ASK DR ZOE
Why do I always get pins and needles in my fingers that wake me up at night – is it linked to cancer?
If symptoms are mostly in the little finger and ring finger then it’s more likely that the ulnar nerve is under pressure
OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice.
Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who suffers from numbness in his fingers following prostate cancer treatment.
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Q) I GET pins and needles in my fingers and it wakes me up at night. Why?
I had treatment for prostate cancer five months ago and take alendronic acid tablets once a week.
A) Pins and needles (or numbness) of the fingers at night suggests there is some type of issue with the nerves that supply the hand.
The most common reason is that a nerve is being trapped or having too much pressure put on it.
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Depending on which fingers are affected, we can be guided to figuring out which of the three main nerves that supply the hand are affected.
You may have heard of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is when the median nerve gets compressed in the wrist.
This tends to mostly affect the thumb, index finger and middle finger on the palm side. The radial nerve is more likely to blame if symptoms are in the same fingers but on the back of the hand.
If symptoms are mostly in the little finger and ring finger then it’s more likely that the ulnar nerve is under pressure.
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This can happen if your elbow is bent at night, putting pressure on the nerve that reacts when we hit our “funny bone”, or if you lean on your elbow a lot during the day.
Of course, there are other causes too. While alendronic acid does not typically cause this symptom as a side effect, it can lead to low levels of blood calcium, which can cause tingling sensations in the fingers.
Nerve damage from certain medications (especially chemotherapy), vitamin deficiencies, diabetes and alcohol use can be potential causes too.
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- Email Dr Zoe: [email protected]
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