What does it mean if your hand feels tingly

— Written By Healthgrades Editorial Staff

Updated on January 16, 2021

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What is tingling in one hand?

Tingling in one hand can have a number of causes, including an injury, staying in one position for a long period of time, a circulation problem that impairs blood flow to the hands, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Tingling in one hand can also be caused by nerve damage from extreme heat or cold or from toxic substances. Chronic conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, can also cause tingling in the hands.

Alternatively, tingling in one hand may be caused by peripheral neuropathy, a disorder in which the peripheral nerves that relay signals between the body and the brain and spinal cord do not function properly. Peripheral neuropathy can be due to a number of specific diseases and disorders, including diabetes and alcoholism. In some cases, peripheral neuropathy has no known cause.

Depending on the cause of the tingling, it may occur in your hands only or in other areas of the body as well. A tingling feeling may be the only symptom you experience or it may be accompanied by pain and numbness. The duration and course of tingling in one hand vary widely, depending on the cause. Symptoms caused by injury often have a sudden onset, whereas hand tingling resulting from underlying neuropathy develops slowly and persists or worsens over time.

Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if a sudden tingling sensation in your hand is accompanied by numbness or weakness on one side of your body; a change in level of consciousness or alertness, such as passing out or unresponsiveness; or the worst headache of your life, as these can be signs of stroke.

If your tingling in one hand is persistent or causes you concern, seek prompt medical care.

What other symptoms might occur with tingling in one hand?

Tingling in one hand may accompany other symptoms, which vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Symptoms that frequently affect the hand also involve other body systems.

Hand symptoms that may occur along with tingling in one hand

Tingling in one hand may accompany other symptoms affecting the hand including:

• Burning feeling
• Numbness
• Pain
• Redness, warmth or swelling
• Weakness (loss of strength)

Other symptoms that may occur along with tingling in one hand

Tingling in one hand may accompany symptoms related to other body systems including:

• Changes in sensation
• Difficulty walking
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Impaired coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Nerve pain
• Numbness or tingling in other areas of the body
• Pain extending up your arm
• Sharp pain that may be worse at night

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

Sudden tingling in one hand accompanied by numbness or weakness on one side of the body can be a sign of stroke. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have tingling in one hand along with other serious symptoms including:

• Change in level of consciousness or alertness, such as passing out or unresponsiveness

• Change in mental status or sudden behavior changes, such as confusion, delirium, lethargy, hallucinations and delusions

• Garbled or slurred speech or inability to speak

• Paralysis or inability to move a body part

• Sudden change in vision, loss of vision, or eye pain

• Worst headache of your life

What causes tingling in one hand?

Tingling in one hand can be the result of nerve or skin damage in the hand and surrounding tissues. Disorders that affect the nerves, such as peripheral neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, and stroke, may also cause tingling in one hand.

Common causes of tingling in one hand

Tingling in one hand may be due to common causes including:

• Certain medications, including some cancer chemotherapy drugs

• Exposure to cold

• Exposure to toxic or poisonous compounds, such as lead or mercury

• Nerve injury

• Peripheral neuropathy (disorder that causes dysfunction of nerves that lie outside your brain and spinal cord)

• Pressure on nerve or nerve entrapment

• Trauma or injury

Diseases or disorders causing tingling in one hand

Tingling in one hand may be due to a specific, underlying disease or disorder that causes nerve damage including:

• Alcoholic neuropathy (nerve damage associated with excessive alcohol consumption)

• Diabetes (chronic disease that affects your body’s ability to use sugar for energy)

• Carpal tunnel syndrome

• Cervical spinal stenosis (a disorder of the spine in the neck area, that can cause nerve damage)

• Guillain-Barre syndrome (autoimmune nerve disorder)

• Hypothyroidism

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its treatment

• Multiple sclerosis (disease that affects the brain and spinal cord causing weakness, coordination, balance difficulties, and other problems)

• Rheumatoid arthritis (chronic autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation)

• Shingles (reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which remains in the body in an inactive state following chickenpox)

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (disorder in which the body attacks its own healthy cells and tissues)

• Vitamin deficiency, especially thiamine, vitamin B12 and folate

Serious or life-threatening causes of tingling in one hand

In some cases, tingling in one hand may be a symptom of a serious or life-threatening condition that should be evaluated immediately in an emergency setting. These include:

• Stroke

• Transient ischemic attack (temporary stroke-like symptoms that may be a warning sign of an impending stroke)

Questions for diagnosing the cause of tingling in one hand

To diagnose your condition, your doctor or licensed health care practitioner will ask you several questions related to your tingling in one hand including:

• How long have you felt tingling in your hand?

• Do you have any other symptoms?

• What medications are you taking?

• What were you doing when the tingling first began?

What are the potential complications of tingling in one hand?

Because tingling in your hand can be due to serious diseases, failure to seek treatment can result in serious complications and permanent damage. Once the underlying cause is diagnosed, it is important for you to follow the treatment plan that you and your health care professional design specifically for you to reduce the risk of potential complications including:

• Brain damage (if the tingling in your hand is due to stroke)

• Loss of limb

• Permanent nerve damage

• Physical disability

• Symptom progression

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