Nerve Injury

Cold Fingers Causes: Chiropractic Functional Wellness Clinic

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In cold weather, it’s normal to experience cold hands and fingers. But if there is a coldness in only one finger while the rest of the hand is normal, changes to skin color, numbness, tingling, or pain symptoms could be a sign of poor circulation or an underlying medical condition. Cold fingers could indicate various problems, including overuse injuries, vitamin deficiencies, Raynaud’s syndrome, hypothyroidism, anemia, arterial disease, or an autoimmune condition. Chiropractic care and massage therapy can increase circulation, release compressed nerves, relax the muscles, and restore mobility and function.

Cold Fingers

Blood circulates throughout, nourishing and maintaining body warmth. When compression, obstructions, or narrowing paths inhibit blood flow, the body cannot achieve proper circulation. Unhealthy circulation can cause several symptoms, including:

  • Pins and needles sensations along the shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers.
  • Weakened arm and hand muscles.
  • Numbness.
  • Cold finger/s.
  • Muscles aches, soreness, and tightness.
  • Swelling.
  • Pale or bluish skin color.

Overuse Injury

Repeating one movement or motion constantly over time can lead to overuse syndrome/repetitive motion disorder in the hands and arms. Certain jobs and activities can cause overuse syndrome, including:

  • Cashiers.
  • Food service work.
  • Graphic sign work.
  • Computer work.
  • Sewing work.
  • Landscaping.

All of these jobs and activities can put a lot of repeated stress on the hands and arms.

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Vitamin B-12 is required for proper red blood cell formation and neurological function. It is found in many foods, including eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and dairy products. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause neurological symptoms like numbness, tingling, and coldness in the hands and feet. Other symptoms include:

  • Anemia
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Difficulty maintaining balance
  • Depression
  • Soreness of the mouth

A doctor requires a blood sample to test for the deficiency. A common treatment is a high dose of an oral supplement or injections for individuals that have difficulties absorbing B-12 through the digestive tract.

Raynaud’s Syndrome

Raynaud’s syndrome is a condition that causes some areas of the body, usually the fingers, to feel cold and numb when exposed to cold temperatures or high-stress levels. This happens because the small arteries that supply blood to the skin are experiencing spasms. During an episode, the arteries narrow, which prevents blood from circulating correctly. The fingers can change color, going from white to blue to red. When the flare-up ends, and the blood flow returns to normal, there may be tingling, throbbing, or swelling. The condition isn’t usually debilitating, and treatment options often include medications that expand the blood vessels to improve circulation. These include calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, and vasodilators.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones. Hypothyroidism comes on gradually and rarely generates symptoms in the early stages. Hypothyroidism doesn’t cause cold fingers but increases the body’s sensitivity to cold. Other symptoms include:

  • Fatigue
  • Muscle weakness, tenderness, and achiness.
  • Joint swelling, stiffness, and pain.
  • Puffiness.
  • Dry skin.
  • Hoarseness.
  • Weight gain.
  • High or elevated cholesterol levels.
  • Thinning hair and hair loss.
  • Depression.

Over time, the condition can cause complications such as obesity, joint pain, heart disease, and infertility. A doctor can detect hypothyroidism with a simple blood test. Treatment involves taking a daily dose of synthetic thyroid hormone.

Anemia

Anemia is when the blood has a lower-than-normal amount of red blood cells. It also occurs when the red blood cells lack a crucial iron-rich protein called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin assists red blood cells in delivering oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. A low supply of hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the hands can result in cold fingers. There may also be fatigue and weakness. Iron deficiency is what typically causes most cases. A doctor may suggest nutritional adjustments if blood work indicates low iron levels. An iron-rich nutritional plan and taking iron supplements can help relieve symptoms.

Arterial Diseases

Diseases that affect the arteries can reduce blood flow to the hands, causing cold fingers. This can be from plaque buildup or inflammation in the blood vessels. Any blockage in the blood vessels can prevent blood from circulating normally. Another arterial problem is primary pulmonary hypertension, which affects the lungs’ arteries and can lead to Raynaud’s syndrome.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic adjustments can remove misalignments, restore proper nerve communication, increase blood flow, and correct an overactive sympathetic nervous system. Massaging the shoulders, arms, and hands relaxes the nerves, and muscles, breaks up compressed tissues, and increase blood flow. The circulation of lymphatic fluid around the body is also promoted, which carries toxins away from the muscles and tissues. To improve circulation, the following may be utilized:

  • Deep tissue pressure is effective at relieving congestion and tension.
  • Percussive massage to break up scar tissue.
  • Non-surgical Decompression to stretch the spine and body out.
  • Lymphatic drainage is designed to improve the circulation of the fluid.
  • Reflexology

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome


References

Bilić, R et al. “Sindromi prenaprezanja u saci, podlaktici i laktu” [Overuse injury syndromes of the hand, forearm and elbow]. Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju vol. 52,4 (2001): 403-14.

Ernst, E. “Manual therapies for pain control: chiropractic and massage.” The Clinical journal of pain vol. 20,1 (2004): 8-12. doi:10.1097/00002508-200401000-00003

InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. How does the blood circulatory system work? 2010 Mar 12 [Updated 2019 Jan 31]. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279250/

Pal, B et al. “Raynaud’s phenomenon in idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome.” Scandinavian journal of rheumatology vol. 25,3 (1996): 143-5. doi:10.3109/03009749609080004

Waller, D G, and J R Dathan. “Raynaud’s syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome.” Postgraduate medical journal vol. 61,712 (1985): 161-2. doi:10.1136/pgmj.61.712.161

Professional Scope of Practice *

The information herein on "Cold Fingers Causes: Chiropractic Functional Wellness Clinic" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
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Specialties: Stopping the PAIN! We Specialize in Treating Severe Sciatica, Neck-Back Pain, Whiplash, Headaches, Knee Injuries, Sports Injuries, Dizziness, Poor Sleep, Arthritis. We use advanced proven therapies focused on optimal Mobility, Posture Control, Deep Health Instruction, Integrative & Functional Medicine, Functional Fitness, Chronic Degenerative Disorder Treatment Protocols, and Structural Conditioning. We also integrate Wellness Nutrition, Wellness Detoxification Protocols and Functional Medicine for chronic musculoskeletal disorders. We use effective "Patient Focused Diet Plans", Specialized Chiropractic Techniques, Mobility-Agility Training, Cross-Fit Protocols, and the Premier "PUSH Functional Fitness System" to treat patients suffering from various injuries and health problems. Ultimately, I am here to serve my patients and community as a Chiropractor passionately restoring functional life and facilitating living through increased mobility. Purpose & Passions: I am a Doctor of Chiropractic specializing in progressive cutting-edge therapies and functional rehabilitation procedures focused on clinical physiology, total health, functional strength training, functional medicine, and complete conditioning. We focus on restoring normal body functions after neck, back, spinal and soft tissue injuries. We use Specialized Chiropractic Protocols, Wellness Programs, Functional & Integrative Nutrition, Agility & Mobility Fitness Training and Cross-Fit Rehabilitation Systems for all ages. As an extension to dynamic rehabilitation, we too offer our patients, disabled veterans, athletes, young and elder a diverse portfolio of strength equipment, high-performance exercises and advanced agility treatment options. We have teamed up with the cities' premier doctors, therapist and trainers in order to provide high-level competitive athletes the options to push themselves to their highest abilities within our facilities. We've been blessed to use our methods with thousands of El Pasoans over the last 3 decades allowing us to restore our patients' health and fitness while implementing researched non-surgical methods and functional wellness programs. Our programs are natural and use the body's ability to achieve specific measured goals, rather than introducing harmful chemicals, controversial hormone replacement, un-wanted surgeries, or addictive drugs. We want you to live a functional life that is fulfilled with more energy, a positive attitude, better sleep, and less pain. Our goal is to ultimately empower our patients to maintain the healthiest way of living. With a bit of work, we can achieve optimal health together, no matter the age, ability or disability.

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