A hand that has lost sensation and no longer responds as it used to

You suffer a deep cut to your hand or a fracture near the wrist, and suddenly part of the hand loses sensation, as if it no longer belongs to you.

You simply cannot perform certain movements, such as extending the wrist or moving the thumb to grasp objects, however hard you try. This is not a bruise that will go away. You have severe pain and electric shock sensations in the hand, which worsen when the injured area is touched. This may be a serious nerve injury in the hand or wrist.

What is actually happening?

A nerve acts like a bundle of electrical wires: some fibres carry signals from the brain to the muscles, telling them to move, while others carry sensation back. When the wire is cut, current stops flowing in both directions: the muscle receives no movement command and the brain receives no information about touch.

Three main nerves work in the hand. The median nerve provides sensation to the thumb and first three fingers and flexes the thumb and fingers. The ulnar nerve provides sensation in the little finger and half of the ring finger and moves the small muscles of the hand. The radial nerve extends the wrist and fingers. Which nerve is injured, and to what extent, determines the symptoms.

The nerves in the hand run superficially, so they are most easily injured by a cut that severs the nerve together with the skin. Less often, this occurs with fractures and dislocations when displaced bone fragments compress a nearby nerve.

How can you recognize it?

  • loss or clear weakening of sensation in a specific part of the hand or fingers,
  • inability to perform a specific movement, such as extending the wrist or moving the thumb, despite a properly functioning muscle,
  • difficulty with precise finger movements, for example fastening a small button,
  • difficulty gripping, reduced hand strength or characteristic flexion of the fingers, as in a claw hand,
  • severe, stabbing pain and electric-shock sensations when touching or striking the injured area,
  • frequent burns to the fingers or intolerance of cold because of loss of sensation.

Why you should not wait

A nerve that is not reconnected will not restore its continuity on its own, or may do so incorrectly. The muscles that received commands through it gradually waste away; the longer this continues, the more irreversible the atrophy becomes, and recovery of strength or even movement may be impossible, even after repair.

Nerve regeneration is slow, so the earlier the nerve is sutured, the more time there is for regeneration before the muscles atrophy irreversibly.

If a nerve is not sutured in time, a painful neuroma develops. Removing it leaves a defect in the nerve stump, limiting the possibility of directly suturing the injured nerve. Reconstruction then becomes necessary, with a poorer prognosis for regeneration and requiring a less functionally important nerve from another part of the body to reconstruct the more important one.

How we help

We begin with an examination of sensation and muscle strength, supplemented by ultrasound. This shows whether the nerve has retained continuity, whether there is a gap at the injury site, or a neuroma—a painful thickening at the end of the injured nerve. EMG and nerve conduction studies confirm the location and extent of the injury by assessing signal transmission along the nerve.

For less severe injuries without interruption of nerve continuity, observation is usually sufficient: the nerve regenerates spontaneously, and follow-up EMG examinations show the progress.

When a nerve is trapped in scar tissue after an old injury, we release it surgically from the surrounding adhesions. If it is completely severed, we suture the ends under magnification with microsurgical loupes, bringing the nerve fascicles together with precision impossible to achieve with the naked eye. If they cannot be joined without tension, we bridge the defect with a graft or connect the nerve to a neighbouring nerve that is less important functionally.

The goal is simple: a hand that can feel again and follow commands.

Book a consultation

If you have suffered an injury with loss of sensation or movement in your hand, do not wait, because time is crucial for nerve regeneration. Book a consultation. We will determine which nerve is injured and explain what treatment is needed.