Can cardboard chemicals cause finger tingling and numbness?

Question

Hello doctor,

I was wondering if I might have a reaction to cardboard or the chemicals in it. About eight months ago, I started working in a warehouse handling cardboard boxes. After about a week, my fingers began to tingle and bother me. The best way to describe it is like the numbness you get when you fall asleep on your hands. The only thing that helped was icing them. After I stopped working there, everything returned to normal within a week or two. I recently started working with boxes again, and the same thing is happening to my fingers. Could there be something in the cardboard that I am reacting to? I wear work gloves, but over-the-counter pain pills do not help, and pain relief gel only provides slight relief. Is there anything I should do to make this go away?

Kindly suggest.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Well, the complaints you are describing seem more like nerve compression than an allergic reaction. Allergies are common in workplaces where you handle new materials, but they usually cause skin eruptions and peeling (contact dermatitis). Since you are experiencing more tingling and numbness, it sounds more like nerve compression, possibly due to the fine motor movements you are doing, which might compress the nerve, something similar to carpal tunnel syndrome.

To confirm this, we would need to do nerve conduction velocity (NCV) studies. In the meantime, I suggest you wear a wristband while working to prevent the nerve from being compressed. You can look this up online and see if your symptoms align with it, and let me know what you find.

I hope this has helped you.

Thank you.