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| Lately I've been noticing my left hand has been getting numb. It was just occuring when I was knitting but I really don't do anything that repetative with my hands on a regular basis. I haven't knit it a couple of days (and before that, it's been at least a year since I did it) but from my pinkie finger down through the palm feels numb.
Any suggestions?
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| Hi Rhachel,
I am not a doc so take me with a grain of salt, please. It sounds to me like you could have some compression of your spinal nerves (probably C7-C from your neck. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also possible, but usually does not involve the pinky finger which is why I make the initial suggestion. Do you have neck discomfort? Do you carry a lot of tension in your neck?
Some people are just "wired" differently and their extrremities "go to sleep" easily and often. I knew a girl whose fingers would just go completely white sometimes and she would get numbness. (Her doctor wasn't concerned but I sure was!). This can be a perfectly normal thing from time to time but if it becomes truly bothersome and occures often and/or you notice that your hand(s) are becoming uncharacteristicly clumsy, then it might be time to seek a doctor, chiropracter, yoga therapist, or even a neuromuscular massage therapist.
Good luck |
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| One other note: IF it were cervical compression of spinal nerve (like bulging disc), yoga is an EXCELLENT remedy for this. If you have a very experienced teacher or access to a yoga therapist, you may want to carefully work on asanas that promote gentle traction to the neck and see if that helps. You may wish to also temporarily avoid asanas that can cause compression in the neck (like any pose where you are wearing your shoulders for earrings), headstand, plow or shoulderstand. (I would also like to make a disclaimer before I get slammed for this post that these postures can be very therapeutic for neck trouble depending upon the problem and the expertise of your teacher). But for safety sake, since I don't know your practice, that is my conservative take on the matter. |
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| BTW, you must be very lucky to have the rare and unusual C ! I think people who have that particular genetic predisposition should automaticly have no neck trouble at all!  For us non-superheroes, that was intended to be C8 |
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| Hey Amy-
Just read this thread and how very interesting. My Dad was in a motor home accident-he was the one hit. He has a 40 ft. RV and was towing a truck behind him. His truck was totaled and the back of the RV had to be replaced-quite an impact. Now get this-he suffered from whiplash then developed numbness in both arms from the elbow down. He had already had surgery for carpal tunnel about 10 years prior forcing him to leave his practice as a GYN.
He is seen by the neurosurgeon that reports that numbness radiating down the elbow(s) is very common with whiplash and Dad's was with C5. He also had compression of the radial nerve and moved it to another location (not by much). His numbness decreased, but he still complains about it.
Very interesting about the cervical spine and the arm, hand connection. Amazing how we are made and unique from one another  |
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| Hi Cheryl,
Sorry to hear about your father. I hope he is getting back to his career after being in the care of a good neurosurgeon?
I got dropped on my head during martial arts training and had to get the cervical disc between C5 and C6 removed so I am well versed in the spinal nerve peculiarities emenating from that region. Normally I am not a huge fan of Western (allopathic) medicine for many things, but this is definately the right type of care for emergencies. I never thought I would say this BUT...I heart my neurosurgeon! It reminds me of something my mother once said that REALLY hit home, (Side note, my mother has tumors all in her neck area), "Everything vital and important runs through that very narrow space!"
Edited by flipcat 2006-07-19 6:47 PM
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| Hey Amy,
Thanks for the kind words. My father retired shortly after the carpal tunnel surgery and right before all of the HMO and PPO stuff started. He is from the old school and treats patients as people and not according to insurance!
Sorry about your mother. I hope she is doing OK and is not in a lot of pain.  I am glad that you are comfortable with your neurosurgeon. They are a special breed..very meticulous and likes working in small delicate places  |
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| Hey thanks for the response. I have been working on my headstand and shoulder stand lately. The thing is though, my pinkie and my palm are the only thing that seem to be numb. (Actually this afternoon it started to move into my thumb slightly.) There doesn't seem to be any numbness in my arm. and my neck isn't sore either.
The whole thing is very wierd
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Location: London, England | Hi Rhachel,
Had to look up which one was the pinky finger-why is it called pinky? they're all pink.The nerve supply to this part of the hand is the ulnar nerve (spinal nerve C3-C5). This nerve supplies the pinky and one side of the next finger along. You may also get sensation changes along the side of the palm that runs up to the finger.
How you deal with depends on whether you believe in chiropractic, osteopathy-if you find a good one, they should be able to sort it out very quickly, unless their is something more serious going on. Sort it out as quickly as you can, because if the nerve dies because of lack of nutrition, it will take about two years for an ew one to grow all the way down the arm. Of course you can also compress it at the shoulder, elbow or wrist, but the therapist should be able to isolate the location.
Nick |
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Location: London, England | Hi Flipcat,
"Some people are just "wired" differently and their extrremities "go to sleep" easily and often. I knew a girl whose fingers would just go completely white sometimes and she would get numbness."
This sound like Raynaud's phenomenom-which can be a cause for concern, but is not usually. It can be asociated with scleroderma.
Nick |
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Location: London, England | Hi Rhachel, Just read your last post-now it's your thumb too-best go see the doctor, write down what has happened so that you can give a him a history of the progression, and if you are lucky there will be a chiro /osteo attached to the practice. personally, i would not use a physio for adjusting my spine-the training is meagre, at least in this country
Nick |
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| |Hey thanks for the response. I have been working on my headstand and shoulder stand lately. The thing is though, my pinkie and my palm are the only thing that seem to be numb. (Actually this afternoon it started to move into my thumb slightly.) There doesn't seem to be any numbness in my arm. and my neck isn't sore either.
The whole thing is very wierd|
Dearest Rhachel, only you really know your body but it is possible that you might be working these asanas too much or improperly? (again I don't know your practice so it is only a possibility). Many many, many people as they grow older develop bulging discs and never ever have any symptoms. In fact, western doctors witll likely NOT tell you that you have this if they were to see it on an MRI if you have not complained of those symptoms (so as not to frighten the individual). These are very important, fun and challenging postures so I understand your focus on them. Personally, I always do plow and shoulder stand with a folded towel under my shoulders and I only practice headstand when I feel strong and when I have my very knowlegable teacher's undivided attention. (I am not his only student so I just appreciate the days I do get to work on headstand). I just want you to be sure that you have placed your desires aside and have honestly asked your body what it needs. Many of us get injuries as we learn to balance challenging ourselves with ahimsa (not harming ourselves). The search for our edge is an ever changing art. I am not stating that I think your shouldn't practice these asana or that you have this particular medical issue, but I do not want you to hurt your neck. Much better to pull a muscle or something that can heal with rest than to gamble with the spinal nerves....TRUST ME!
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Hand numbness
