How can I stay safe with numb hands and feet?

Two dangers matter most, and they are different from each other. Falls, because numb feet and weak muscles take away balance. And injuries that go unnoticed, because a numb hand or foot does not report a burn or a cut.

The National Cancer Institute's safety steps target both. It also says which of them apply to a given person is a question for the care team.

Why the sensation is missing

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the peripheral nerves, which carry information between the brain and the rest of the body. NCI groups the effects by which nerves are hit.

Sensory nerves carry pain, heat, cold, and pressure. Damage causes tingling, numbness, or a pins-and-needles feeling in the feet and hands that may spread up the legs and arms. It can also remove the ability to feel a hot stove, or the pain of a cut or a sore on a foot.

Motor nerves move muscles. Damage causes weak or aching muscles, which can cause loss of balance, easy tripping, and trouble with buttons and jar lids. Muscles may twitch, cramp, or waste. If chest or throat muscles are affected, swallowing or breathing can be difficult.

Autonomic nerves control blood pressure, digestion, heart rate, temperature, and urination. Damage causes constipation or diarrhea, dizziness or faintness from low blood pressure, sexual problems, too much or too little sweating, and urinary leaking or trouble emptying the bladder.

That third group explains the dizziness. Low blood pressure on standing is a nerve problem, not simply tiredness, and it is a large part of why falls happen.

Making the floor safe

NCI's fall prevention list is specific and mostly free.

• Move rugs out of walking paths.
• Put rails on walls and in the bathroom to hold on to.
• Put bathmats in the shower or tub.
• Wear sturdy shoes with soft soles.
• Get up slowly after sitting or lying down, especially when dizzy.

The last one is the step people skip. Standing up in stages, sitting on the edge of the bed for a slow count before rising, is the specific defense against the blood pressure drop above.

Heat and sharp edges

Numb hands change kitchen and bathroom risk in a way that is easy to underestimate.

NCI advises using potholders to protect hands from burns, taking care with knives and sharp objects, and asking someone else to check water temperature so it is not too hot.

For feet, NCI's rule is blunt: wear shoes both inside and outside. Not just outdoors. A cut picked up barefoot on a kitchen floor can go unnoticed for days.

Which is why daily inspection is on the list. Check arms, legs, and feet for cuts or scratches every day, and dress warmly in cold weather to protect hands and feet.

Anything that would normally hurt deserves a look instead of a feeling. A cut that is spreading redness, warmth, or drainage, or any fever of 100.4 °F (38 °C) or higher during treatment, warrants a call the same day, since a numb area gives no warning that infection has set in.

Say it early, and ask what else exists

NCI's most important sentence is about timing. Getting these problems diagnosed and treated early is the best way to control them, prevent further damage, and reduce pain and other complications.

It also names options beyond safety measures. Pain medicine may be prescribed. Acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, and yoga are sometimes advised to lower pain, with the care team deciding what fits.

One question from NCI's own list is worth asking out loud: could you refer me to a specialist who could give me additional advice? Our guide to peripheral neuropathy covers what causes it, and exercise with neuropathy covers moving safely.

One caution about this source. NCI's nerve problems page was last updated on January 15, 2020, which makes it among the older pages in its side effects library.

Sources

• https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/nerve-problems