Numbness in fingers

[boomhauer]

I've been noticing some numbness in my small finger on my left hand for the past couple of weeks. I've read that carpal tunnel affects the first 3 fingers more than anything, and the numbness only is in the last 2. Anyone familiar with what this could be? No real pain, just a pins and needles type feeling.

 

[MushyMushy]

There's something similar to carpal tunnel -- cubital tunnel. My husband got a really bad case of it a few years ago and let it go far too long. He went until everything up to his ring finger was numb. he had surgery, which started to reverse the damage. His fingers will never be the same, but it's sure a lot better than it was.

 

[Golf4food]

If you work at a computer all day make sure your area is ergonomically sound - that your elbows aren't bent too much, shoulders aren't tensed and raised, etc. I get a similar pins and needles sensation in my right pinky from using a mouse and keyboard at work all day because my desk is too high to be comfortable and thus my elbow is bent a lot every day - so I wind up with a numb pinky and Tennis elbow, more or less... but the company is supposed to be fixing the problem soon...

 

[BillSears]

There's something similar to carpal tunnel -- cubital tunnel. My husband got a really bad case of it a few years ago and let it go far too long. He went until everything up to his ring finger was numb. he had surgery, which started to reverse the damage. His fingers will never be the same, but it's sure a lot better than it was.

I did the same thing. I let it go for 10 years before seeing a doctor about it. My surgeon said it was the second worst case he's ever had. On the other hand he did a subcutaneous transposition of the ulnar nerve and all of the pain and a lot of the numbness is gone.

If it's not bad enough for an operation try chaning how you hold your arm. When your elbow is bent you put pressure on the ulnar nerve in your elbow. I eventually taught myself to sleep with my arm extended instead of bent and to keep my arm extended when not in use during the day. That helped a lot.

 

[Crankyshank]

I've had it for years. It's like Musy said, a problem similar to carpal tunnel called cubital tunnel

 

[disykat]

Timely thread. I'm currently on steroids trying to get rid of inflammation of my ulnar nerve. Mine was a sudden problem and I couldn't tie it to an injury or overuse. It's even my left hand, so not the one I use the most. No symtons whatsever until I was swollen and numb from my elbow to my fingers! I'm hoping this is a one shot thing for me!

I almost posted a thread about this a few days ago.

 

[daisax]

I had that, finally went to the neurologist and he told me to stop leaning on my left elbow when I read (I read much of the day at work).

Sure enough, pressure off the ulnar nerve... problem solved.

Examine your work habits to see if you're doing something involving leaning on the elbow on the same side as your problem.

 

[MushyMushy]

I had that, finally went to the neurologist and he told me to stop leaning on my left elbow when I read (I read much of the day at work).

Sure enough, pressure off the ulnar nerve... problem solved.

Examine your work habits to see if you're doing something involving leaning on the elbow on the same side as your problem.

It was the leaning that got my husband too. When he drove (3 hours a day), he would keep his left arm bent and leaning on the door of his car almost the entire drive.

 

[maelstrom]

My fingers have been getting numb lately, but it's the first three, so it's probably carpal tunnel. That was pretty much inevitable for me.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

My fingers go numb when a certain part of my back is out. A quick visit to the Chiro. and I'm like new.

 

[boomhauer]

It's weird that it just started for me. I worked in CS for 10 years where I would be keying in orders all day. I would have thought it would have start bothering me then. I've been out of that job for over a year now and it just started. Since I started working on my own, not nearly as much is done on a computer, so I don't think the ergonomic work station thing would be a factor.
I probably wasn't sitting in the "normal" posistion all those years and that's what damaged it I'm guessing.

 

[Topper]

I probably wasn't sitting in the "normal" posistion all those years and that's what damaged it I'm guessing.

Perhaps. What kind of work/activity are you doing now?

 

[mickeyfan2]

Check with HR and get your area ergomonically set up. A wrist rest is a must.

 

[mattsdragon]

I had that, actually, numbness in my pinkie and ring finger, and like a stinging sensation in one side of my elbow on the same hand.

Turned out I had a tumor on my spinal cord (benign thankfully). It wreaked havoc on my neck, but two surgeries later, I'm doing much better. If the pain persists, definitely see a doctor. If I had waited a little longer, I would probably be a quadrapalegic now.

 

[mrsstats]

Could be a pinched nerve in your neck from a herinated disc. I would see a dr & perhas get a MRI

 

[daisax]

Even if your work situation is ergonomic... what about your home habits? When you read the Dis, do you find yourself "tilted" onto one elbow?

And like the other poster said -- could be the way you drive, also.

 

[DISUNC]

I've been noticing some numbness in my small finger on my left hand for the past couple of weeks. I've read that carpal tunnel affects the first 3 fingers more than anything, and the numbness only is in the last 2. Anyone familiar with what this could be? No real pain, just a pins and needles type feeling.

Welcome to Old Age!

 

[weregoingtodw]

Ditto what a PP said about a herniated disk. I have herniated C5-C6 and when it's flaring up, I get numbness of those same fingers.

On the plus side, surgery was recommended for me almost 3 years ago and ::knock on wood:: I've been able to go thus far without it!

 

[lyzziesmom]

I get this all the time, but I know exactly why. 6 years ago, I broke my left elbow and shattered the groove that the ulnar ("funny-bone") nerve sits in. When the bones were repaired, the surgeon had to sit the ulnar nerve on top of the bones, just under the skin. So if I lean wrong on my elbow, or even just have my hand hanging down by my side for too long, BAM! it's numb from elbow to pinky, including the ring finger.

In a normal arm, the ulnar nerve can be easily irritated. As others have said, you're probably leaning on it at the computer or while driving or sleeping without even being aware of what you're doing. If it persists, go see a doctor to rule out anything serious. If it subsides on its own, make a note of what you might be doing differently so as not to bother the nerve and continue doing that.

 

[Kath2003]

I have little/no sensation on the tip of my right thumb. A few months ago I just couldn't feel thing from the tip to half way along, now it's just the very tip. The doctor checked for circulation (fine) and said that I'd either cut or damaged a nerve, and that sensation would probably return in time - either weeks if the nerve was damaged or months if the nerve was cut. It's been about 4 months and the feeling is returned in about 80% of the effective area. It means I don't notice when I'm bleeding from it though

When I told my boyfriend, I said "It could be leprosy!". His response? "Baby, if things start falling off, it's over!"