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20829613 tn?1526537644

Right-handed numbness and underarm/shoulder pain—what is the connection?

Hello all, hopefully someone here can give some insight into what might be going on with me. I am early 40's, in good general health, on no medications and no history of major illness.

A few years ago, I noticed that sitting forward on the couch while I watched TV created a strange strained feeling in my right shoulder/armpit. If I didn't change my position, it would eventually lead to numbness in the fingertips of my right hand. I use my hands for work a lot, and because I've had bouts of both both carpal and ulnar tunnel syndrome in the past, I initially did not think too hard about this couch-related sensation. I learned to just sit back on the couch, which basically solved the problem.

There were a few other ways to trigger this armpit pain/finger numbness issue. For instance, sometimes it would hit first thing in the morning, because I tended to sleep on my side with my right arm stretched under my head, so the circulation occasionally got cut off. That was easy to shake off in a few minutes. The other ways it might show up is if I used a standing table too long, or played piano. And sometimes if I turned my head up and to the right, it would create an agitated feeling along the nerves of my neck and shoulder that would lead to finger numbness.

Fast forward to about a month ago, when the inner shoulder pain has gotten easier to trigger. Minor exertion does it, changes in posture can do it, sleeping in certain positions can do it etc. And now more recently the numbness has come back, and is getting harder to avoid and harder to shake off. My hand has basically been numb for the past few days, with the only relief coming when I recline almost completely and make sure not to turn my head to the right. The pain itself is tolerable, as is the numbness, but the implications bother me. And now there seems to be some weakness of grip in the affected hand, as confirmed by the doctor I saw earlier today. He said he didn't believe my issue was CPT-related because the site of the discomfort was my shoulder—or actually, he said he called what I had "trapezius strain." He just prescribed some Aleve and another, fancier NSAID and told me to go to a physical therapist. He did not seem very concerned, but he also did nothing to help me understand what caused this nerve sensitivity or how to avoid aggravating it. It wouldn't be as easy as just avoiding the positions that make the symptoms worse, because it's literally like 25% of my natural upper body motions now risk causing more "damage."

My question is not really about how to alleviate the pain - I can live with that, though obviously if anyone wants to tackle that angle, please do. My question is more about recovery and prevention. Do these extended bouts of numbness run the risk of causing any atrophy or permanent weakening of the hand? The numbness only affects spots, not the entire fingers, but I don't want to be too nonchalant if that's still a sign of something worse to come.

And Does anyone understand what the armpit/fingertip connection is? Again, it seems related to how I hold my head/shoulders, but that is still within the normal range of movements, and if I lose that range or have to avoid it indefinitely, I will start to look like Quasimodo. How can I avoid exacerbating it while still performing my regular work/recreational activities? And how long (if ever) will it take before I can regain a normal sensation in my fingers and a regular range of motion? Is this nerve damage? Am I pinching it somehow?

The longer I go without any answers, the more I worry that I am causing irreversible damage somehow, by re-agitating this nerve in different ways. I realize I am probably being overly pessimistic, and the doctor said that while he was mildly concerned with the issue, he felt that because of my age and the fact that there was no obvious disease that I shouldn't worry too much. But at the same time, he really did not ask me much and seemed to be in a hurry to get me out of the office, which seems typical of many doctors I've encountered, so it's hard for me to know whether I am overreacting or not.

I made an appointment with another doctor in week in order to get a second opinion, and I also have a physical therapy appointment further down the line. But I still have days of wondering (and unfortunately, worrying) in between.

There's probably more but I'll pause here for now and see if anyone has a clue. Thanks in advance.
3 Responses
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973741 tn?1342342773
I'm so glad you have an answer!  Psychical therapy is amazing and I highly recommend it.  I would not look at further reasons for hand numbness as that is a remnant of the impinged nerve.  Health anxiety is anxiety and can be treated the same way.  Medication helps and therapy.  :>)  Let us know how you are doing.  good luck
Helpful - 0
973741 tn?1342342773
The way our nerves run through out body is fascinating and this sounds like a classic nerve issue. Radiculopathy is the name for when a nerve is compressed somewhere and would guess this is the reason you are having this issue.  An orthopedist is the right doctor to see for this and they may opt to do an MRI to find where the compression is.  You are right on that it is probably an impingement in the neck or shoulder.  Physical therapy is also a good idea. They don't so much manipulate joints and your body but help you with gentle stretches and exercises to help release the area that this is happening in.   Think of something like sciatica, a well known nerve compression situation people are in.  The recommendation is often to stretch which can greatly help.  

Anyway, see an orthopedist and let us know the outcome!  Hope this is getting better. My husband had something similar.  (he got better, no surgery required). good luck  
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
You are right—the doctor did call it a radiculopathy. I wasn't referred to an orthopedist but I was told that an MRI couldn't hurt (the doctor didn't think it was completely necessary but sided with caution). Anyway, thank you. As I said to Purple, the second opinion today confirms physical therapy as the path to take, along with hot compresses and NSAIDs. Even more than the numbness, the intermittent weakness in the affected hand worries me a little. But as I mentioned, I am a mild hypochondriac and may be psyching myself out. I will keep you all posted and thank you again for your input!
5536886 tn?1455827346
I think it's a very wise idea to get a second opinion.  Numbness and pain on this level shouldn't just be 'normal'.  Have you tried a chiropractor?  I think it's good to pursue that second opinion, but also might be worth a trip to the chiropractor to see if they can give you a few adjustments and see if that helps.  
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you. I got a second opinion today and the consensus seems to be physical therapy, hot compresses and NSAIDs. It was classified as a radiculopathy with no obvious cause. The numbness fluctuates based on my activity so I will try to pinpoint what triggers it. There was and still is some minor weakness of grip in my affected hand that is bothering me but it too comes and goes. Very strange. I will keep you all updated, thanks again.
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