Numbness in right pinky finger and ring finger and outside of hand

I have been experiencing numbness and tingling in my little finger and ring finger on my right hand and some numbness on the side of my hand.  It is beginning to interfere with my normal activities.  I went to my general practitioner who sent me for a nerve conduction test.  The physiatrist who conducted the test told me I had carpal tunnel syndrome.  However, everything I have researched on the internet suggests I have ulnar nerve entrapment or possibly a cyst in the Guyon canal.  I am not experiecing any symptoms in the fingers related to carpal tunnel syndrome.  I fear that, if I have not been properly diagnosed and treated, I could lose the use of my hand through muscle wasting, a result of untreated ulnar nerve entrapment.  I need some guidance as to what I need to do to get a proper diagnosis.

[Red931]

Usually when the pinky and ring finger are numb it is in fact the Ulnar Nerve that is damaged or entrapped. This is called Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

You will have to wait until your doctor reviews your EMG and see what he or she suggests. Depending on what the numbers were in certain locations you may be prescribed physical therapy or surgery to have the Ulnar Nerve relocated. The surgery usually will be your only option if the fingers start to curl in to the palm of the hand.

I had the surgery. It is not that bad but it leaves a scar of about six to nine inches long on the inside of the affected are from the bicep to the forearm.

Good Luck.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Thank you for your question. Although without being able to examine you I can not offer you the specific advice on diagnosis and treatment that you need, but I would try to provide you some relevant information about your health concern.

From the symptoms you describe, it sounds that it could be a circulatory disturbance (due to compression of blood vessels) or a nerve pinched.   Additionally, this may be associated with impingement of nerve or frank carpal tunnel syndrome in which median nerve is impinged leading to numbness, tingling sensation or pain. I would advise an orthopedic consultation who may investigate the problem with help of X-ray or MRI of the hand to reach to a probable diagnosis and further treatment required as per the diagnosis achieved. The first line of treatment mostly involves a splint to stabilize the wrist and needs to be worn at night or during the day for several weeks. Surgery may be successful in your case but suggested on severity and duration of nerve compression. Hot and cold compresses may also be helpful. In addition, avoid/reduce the number of repetitive wrist movements whenever possible. Hope this helps.

[MiniDog]

Thank you for your response.  Finally someone knows what I am talking about.  Doctors seem to want to pass this off as carpal tunnel syndrome although none of the fingers involved are related to the carpal tunnel.  I have no problems with my wrist, thumb, index or middle fingers.  My numbness is restricted to the little finger and the outside of my ring finger and outside of my hand on my right hand - I am lefthanded.  Overuse is not an issue as I am extremely lefthanded.  I agree this is a problem with the ulnar nerve.  I am seeking a second opinion from a university hospital in St. Louis.  I would appreciate comments from anyone who has either experienced this condition or treated it.

[medicmommy]

Hello. My sister experienced something similar and she had a problem with nerves from her neck being pinched (she had a deteriorating disk in her neck). Perhaps you may need to have your neck checked out as well...~MM

[MiniDog]

Thanks for the suggestion to have my neck checked out.  I have the name of an orthopaedic surgeon at a unversity hospital and plan to make an appointment tomorrow.  I asked the physiatrist who conducted the EMG test if this could be coming from my neck and she said no.  However, again in researching the Internet, I learned the ulnar nerve starts at the neck, runs behind the collar bone and down the inside of the arm to the elbow then to the last two fingers.  I am losing faith in the doctors in my area.  They just seem to want to pass off whatever you have as the first thing that comes to their minds or tell you it's all in your head.    I went to five different doctors from 1996 to 2003 before I was finally  diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  The last doctor I saw then was at a teaching hospital.  He referred me to rheumatologist who is treating me for the fibromyalgia.

[medicmommy]

After having my symptoms of two separate and very serious medical issues "blown off" twice by doctors, I've learned to become a medical advocate for myself. At one point, I actually carried around my personal medical chart with copies of everything in it (labs, radiology reports, etc), so when I hit the doctor,"Oh, I don't have that test result" reply, I could hand it to them. At one point I had to refuse to leave my Dr's office because she didn't want to do a particular diagnostic blood test when all of my symptoms warranted it. (I never did get a reason why -maybe justification to the insurance company?) Anyhow, I got the test, and I was right. It pinpointed the problem -one which could have had fatal results if it had gone on more than a few more months.
Back to the neck thing...I'm a paramedic who has been picking up people larger than myself for most of my 24 year career. As a result, I get muscular neck pain now and then which also causes my cervical vertebrae to misalign and causes the outside of my hand, and my two outside (pinkie, ring) fingers to tingle or feel cold, or go mostly numb. Mine is relieved by a chiropractic adjustment (or two) and massage therapy. Perhaps this is the case with you as well...Good luck! ~MM
P.S. It's called "Medical Practice" for a reason....

[melea69]

i broke my right arm in a car accident. they said it was a spiral frature to my humerous bone.  they did not do surgery but now my right pinky and my ring finge has been going numb. this has been happening since i broke my arm i told the doctor but he said it was nothing. but it has to be somthing for my arm to all of a sudden start going numb he won't even send me in to get a nerve test done what should i do? i feel it more in my pinky then anywhere else

[MiniDog]

If you can get an appointment without a doctor referral to a specialist, i.e. hand surgeon, you should get a second opinion.  I got a referral directly from my health insurance advocate after talking to the Call a Nurse line.  I have an appointment May 13 with a hand surgeon at a university hospital.  I am not a doctor, but I have done enough research on the subject to know that something has to be pinching the ulnar nerve to have the numbness in the pinky and ring fingers.   My numbness is also more prominent in my pinky finger.  You may have a pinched nerve as a result of the fracture.  Medicmommy said she tried chiropractic adjustment to relieve her symptoms.  Perhaps that would work for you.  That will be my next option if I have no luck with the hand surgeon.  Good luck to you.

[FeelingThePain]

I have just started having these symptoms of the ulnar nerve being pinched; numbness and tingling in my right hand pinky and ring fingers as well as the out portion of my hand.  Thanks to all of you for your comments.  They have all been very helpful and PLEASE, always know that you are your BEST medical advocate!