Strange. It happened a couple days ago too. They suddenly went into a half numb feeling for about an hour. Now it happened on the way to work and they still feel that way. What's going on, Doc?

. . .use a computer a lot?

carpal tunnel?

[en.wikipedia.org]

---

_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Could be actually. It says it affects mainly the thumb and index fingers but I use a Wacom all day so my wrist is actually resting on the tablet most of the time making sense for my pinky to be feeling numb. This kinda sucks.

If you were older and fat, I'd worry about circulation and your heart.

If it's CT, change the way you work RIGHT NOW.

Wrong side for carpal tunnel. The median nerve supplies the thumb, index, middle and (variably) the ring finger. It runs through the carpal tunnel sheath and is therefore prone to injury if the sheath is inflamed or narrowed.

Pinky and ring finger is more likely to be from the ulnar nerve. It doesn't pass through the sheath, but can get irritated from pressure. Ulnar neuropathies can also originate at the elbow. The ulnar nerve is close to the surface there (it's the "funny bone").

Do you rest your elbow on anything regularly?
The "inside" of the point of your elbow is a nerve, and pressing on it "just so" can make your hand numb and it can make it numb for quite some time.

I learned this shooting from the prone position... if you put your rifles weight on your elbow on that particular spot, you can end up with numb fingers for hours. If you shoot a lot, you can lose feeling in those fingers for months!
One of the guys I shoot with lost feeling in those two fingers for 6 months, and gave up shooting prone for a long time until he rebuilt his position so it wasn't pressing on that nerve (kinda like a golfer rebuilding his swiing.....).

If it persists, I'd definitely consult a doctor.

---

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

Ahhh, thanks...it's not funny though.

If I'd just waited a few mintues to reply, I could have just said "yeah, what dochocson said"...


That, or I gotta learn to type faster

---

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

I may have "frozen shoulder".
Supposed to stay off the PC for a couple days.
Actually seems to be helping, so a whole new desk arrangement may be in the works.
If not,
Then it's x-ray and maybe MRI.

I concur with the "resting your elbow" diagnosis. Stop putting your elbow on armrests or other surfaces and see if it clears it up. It worked for me.

I think you have cancer.

I know this because I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.


Craig

Ulnar is half of ring finger toward pinky and pinky. May have bumped elbow or constant pressure on elbow may have caused this. It has a mix of sensations. Tingles, numb, hot, cold and more. Mine is from scar tissue resulting from severe burns.

I do this for a living.

It sounds like you're probably compressing the nerve at/near Guyon's canal (hook of the hamate bone in your wrist) or Cubital Tunnel ("funny bone"/elbow).

By your brief description it's the former.

This page isn't bad:
[orthoinfo.aaos.org]


The most appropriate action at this point would be to "take the spoon out of the cup", in other words find a way to distribute the pressure differently while resting your hand; problems like this are often analogous to a hose that's kinked in several places, so, additionally:
-if you sleep with your arms curled up to your body, try to stop
-if you typically hold your elbows bent while keyboarding, find some way to straighten them (move the KB back maybe)
-and if you're resting that arm on the elbow, find a way to stop.

Quote
billb
I may have "frozen shoulder".
Supposed to stay off the PC for a couple days.
Actually seems to be helping, so a whole new desk arrangement may be in the works.
If not,
Then it's x-ray and maybe MRI.

Huh? Frozen shoulder, AKA "adhesive capsulitis", is pretty extreme . . . rare in folks much younger than 70 . . . I rarely see it in men, mostly women; are you generally arthritic?

Wow lots to read! Not arthritic. Pretty healthy with muscles. I would figure this to happen on my left side more (always resting elbow on window when driving) than right (drawing side)

I was asking billb whether arthritic, not you.
Next time you might want to specify a maximum number of replies sought if you are only able to sift through 3 or 4 responses before becoming overwhelmed.

This is a good time to start a lifelong program of the kind of exercise that relaxes you and gently stretches and wrings out your tendons, such as tai chi or yoga. These act slowly, but they help many people.

I get those symptoms in both hands if I do too much text entry. It was bad enough at one time that I saw a hand and arm specialist about it. He said I had cubital tunnel syndrome, and told me to cut way back on text entry. He also had me start exercising my hands and arms. The problem has never gone away, but it is much, much better now.

OOps sorry to hoard your thread.
My point was just to not totally ignore it, especially if it "goes away".
At bare minimum, bring it up at the DR's at the next visit.



Ho'- I've got 15 years to go for 70.
I'm supposed to be doing stretching "warm up" exercises, too.

If it is capsulitus it's supposed to get worse before better, so I'm hoping this pain is not it.
I've had no athritis, but my Dad did. So I'm expecting it.
This may be just athritis, but it's a bit much a bit fast.
I think cortizone experiment is next visit or two visits away.
I want to be in denial. I'm too young for this crap.