j1b Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Just curious if there are any MD's in here. I've noticed over the past few months a slight "different" feeling in my hands. Can't really describe it, just different. Today was all together different though. My pinky/ring fingers on my left hand are numb. I was at work in a meeting this A.M. and found it strange. It was early, so I figured maybe I slept on it wrong or something. But it's been there all day. Small waves - at some point maybe it went away but even as I type this it's back. It extends into my forearm a touch. It's not something I can really describe, just a numb feeling. A lack of sensitivity if you will. I'm going to wait a few days and see if it stays or goes away. If it stays, or worse yet gets worse then clearly I'll need to get to a doctor. If it goes away then I'll assume my body was doing some natural adjusting. Just wondering if this is something anyone else has experienced? Thanks in advance! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinMike Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I get stuff like that from time to time. A visit or two to the chiropractor works for me. Best to have it looked at by a doc and make sure it's nothing serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 IMO. There are two schools. Those who believe in chiropractors and those who don't...and suffer. I believe in chiropractors for such as you describe. Pinched nerves will do it - and a good chiropractor will fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Carpal tunnel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Abrahams Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 (edited) i still got another year before i get my MD, but it sounds like a you might somehow be putting excess pressure on your ulnar nerve. its the one that hurts like a $%* when you hit your "funny bone." make sure your not resting your elbows or wrists on a hard surface for any extended period of time, such as when typing. if you are, put some padding on that surface and see if that helps. Edited October 28, 2007 by W.Abrahams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 It could be a couple of things. First, see if there is a difference in sensation on either side of the ring finger. The median nerve supplies the thumb side of the ring, the ulnar nerve supplies the little finger side. If you can tell that only the little finger side of the ring is numb, it is most likely the ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve can have pressure on it at multiple levels, compression at the elbow is called cubital tunnel syndrome, and sometimes just a soft elbow pad will limit flexion enough and prevent enough minor trauma that the nerve will recover. The ulnar nerve can also be compressed in the hand, just distal to the wrist along Guyon's canal, if you've been using a lot of vibrating/impact tools, or a lot of bicycle riding with pressure on this area, you can look up hypothenar hammer syndrome and see it that sounds like what you're experiencing. If the entire ring finger seems numb, it may not be the ulnar nerve at all, but rather compression of a nerve up in the neck. The little and ring are supplied by C-8, so this is something that needs to be considered. Sometimes additional diagnostic studies are necessary to pin things down, these might include EMG/Nerve conduction studies, C-spine x-ray/MRI depending on what a detailed history/exam reveals. There are some other rare possibilities. Bottom line, if it has been there a few months, you should probably have it checked out. My recommendation would be for eval by an Orthopedic Surgeon, who will understand the above, a lot of primary care docs won't have a clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Just curious if there are any MD's in here.I've noticed over the past few months a slight "different" feeling in my hands. Can't really describe it, just different. Today was all together different though. My pinky/ring fingers on my left hand are numb. I was at work in a meeting this A.M. and found it strange. It was early, so I figured maybe I slept on it wrong or something. But it's been there all day. Small waves - at some point maybe it went away but even as I type this it's back. It extends into my forearm a touch. It's not something I can really describe, just a numb feeling. A lack of sensitivity if you will. I'm going to wait a few days and see if it stays or goes away. If it stays, or worse yet gets worse then clearly I'll need to get to a doctor. If it goes away then I'll assume my body was doing some natural adjusting. Just wondering if this is something anyone else has experienced? Thanks in advance! J Go see a real doc. I had some thing that started in a similar fashion and it wound up being a herniated disk between C-5 and C-6. Later, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyinBlue Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 wow, lot's of good info and advice here...thanks for this thread. I would take an anti-inflamatory (motrin, Ibuprophen)...with me inflamation causes pinched nerves. Getting old is not for sissies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinMike Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 (edited) It could be a couple of things. First, see if there is a difference in sensation on either side of the ring finger. The median nerve supplies the thumb side of the ring, the ulnar nerve supplies the little finger side. If you can tell that only the little finger side of the ring is numb, it is most likely the ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve can have pressure on it at multiple levels, compression at the elbow is called cubital tunnel syndrome, and sometimes just a soft elbow pad will limit flexion enough and prevent enough minor trauma that the nerve will recover. The ulnar nerve can also be compressed in the hand, just distal to the wrist along Guyon's canal, if you've been using a lot of vibrating/impact tools, or a lot of bicycle riding with pressure on this area, you can look up hypothenar hammer syndrome and see it that sounds like what you're experiencing.Bottom line, if it has been there a few months, you should probably have it checked out. My recommendation would be for eval by an Orthopedic Surgeon, who will understand the above, a lot of primary care docs won't have a clue. Now that you mention it, I did have tingling in my little fingers when I had an ulnar nerve problem. I had tremendous pain in the elbow though. My chiropractor told me to get it checked out, so I saw an orthopedic doc and he referred me to a physical therapist. This started shortly after I started shooting open. Turns out it was an inflamation of the "tunnel" that the ulnar nerve passes through in the elbow. They got it fixed at PT, about 8 weeks worth. Must have been extending my arms too far and the straight back recoil from the open gun was probably battering my elbow. I've gotten the tingling sensation at other times though, with no elbow pain, and the chiropractor was able to fix it. Just depends what the root cause is. Edited October 28, 2007 by AustinMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 wow, lot's of good info and advice here...thanks for this thread.I would take an anti-inflamatory (motrin, Ibuprophen)...with me inflamation causes pinched nerves. Getting old is not for sissies! +1 I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder and it caused the sensation you describe on my entire left arm. My arm would "go to sleep" and it scared my MD to death. He was thinking heart attack before I went in let him check me out. Anti-inflammatorys and a few days did the trick for me. Get it checked out soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1b Posted October 29, 2007 Author Share Posted October 29, 2007 Things are better today. Not much numbness at all. I'll take some ibuprofen though, and will get it checked out if anything persists. Thanks to all for the advice! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulm540 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 (edited) Carpal tunnel? Sounds like it. Looks like the ulnar nerve is involved, hopefully it is just over use. Resting hand splint worn at night may help. Edited October 29, 2007 by bulm540 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerX1166 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Okay, call me silly but I had the same thing happen to me earlier this year and I fixed it by changing my pillow. I was resting my head just close enough to my hand to cause the loss of sensation. Changed the pillow and the position I slept in and cleared it right up. Look for any changes you may have made recently to your sleeping position. I traced that tingling and a healthy case of bursitis in my shoulder back to how I slept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 My 2 pesos.... I had a shoulder injury a couple of weeks ago that resulted in a nerve impingement of some sort (my thumb in index finger on the left hand were somewhat numb, arm was weak trying to use the bicep, pins and needles effects on the top part of my lower arm, etc). Its healed up over time with some rest, though still isn't perfect. John's laid out the MD route pretty clearly. If I hadn't started seeing improvement, that was going to be the next step for me... I hit the chiro twice (not much improvement there, for me, in this case), and the acupuncturist once (which did make a big difference for me) (I can see John rolling his eyes from here... ). I can tell you that mine made shooting really tough. When the weak hand isn't going where you're telling it to (or where its telling you its going), it really makes things wonky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyinBlue Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Okay, call me silly but I had the same thing happen to me earlier this year and I fixed it by changing my pillow. I was resting my head just close enough to my hand to cause the loss of sensation.Changed the pillow and the position I slept in and cleared it right up. Look for any changes you may have made recently to your sleeping position. I traced that tingling and a healthy case of bursitis in my shoulder back to how I slept. I did the pillow change also...a memory foam contoured pillow. Never slept as good and I noticed the neck pain went away and the tingling in my arms also disappeared. I take it everywhere I go and if I forget my pillow, I can't sleep and I wake up with a pain in my neck. (no, not Jim) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireant Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I'll have to try the pillow next. I've had the same thing in both arms for the last 8 months or so. I guess I just hate going to the doctor anytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerba Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 ...a pain in my neck. (no, not Jim) Yes, we know. If it was Jim, it would be a different part of your body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyinBlue Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 ...a pain in my neck. (no, not Jim) Yes, we know. If it was Jim, it would be a different part of your body. HAHAHAHAAAAAA....you got that right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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