The finger becomes numb
After a cut, the side of the finger or fingertip is not felt, or part of the palm is numb.
CONDITION / ARMS AND LEGS
Hand nerve injury.
Hand nerve injury — a rupture or trauma of the nerve, after which the fingers go numb, the hand becomes weak, or the wrist cannot extend. A severed nerve is stitched as soon as possible, and if time is lost, function is restored with nerve grafting or other surgeries.
CONCEPTUAL VISUALIZATION- What it is
- The nerve is torn or injured and stops transmitting sensations and commands to the hand muscles.
- How common
- In a study of 1,230,362 people with limb injuries, nerve injury was found in 2.6% of those who injured their hand.
- When to operate
- A severed nerve is stitched as soon as possible: with each month of delay, the chances of recovery decrease.
- Who treats it
- A hand surgeon or plastic surgeon together with a rehabilitation specialist.
01 / WHAT IS ITWhat is
What is
hand nerve injury.
Several nerves control the hand. The median nerve provides sensation to the thumb, index, and middle fingers and controls the muscles of the thumb. The ulnar nerve is responsible for the little finger and the small muscles of the hand — strength and precise movements. The radial nerve extends the wrist and fingers. Along each finger run two thin digital nerves — they provide sensation to the fingertips.
Among the causes are cuts from a knife or glass. In an analysis of all hospitalizations with nerve injuries in England from 2005–2020, nerves at the level of the wrist and below were most often affected, and men were injured at least twice as often as women.
Such an injury is easy to miss: in an American study, only 9% of nerve injuries were recognized in the emergency department. If a finger becomes numb after a cut, a surgeon should examine the wound. Nerves grow back slowly, so sensation and strength return over months and not always completely.
This is general information. The doctor will tell you what will suit you after the examination.
02 / SIGNSHow
How
nerve injury presents.
The signs depend on which nerve is affected and at what level. Most often, patients complain of the following:
Weakness and clumsiness
It is difficult to hold small objects, fasten a button, bring fingers together, or oppose the thumb.
The hand "drops"
The wrist, fingers, and thumb do not extend, grip weakens — this is how radial nerve damage manifests.
The finger does not bend
Along with the nerve, the tendon could have been damaged — they are checked and sutured together.
Hand tendon injuryPain in the scar
Touching the scar gives a "shock" feeling in the finger — this happens with a neuroma, a bundle of nerve fibers that has grown at its end.
The hand feels cold
In the cold, the hand hurts, goes numb, or changes color. This is cold intolerance after injury.
03 / REASONSWhy the nerve?
Why the nerve?
is damaged.
Typical causes of damage to the nerves of the hand and forearm:
Knife cut
According to data from England, the share of nerve injuries from knives has increased over 15 years.
Glass cut
Broken glass, windows, dishes; such injuries in England have decreased, but they still occur.
Fractures and crush injuries
Open fractures, injuries from machines or doors, hand crush injuries — the nerve is stretched or torn.
Soft tissue defectInjury
Shrapnel and gunshot wounds can damage nerves, tendons, and bones at the same time.
Fire woundOperations
Radial nerve paralysis can occur not only after injury but also after hand interventions.
Loss of a finger
After amputation, a painful neuroma can grow at the end of the nerve.
Loss of a finger
04 / SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE
When to seek medical advice?
A fresh wound after which part of a finger or hand has gone numb is a reason to go immediately to the emergency room: it’s better to stitch the nerve in the first few days. An old injury usually does not require urgent care — this is a routine consultation.
103 immediately if:
- the bleeding cannot be stopped;
- the blood gushes, it is bright red, and hard to control;
- a finger or part of the hand has been cut off — press the wound with a bandage and raise the arm; wrap the severed part in gauze moistened with saline or clean water, place it in a closed bag, and put the bag in a container with water and ice: the severed part should not touch the ice or water directly.
Do not delay a visit to the doctor:
Immediately - to the reception department: a part of a finger or hand has gone numb or the finger cannot move after a cut; a deep or large cut on the palm; glass or another object is stuck in the wound — do not remove it by yourself. Immediately — to the surgeon who operated, and if that is not possible, — to the emergency department: after hand surgery, pain or swelling is increasing. On the same day: after injury without a wound — a blow, fracture — part of the hand has lost sensation, a finger does not move, has changed shape or color; the wound has become red, swollen, increasingly painful, pus is coming from it, or a fever has developed. Planned: numbness, weakness, pain in the scar, or intolerance to cold that remained after an old injury.
05 / DIAGNOSTICSAs defined,
As defined,
which nerve was affected.
- Conversation
When and how you were injured, whether the wound was stitched, what has changed since then; what your job is and your dominant hand.
- Sensitivity check
The doctor touches the fingers with thin threads and checks whether you can distinguish the touch of two points close together.
- Strength check
You are asked to extend the wrist, spread the fingers, oppose the thumb — this shows which nerve is not working and at what level.
- Examination of the wound
For a fresh wound with numbness, the nerve is examined in the operating room under magnification.
- Examination
If necessary — electroneuromyography (nerve conduction test), ultrasound or MRI of the nerve.
06 / TREATMENTHow we treat
How we treat
damaged nerve.
The method depends on how much time has passed, whether the ends of the nerve can be approximated, and which functions are lost. The result is influenced by age, level of injury, size of defect, and delay in treatment.
01
A fresh wound
The first days after the injury.
- Suture of the nerve
- The ends of the nerve are sutured under magnification so that there is no tension. Most severed nerves are recommended to be sutured soon after the injury.
- Why not delay
- In an analysis of 623 injuries of the median and ulnar nerves, each month of delay reduced the chances of recovery of movement and sensation. Recovery was better in children and adolescents than in people over 40.
- Digital nerve
- In a review of 30 case series, protective sensation returned in most cases — both with and without a suture. The suture provided more precise sensation, but normal sensation was achieved in less than 25% of sutured nerves; the quality of the evidence is low.
02
Nerve defect
The ends do not approximate without tension.
- Autologous nerve grafting
- A graft from the patient's own sensory nerve is sewn between the ends. In a review of 35 studies (1,559 repairs), for short defects of sensory nerves, significant recovery occurred in 81.6% after autologous nerve grafting and in 62.2% after artificial conduits.
- Artificial conduits
- A Cochrane review (5 studies, 213 participants) does not support their use instead of conventional suturing or autologous nerve grafting: benefits were not proven, and repeat surgeries may have been more frequent, although these data are very uncertain.
03
If function has not returned
Late presentations and incomplete recovery.
- Nerve transfer
- A branch of a healthy neighboring nerve is sutured to the injured one closer to the muscles. In cases of ulnar nerve injury with a poor prognosis, early nerve transfer may be an option instead of waiting for several months.
- Tendon transfer
- The tendon of a working muscle is re-sutured so that it performs the lost movement. For example, wrist and finger extension is restored if the radial nerve has not recovered.
- Neuroma
- A painful neuroma can be removed and the nerve end restored. In a review of 2,082 painful hand neuromas described in the literature, the most commonly affected were digital nerves — 47%.
- Cold intolerance
- According to a systematic review of 17 studies, in most patients it does not resolve over time, and self-help methods are minimally effective.
04
Rehabilitation
Part of the treatment, not an addition.
- Splint and exercises
- After suturing, the hand is worn in a splint protecting the suture for several weeks; exercises are selected by a rehabilitation specialist.
- Sensory re-education
- The brain is relearning to recognize touch. Early retraining with a mirror and combining exercises with temporary skin numbness seemed to improve sensitivity, but only 4 out of 16 studies were of high quality.
07 / AT THE VALIKHNOVSKYI INSTITUTE
How
How
we treat it.
Hand nerve injuries at Dr. Valikhnovskyi’s Institute of Surgery are treated in the "Hand and Foot Restoration" department. Nerves are restored along with tendons, skin, and bones if multiple tissues are affected; after surgery — hand rehabilitation.
CLINIC SERVICE
Hand and foot rehabilitation
Grasping, sensitivity, support, and movement after injuries, wounds, and burns: fingers, tendons, nerves, and bones.
View service
What we do for this condition
- Suture of the nerve — in a fresh injury, when the ends come together without tension; tendons and nerves are better sewn in the first days.
- Nerve graft with own nerve — in case of a nerve defect after a wound or scar removal: a piece of one’s own sensory nerve from the shin or forearm is sewn between the ends.
- Tendon suture — simultaneously with the nerve if the cut affected the tendon as well.
- Local and microsurgical flaps — if the skin and tissues are lost along with the nerve: small defects are covered with local flaps, polystructural ones — with pedicled flaps.
- Hand rehabilitation — splint, exercises with a rehabilitation specialist, sensory retraining, and mirror therapy.
Rostislav Valikhnovskyi
Plastic surgeon, candidate of medical sciences, founder of Dr. Valikhnovskyi Institute of Surgery.
How treatment works with us
- Photos and extracts onlineSend a photo of the hand, a description of the injury, and discharge summaries — the doctor will preliminarily assess the situation.
- ConsultationChecking sensitivity and strength of each finger, examining scars, assessing the age of the injury and previous treatment.
- PlanSuture, plastic surgery, or another operation, which functions can realistically be restored and in what sequence.
- SurgeryThe nerve is restored under a microscope, if necessary — along with tendons and skin.
- RecoverySplint, exercises, and sensory retraining; the doctor will explain the schedule of check-ups — sensitivity returns over months.
08 / QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSCommon
Common
questions
Short answers. What is right for you, the doctor will tell you during the consultation.
Will sensitivity recover on its own?
For digital nerves, the data are contradictory: in reviews of case series, almost all unrepaired nerves regained protective sensation by 6 months, but suturing provided more precise sensation; these are data from small case series, so whether suturing is necessary is decided by the surgeon after examining the wound. For the median and ulnar nerves, the guideline emphasizes: delayed treatment may result in severe deficits.
How long to wait after nerve suturing?
The nerve regrows slowly, so sensation and strength return gradually, over months, and not always completely.
A few months have passed — is it already too late?
With each month of delay, the chances decrease, but options remain: nerve grafting, nerve transfer, or tendon transfer. What is possible for you will be told by the doctor after the examination.
What is the painful spot on the scar?
This could be a neuroma — a tangle of fibers at the end of a damaged nerve. In the review of reported cases on the hand, the digital nerves were most often affected. If pain is problematic, neuromas are surgically removed.
Why does a finger feel cold after an injury?
This is cold intolerance — one of the consequences of nerve injury. According to a systematic review, in most patients it does not go away over time.
What does the outcome depend on?
On age, level of injury, which nerve was affected, defect size, and how much time passed before surgery.
Is rehabilitation necessary?
Yes. The splint protects the suture, exercises restore movement, and sensory retraining helps the brain recognize touch again, although there is still little evidence.
Sources
17 sources · guideline, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, cohorts, and NHSshowCollapse
- Clinical Practice Guideline: The Treatment of Peripheral Nerve InjuriesDeutsches Ärzteblatt International, 2024doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0071 ↗
- Outcome of surgical repair of adult digital nerve injury: a systematic reviewBMJ Open, 2019doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025443 ↗
- Treatment options for digital nerve injury: a systematic review and meta-analysisJournal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2023doi:10.1186/s13018-023-04076-x ↗
- Median and ulnar nerve injuries: a meta-analysis of predictors of motor and sensory recovery after modern microsurgical nerve repairPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2005doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000172896.86594.07 ↗
- Prognosis of Traumatic Ulnar Nerve Injuries: A Systematic ReviewAnnals of Plastic Surgery, 2019doi:10.1097/SAP.0000000000001727 ↗
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Nerve Gap Repair: Comparative Effectiveness of Allografts, Autografts, and ConduitsPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2023doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000010088 ↗
- Bioengineered nerve conduits and wraps for peripheral nerve repair of the upper limbCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012574.pub2 ↗
- The effects of sensory re-education on hand function recovery after peripheral nerve repair: A systematic reviewNeuroRehabilitation, 2021doi:10.3233/NRE-201612 ↗
- Managing cold intolerance after hand injury: A systematic reviewHand Surgery and Rehabilitation, 2023doi:10.1016/j.hansur.2023.01.007 ↗
- Incidence of Nerve Injury After Extremity Trauma in the United StatesHand (New York), 2022doi:10.1177/1558944720963895 ↗
- The incidence and management of peripheral nerve injury in England (2005-2020)Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 2023doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2023.02.017 ↗
- Nerve Versus Tendon Transfers in the Management of Isolated Upper Extremity Peripheral Nerve InjuriesClinics in Plastic Surgery, 2024doi:10.1016/j.cps.2024.02.013 ↗
- Radial Nerve Tendon TransfersHand Clinics, 2016doi:10.1016/j.hcl.2016.03.003 ↗
- The neuroma map: A systematic review of the anatomic distribution, etiologies, and surgical treatment of painful traumatic neuromasSurgery, 2024doi:10.1016/j.surg.2024.05.037 ↗
- Median nerve injury and repairThe Journal of Hand Surgery, 2014doi:10.1016/j.jhsa.2014.01.025 ↗
- Cuts and grazesNHS, 2026nhs.uk/conditions/cuts-and-grazes ↗
- Finger painNHS, 2025nhs.uk/symptoms/hand-pain/finger-pain ↗
The figures on the page are from these sources.
The finger becomes numb
Has the hand weakened?
Send a photo of the hand and a description of the injury. The doctor will say whether the nerve can be restored and by what method.