usual rhythm of life. Sometimes, a woman's body leads unexpectedly, and gives out symptoms that have never happened before. It arouses interest, and disturbs. One of these symptoms is that during pregnancy, hands become numb during sleep. Let's look into this issue, and understand whether the symptom is dangerous, and how to remove it.

Causes and symptoms of hand numbness during pregnancy

Hands become numb during sleep during pregnancy? The most common cause is circulatory problems. Nerve impulses transmit a signal of a lack of blood, and save the limbs by minimizing possible movements. However, during pregnancy, a few more are added to the characteristic cause:

Hormonal changes in the body.

A woman's body receives a powerful charge of hormones, which, on the one hand, makes bearing a fetus possible in principle, and on the other hand, makes adjustments to well-being, processes occurring in the body, appearance, mood, etc. Including hormones can cause hands to go numb during sleep during pregnancy.

Severe swelling.

A rare woman can avoid swelling during pregnancy, numbness of the hands during sleep due to swelling. The accumulation of water leads to increased pressure on the vessels, which complicates blood circulation.

Weight set.

Another common cause of sleep numbness during pregnancy. All mothers already know that it is important to control their weight throughout pregnancy. This is not so much an aesthetic issue as a health issue. The load on the body is already increased, and if obesity of any degree occurs, the vessels reduce their ability to conduct blood correctly.

Tunnel syndrome.

Tunnel syndrome is characterized by compression of the median nerve. Because of this, nerve conduction is disturbed, and you feel that your hands go numb during pregnancy, in particular fingers and hands. Along with numbness comes a burning sensation, tingling, redness and swelling.

Vitamin deficiency.

Iron deficiency is also a common cause. This is one of the main trace elements that mothers need to replenish from the first days of pregnancy. Its lack is characterized by weakness, fatigue, and a decrease in hemoglobin. This leads to the fact that the hands go numb during sleep during pregnancy.

Less commonly, osteochondrosis and chronic pathologies of various types can be added to the causes. In contrast, you can note the reason that lies on the surface - you sleep in an uncomfortable position, because of which the tissues do not receive enough blood. Therefore, if the numbness of the hands occurred for the first time, do not panic. If possible, contact a gynecologist with this question, and most importantly, follow the dynamics of the onset of symptoms.

Why numbness of hands is dangerous and possible consequences

The mere fact that hands become numb during pregnancy is not dangerous. This is an uncomfortable symptom that can be accompanied by both a slight tingling sensation and quite noticeable pain. However, what is behind this symptom can bring serious consequences.

We have already mentioned above that if your hands go numb during sleep during pregnancy once or from time to time, do not worry, this may be due to an incorrect posture during sleep. Constant and recurrent pain can signal the presence of a disease that needs to be treated.

Leaving your arm numb during sleep unattended during pregnancy, you run the risk of exacerbating a particular disease that will lead to pregnancy complications, negatively affect the baby or negatively affect the birth process.

Prevention of numbness

If hands become numb during pregnancy, preventive measures can help. Moreover, these recommendations are useful for pregnant women in general. By introducing some changes in your usual diet and lifestyle, you can achieve significant results in the regulation of your health.

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Meals.

First of all, it is necessary to remove spicy and salty foods from the diet. It is also worth completely abandoning sausages and canned food. Other products, on the contrary, should be introduced into the diet:

Protein products. They act as a building material for the circulatory system, muscles, improve the functionality of cells. In addition, the protein is simply necessary for the baby for proper development.
Foods rich in calcium. With all the benefits of dairy products, make sure that what you eat is actually made from milk. It is also worth monitoring the reaction of your body. He should be comfortable digesting glucose.
Also on a regular basis in the diet should be foods rich in magnesium and potassium.

Drinking.

Not only what you eat is important, but also what you drink. The diet should contain exclusively purified mineral water and herbal teas. Everything else should be left for later. At the same time, it is important to keep the water balance. Drink the correct amount of liquid, calculated according to your individual needs.

Physical activity.

The reason that hands go numb during sleep during pregnancy can be physical activity. Both their excess and their shortcomings negatively affect. So, you need to completely refuse to carry heavy objects, bags on one shoulder, and minimize the time spent sitting. What is worth doing?

Wear a support band.
Walk outdoors more often.
Do pregnancy exercises before bed, go to yoga or go swimming.

Additional tips to prevent numb hands during pregnancy.

Also implement in your life a few good habits that will help relieve unpleasant symptoms during pregnancy:

Completely give up uncomfortable clothes that squeeze. Of course, pregnancy is not a reason to look sloppy, but still, during this quivering period, the main thing is your comfort and the health of the baby.
If your hands go numb during pregnancy, choose an orthopedic mattress and pillow that is comfortable for you, purchase a special pillow for pregnant women (especially in the later stages).
Try to avoid hypothermia.
Get a massage.

But, the most important advice if your hands go numb during pregnancy is to consult a doctor. Perhaps the numbness of the hands is just a discomfort that will accompany you during one trimester, or even the entire pregnancy. Perhaps this is a signal from the body about a disease that needs to be treated today.

Folk remedies to combat numbness

To speed up the process of getting rid of an unpleasant symptom, or remove it "here and now", you can supplement the doctor's recommendations with folk methods. However, it is worth remembering that this is only an auxiliary part of the treatment. Traditional medicine offers safe and effective methods to relieve hand numbness during pregnancy, but with constant numbness, it is important to find and eliminate the cause.

Cucumber tincture

The tincture will help relieve the numbness syndrome and eliminate unpleasant indications. Its disadvantage is long preparation. The tincture is prepared for 10 days. You need to chop a few pickles and a couple of red pepper pods. All this is done with vodka and stored in glass containers for 10 days. Infusion should take place in a cold place, so it is worth placing the jar in the refrigerator. As time passes, use the tincture to rub your hands before going to bed.

Milk baths

If your hands go numb during pregnancy, an effective and pleasant treatment is milk baths. To do this, take about a liter of milk, water in equal amounts, 50 grams of honey and 400 grams of salt. Mix all this in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for half an hour. After the mixture has cooled, dip your hands in it for 15 minutes. The full course consists of 14 procedures at bedtime.

Pumpkin Puree Wraps

Helps prevent nighttime numbness and pumpkin. To do this, boiled pumpkin porridge should be put on your hands in a thick layer, put on cellophane gloves. So it is necessary to spend half an hour before going to bed. After half an hour, wash your hands in warm running water.

Lemon and garlic tincture

In four days you can prepare an effective non-alcoholic tincture for oral consumption. Lemon zest + an equal share of garlic are poured into half a liter of water and left for 4 days. After you need to drink 50 ml. potions before bed.

Camphor ointment for the morning

If your hands go numb during pregnancy, and in the morning you feel unpleasant consequences, such as tingling, redness, take camphor ointment, eucalyptus essential oil and rub it well on your hands with soft massage movements.

Contrast hand shower

An immediate and simple method to relieve the symptoms of numb hands during pregnancy is a contrast hand shower. One has only to hold hands under hot-cold-hot water. However, it is worth remembering the ongoing pregnancy.