Sleeping with Your Hand in an Uncomfortable Position Can Lead to Radial Neuropathy

Many people have fallen asleep suddenly and woken up with a strange pain in their hands or find that they cannot move their hands properly, this is a symptom of a medical condition known as radial neuropathy. Radial neuropathy occurs due to an injury to the arm's radial nerve which then causes pain when the muscles it controls are utilized. This nerve is particularly prone to injury and yet many people are unaware of this fact, resting the humus against a hard surface in an uncomfortable position is one of the most effective ways to damage the radial nerve.

Most times the weird sensation or feeling of numbness goes away after a few minutes or even a few hours, in severe cases however, the nerve fibers at the site of the injury may be dead and would need to be repaired. His would cause the symptoms to be felt for anywhere up to a year. The areas of the nerve that grow would have to reach the top part of the forearm and then proceed to the mid forearm.

Many people who have this condition often squeeze stress balls or other similar objects and think that they are providing relief. They may or may not be, but these exercises are simply exercising the wrong muscles, the muscles used in this exercise are in no way connected to the radial nerve. The muscles used in squeezing a stress ball are connected to the median and ulnar nerves, though exercising the muscles do not help the rehabilitation of the nerves and as such are inherently pointless.

Prevention of muscular atrophy (or degeneration of the muscles) can be avoided by doing light exercises that simply stretch the muscle daily, this also helps to prevent a freezing of the joint that can occur if it not used for an extended period such as a year.

There is very little in the way of treatment options when a nerve is damaged or killed, this is true also for the radian nerve and radial neuropathy has no simple cure. A balanced diet and exercise however is essential in providing the body with vitamins, minerals and nutrients that can be used to help the rate of healing. Exercise also helps to increase the metabolic rate, which is another essential factor in promoting healing of the radial nerve in cases of radial neuropathy.

Alcohol should be avoided, especially in large amounts since this can be toxic to the nerves of the body and slow their rate of healing. Some doctors may recommend electrical stimulation of the nerves to help speed up healing of the radial nerve and can also help keep muscles from suffering from atrophy. A splint can also be used to keep the hand and fingers straight which can help in promoting healing. Radial neuropathy generally to a small portion of the nerve and its symptoms occur for a short amount of time, if you find that you cannot move your fingers or experience pain and discomfort for more than a day, seek help from your medical professional immediately.

References
1. http://www.ehow.com/how_4469377_cope-radial-neuropathy.html
2. http://www.mdguidelines.com/neuropathy-of-radial-nerve-entrapment