Thumb And Finger Numb

for the last few weeks i have noticed a constant tingle/numb sensation in my thumb and index finger. anybody experiance this before? could it be related to pressure on the hands from heavy lifts? maybe a pinched nerve in the shoulder? if it does not go away soon i’ll stop by the doc(as much as i hate to) and have him take a look.

probably a nerve. I get the same thing in my bicep and forearm…a tingling, usually when I have bad posture…it comes and goes.

hows your back?

low back pain and numbness in my hands almost always go together with me… or one proceeds the other

Could possibly be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The median nerve ennervates the thumb, index, middle, and half of the ring finger.

Aggravation from things like repetitive trauma (overtly extreme positioning on the hands) some gripping/positioning, etc. can cause this.

The carpal tunnel is about the size of a dime and has 9 tendons that run through it plus the median nerve. The tendons get inflammed and they crowd the median nerve, which causes the numbness/tingling.

One might first think of weight lifting as the source of the trauma, but often its related to how the hand is positioned in other areas (typing, sleeping at night with wrist flexed excessively, etc).

There’s usually not pain associated with it, just the numbness/tingling.

If this is a relatively new phenomenon, avoiding the position/task that causes it will help IMMENSELY! This will require some daily task analysis to see where you have your hand flexed or extended much of the time throughout the day/night.

Hope this helped some.

R

i go numb in my pinky and tumb when doing dips

[quote]mazilla wrote:
for the last few weeks i have noticed a constant tingle/numb sensation in my thumb and index finger. anybody experiance this before? could it be related to pressure on the hands from heavy lifts? maybe a pinched nerve in the shoulder? if it does not go away soon i’ll stop by the doc(as much as i hate to) and have him take a look. [/quote]

I’ve had the exact problem that you are talking about. In my case the Chiropractor said it was caused from heavy lifting. He gave me an adjustment with the “activator” and I was good as new immediately. I cannot recall as it was several years back, but I think the adjustment was somewhere between C1 to C5 area.

Check out this site to see exactly what I mean:

http://www.savagechiropractic.com/Spine_Explore_L2.htm

Go to a good Chiropractor who uses something called an “activator” and you will feel better almost instantly.

Let me know how you make out. PM me if you don’t want to respond on the thread.

Good luck man,

Zeb

[quote]jbishop wrote:
i go numb in my pinky and tumb when doing dips[/quote]

Could be impingement of the median and ulnar nerve. However, could also be circulatory or other issues I’m not as familiar with.

Dips usually start out with the wrist in a neutral position, but as you go downward they extend out which can cause impingements. However, CTS and other cumulative stress disorders aren’t usually the result of “bad wrist/arm/hand positioning” a time or two a week for a short period of time.

It IS possible, but usually it’s the result of other more repetitive movements or positions.

[quote]ZEB wrote:
mazilla wrote:
for the last few weeks i have noticed a constant tingle/numb sensation in my thumb and index finger. anybody experiance this before? could it be related to pressure on the hands from heavy lifts? maybe a pinched nerve in the shoulder? if it does not go away soon i’ll stop by the doc(as much as i hate to) and have him take a look.

I’ve had the exact problem that you are talking about. In my case the Chiropractor said it was caused from heavy lifting. He gave me an adjustment with the “activator” and I was good as new immediately. I cannot recall as it was several years back, but I think the adjustment was somewhere between C1 to C5 area.

Check out this site to see exactly what I mean:

http://www.savagechiropractic.com/Spine_Explore_L2.htm

Go to a good Chiropractor who uses something called an “activator” and you will feel better almost instantly.

Let me know how you make out. PM me if you don’t want to respond on the thread.

Good luck man,

Zeb[/quote]

Nerve impingements in the neck (cervical spine area) can defintely cause similar sypmtoms in various areas of the body.

This is where a person needs to pay close attention to movement performance, head positioning during activity, hand positioning, etc. Cervical issues can make similar CTS symptoms, but needs to be evaluated to see what movements/activities are being performed and what the effect is.

There are of course EMG tests that would help, but not always a viable option.

I can’t diagnos the problem, however, if an issue like this (abnormal numbness/tingleing)presents itself, often times, positioning during activity/sleep WILL help to rectify the issue if caught early enough.

[quote]ZEB wrote:
Go to a good Chiropractor who uses something called an “activator” and you will feel better almost instantly.

Let me know how you make out. PM me if you don’t want to respond on the thread.

Good luck man,

Zeb[/quote]

Yep, the “activators” are the shit!

I’ll never go back to a traditional Chiro again.

thanks for all the info, i will go see the doc asap. the tingling has been pretty solid for a few weeks now. i have noticed when i put my elbow and forearm on my window while i drive it gets worse. also i have a hard time sleeping soundly due to constant shoulder pain, i sleep on my side and it kills my shoulders. thanks again for the advice.

welllll, i went to the sports clinic and the doc says i have tendonitis in my left shoulder, and carpal tunnel in my left wrist.he gave me some anti-inflam’s, and a handout with some rehab exercises. anybody else have tendonitis? what should i expect, and what has helped with your pain?