[쉬운 신경질환사전]is a series of articles designed by neurologist Hanseung Lee (Herb Neurology Clinic) and Hidak on the topic of neurological diseases in everyday life. Common but vague symptoms such as ‘eyelid tremor’, ‘dizziness’, ‘numbness of hands and feet’, and ‘various headaches’ are explained in an easy-to-understand manner for the general public.
Numbness in the hands and feet is one of the most common neurological symptoms and is difficult to diagnose and treat. This is because the expression numbness in the hands and feet is used very widely. If you look closely at the symptoms of patients who usually visit the hospital with numbness in their hands and feet, it is often not just a matter of numbness. In some cases, the area where the numbness is felt is not exactly the hands and feet, but the surrounding area, and in some cases, the cause of the numbness in the hands and feet is separate. However, in most cases, all these symptoms are collectively described as numbness in the hands and feet.
In addition, the cultural specificity of treating numbness in the limbs as a problem of peripheral circulation is one of the factors that makes an accurate diagnosis difficult. This is more pronounced in older patients. For reference, if the color of the nail is pink, and when the nail is pressed and released, it immediately returns to pink, so there is no problem with peripheral blood circulation.
The patient needs to know exactly what his numbness is.
Because of the above reasons, there are too many cases where communication between doctors and patients about their symptoms does not go smoothly. This is because patients express various symptoms with one word, numbness in the hands and feet, and doctors have to diagnose numbness in the hands and feet only within the area of their own department. When these situations are complicated, it eventually leads to a situation in which accurate diagnosis and treatment become difficult.
In fact, some of the patients I met complained of numbness in both hands, but it turned out that there were cases where the back of the hand did not numb but only a part of the finger. Conversely, there were patients who came to see numbness in the entire finger, but in fact, it was not the fingers, but numbness of the joints. This is because each person has a different feeling for pain. In some cases, the arm and hand numb because the shoulder girdle muscles are tense, and in other cases, the thigh and calf feel numb because the buttock muscles are constricted.
The area that causes numbness and the area where the symptoms are felt may be different. Therefore, the patient must be clearly aware of his or her symptoms. You should be able to explain to your doctor exactly which part of your body is the most numb, what the numbness looks like, and when your symptoms are getting worse or better. If you meticulously take note of your symptoms of numbness before receiving treatment, organize them and share them with the medical staff, you can receive great help in treatment.
Help = Hidak Consulting Doctor Hanseung Lee (Neurologist at Herb Neurology Clinic)