Why are my hands falling asleep? Let's brainstorm.

[Harriet Vane]

I am having real trouble with my hands and am a little frustrated by medical professionals who keep telling me that I am either "fine" or that my problems are "mild."

 

For roughly two decades both hands have experienced very mild, light numbness in certain positions: laying on my back with my hands on my stomach, holding a phone to my ear, sometimes using the computer mouse, that sort of thing.

 

I do have small bone spurs on my spine, especially c4-c6. I also have mild scoliosis--my curve is NOT very severe, though.

 

At one point, ten years ago, a chiropractor was able to make my hand fall asleep (on purpose--she was testing a theory) by pulling on my head and manipulating my spine. My hands immediately went all pins-and-needles. That chiropractor then hypothesized that when she did that particular movement, she was actually rubbing the bone spur along the nerve, thus creating the effect. That made sense to me.

 

When I do certain exercises and stretches, I have reduced pain and greater head mobility. When I don't do them, I have difficulty turning my head to the left, pain in the neck and upper spine, and more hand numbness.

 

A year and a half ago I slipped on my stairs, resulting in a wild scramble and thud into the wall. Since that time I have had a painful knot on my upper left scapula, inside near the spine. Neither chiropractic care, massage, or physical therapy have fixed this, though massage softened it up a bit. This past autumn, with two moves in five weeks as well as rearranging furniture, my left shoulder tightened up really badly. My shoulders are now visibly uneven, with pain and significant muscle tension in my left scalenes, left pectoral muscles, neck, and upper spine.

 

I started aggressive chiropractic care and physical therapy--chiro care for two months, pt for one month as well as massage. Two weeks ago the physical therapist did traction on my neck for two sessions of ten minutes each. Later in the day after the second session my hands started falling asleep big time.

 

NOW, I have both hands falling asleep both randomly and in certain positions as described above. It's a much stronger pins-and-needles effect. The first week after the traction at the pt's office, I was really alarmed by how often and how strong the sensations were occurring. It's calmed down since then but is still happening on both sides but mostly on the left.

 

I had an MRI that affirmed the presence of the bone spurs, and also showed a slightly bulging disc c4-c6? (I don't have the report right in front on me, but the point is that the disc is there, and is in the same place as the bone spurs.)

 

The dr does not think the spurs or bulging discs fully explains my symptoms.

 

I went for an EMG this morning which is mostly normal. The only damage was in my right arm, and the dr thought it was attributable to an old injury from a number of years ago that caused tendonitis in that elbow.

 

Is it the disc and bone spur combination? If so, why don't the drs think so? (Both the EMG guy and the ortho were skeptical.)

 

My sister has MS. My symptoms are nothing like hers. I have never had mono either (she had it twice). My spine does not indicate MS, but my understanding is that we would need an MRI of the brain to determine that. I am not real eager to push for that, though, because I think my problems are due to the bone spur and bulging disc.

 

Is there something I am not thinking of? Why are my hands falling asleep? Why do the drs minimize the effects of the bone spurs and bulging disc?

[dansamy]

Have you seen a neurologist or a neurosurgeon? Has anyone done nerve conduction studies?

 

Ah. I see they did an EMG. There's usually two parts. One part (EMG) looks at the quality of signal. The other (NCV) tests how fast a signal is traveling on the nerves. Your problem should be seen on the EMG portion though. When they did the test, were your hands numb/tingly? Did you induce the "asleep" sensation and then test? This is like a car with an intermittent electrical short. If you can't reproduce the problem, it's hard to pinpoint. I would want the test performed while the sensation is being induced. It sounds very positional to me.

Edited February 17, 2012 by dansamy

[Liz CA]

I am having real trouble with my hands and am a little frustrated by medical professionals who keep telling me that I am either "fine" or that my problems are "mild."

 

For roughly two decades both hands have experienced very mild, light numbness in certain positions: laying on my back with my hands on my stomach, holding a phone to my ear, sometimes using the computer mouse, that sort of thing.

 

I do have small bone spurs on my spine, especially c4-c6. I also have mild scoliosis--my curve is NOT very severe, though.

 

At one point, ten years ago, a chiropractor was able to make my hand fall asleep (on purpose--she was testing a theory) by pulling on my head and manipulating my spine. My hands immediately went all pins-and-needles. That chiropractor then hypothesized that when she did that particular movement, she was actually rubbing the bone spur along the nerve, thus creating the effect. That made sense to me.

 

When I do certain exercises and stretches, I have reduced pain and greater head mobility. When I don't do them, I have difficulty turning my head to the left, pain in the neck and upper spine, and more hand numbness.

 

A year and a half ago I slipped on my stairs, resulting in a wild scramble and thud into the wall. Since that time I have had a painful knot on my upper left scapula, inside near the spine. Neither chiropractic care, massage, or physical therapy have fixed this, though massage softened it up a bit. This past autumn, with two moves in five weeks as well as rearranging furniture, my left shoulder tightened up really badly. My shoulders are now visibly uneven, with pain and significant muscle tension in my left scalenes, left pectoral muscles, neck, and upper spine.

 

I started aggressive chiropractic care and physical therapy--chiro care for two months, pt for one month as well as massage. Two weeks ago the physical therapist did traction on my neck for two sessions of ten minutes each. Later in the day after the second session my hands started falling asleep big time.

 

NOW, I have both hands falling asleep both randomly and in certain positions as described above. It's a much stronger pins-and-needles effect. The first week after the traction at the pt's office, I was really alarmed by how often and how strong the sensations were occurring. It's calmed down since then but is still happening on both sides but mostly on the left.

 

I had an MRI that affirmed the presence of the bone spurs, and also showed a slightly bulging disc c4-c6? (I don't have the report right in front on me, but the point is that the disc is there, and is in the same place as the bone spurs.)

 

The dr does not think the spurs or bulging discs fully explains my symptoms.

 

I went for an EMG this morning which is mostly normal. The only damage was in my right arm, and the dr thought it was attributable to an old injury from a number of years ago that caused tendonitis in that elbow.

 

Is it the disc and bone spur combination? If so, why don't the drs think so? (Both the EMG guy and the ortho were skeptical.)

 

My sister has MS. My symptoms are nothing like hers. I have never had mono either (she had it twice). My spine does not indicate MS, but my understanding is that we would need an MRI of the brain to determine that. I am not real eager to push for that, though, because I think my problems are due to the bone spur and bulging disc.

 

Is there something I am not thinking of? Why are my hands falling asleep? Why do the drs minimize the effects of the bone spurs and bulging disc?

 

Have you seen a neurosurgeon? I would imagine that the bone spur and slightly slipped discs can easily cause this. Time to try a different doctor. Sorry, nothing is worse than having to run from medical professional to medical professional while in pain.

[treestarfae]

I would look for a neuro muscular therapist or someone excellent in acupressure to loosen the muscles. Using direct pressure into spasms works. Chiro and physical therapy do not use this technique and for me they made my issues worse.

[whitestavern]

I think your symptoms are being caused by the spurs and bulging disc. I had a similar experience. My hands and feet were going numb for several months. I was convinced I had MS because I didn't have any injury that I knew of, nor did I remember overtaxing myself in any way to cause damage to my neck or back. I ended up seeing a neurologist who did the nerve testing you had done. There was no nerve damage. He was pretty sure it was a spur causing the problem, so we did an MRI. Sure enough there was a spur. He treated me w/a 6 day course of steroids. It took a long time for the symptoms to go away; about 6-8 weeks after I finished the medication (doc told me this would be the case), but I am fine now. You might want to talk to your doctors about steroidal treatment.

[Harriet Vane]

I think your symptoms are being caused by the spurs and bulging disc. I had a similar experience. My hands and feet were going numb for several months. I was convinced I had MS because I didn't have any injury that I knew of, nor did I remember overtaxing myself in any way to cause damage to my neck or back. I ended up seeing a neurologist who did the nerve testing you had done. There was no nerve damage. He was pretty sure it was a spur causing the problem, so we did an MRI. Sure enough there was a spur. He treated me w/a 6 day course of steroids. It took a long time for the symptoms to go away; about 6-8 weeks after I finished the medication (doc told me this would be the case), but I am fine now. You might want to talk to your doctors about steroidal treatment.

 

Thanks for sharing--it's actually a relief to hear from someone who has had similar issues. It's been pretty frustrating trying to figure this out.

 

What do the steroids do for this problem? What would happen if I choose not to have steroids?

[KidsHappen]

I have those exact same symptoms and although I do have back issues none of them are the same as yours. I have never really gave it much thought. Sometimes the muscles in my right shoulder really tighten up and I have the message therapist work on it and that seems to help. I have always figured it is just one of those weird quirks that come with getting old.

[Harriet Vane]

Have you seen a neurologist or a neurosurgeon? Has anyone done nerve conduction studies?

 

Ah. I see they did an EMG. There's usually two parts. One part (EMG) looks at the quality of signal. The other (NCV) tests how fast a signal is traveling on the nerves. Your problem should be seen on the EMG portion though. When they did the test, were your hands numb/tingly? Did you induce the "asleep" sensation and then test? This is like a car with an intermittent electrical short. If you can't reproduce the problem, it's hard to pinpoint. I would want the test performed while the sensation is being induced. It sounds very positional to me.

 

My hands were not asleep for the test. It didn't occur to me to ask for that. I don't want to go back and do it again because it's a nasty test and costs a lot of money. I guess I am also questioning if it would yield any new information anyway. It's pretty frustrating to have real symptoms (pain, limited mobility, tingling hands) but to have test results that says all is normal.

[Harriet Vane]

I would look for a neuro muscular therapist or someone excellent in acupressure to loosen the muscles. Using direct pressure into spasms works. Chiro and physical therapy do not use this technique and for me they made my issues worse.

 

Would a neuromuscular therapist work at a physical therapy facility? Where would I find one?

[whitestavern]

Thanks for sharing--it's actually a relief to hear from someone who has had similar issues. It's been pretty frustrating trying to figure this out.

 

What do the steroids do for this problem? What would happen if I choose not to have steroids?

 

 

The neurologist said that I had somehow aggravated the spur/area around the spur, causing inflammation. The steroids are an anti-inflammatory. I was against the steroids myself so I chose to go on a prescription level regimen of Advil first to see how I would respond to that. It didn't do the trick, so I went on the steroids. I did a lot of research prior to going on them and found that a short course of them is okay. I had no side affects from the treatment.

 

I agree w/you on the cost of all the testing. 6 months later I am still paying medical bills. The steroids, at least, were super cheap; like $5.

[Daisy]

All I can say is that what you are describing is what my husband had to a great extent though his nerve study showed major problems. He had numbness, loss of strength, and nerve pain in his hands. It was determined he had blown C-5 and C-6 discs. He also has psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. I'm listing those just so you can google them.

 

Anyway, they got him into surgery for a spinal fusion fairly quickly and upon waking his pain was immediately gone.

 

Eighteen months post-surgery and he is again having problems. He's grown bone spurs all over the place (spine, shoulder, etc) and is looking at shoulder surgery in the next month or so.

 

Even though he is having problems again in a different area, he maintains the surgery was completely worth it. VERY expensive though unless you have excellent insurance.

 

The only non-surgical options were pain management (he's allergic to all pain rx) or cortisone shots (didn't work).

Edited February 17, 2012 by Daisy

[Laurie4b]

Thanks for sharing--it's actually a relief to hear from someone who has had similar issues. It's been pretty frustrating trying to figure this out.

 

What do the steroids do for this problem? What would happen if I choose not to have steroids?

 

I agree--go with the steroids. You would typically take a packet for 6 days, with like 6 pills the first day, then 5, then 4, etc. Makes a whole lot of difference if there is inflammation involved.

 

My hands will go numb from a knotted muscle in my back between my shoulder blade and spine. When I press on the knot, the numbness lets up. I bought a new kind of pillow (foam and curved) and the problem stopped.

 

I also had some numbness in my toes that was caused by too-tight muscles squeezing the sciatic nerve.

[Venia]

I often joke that my hands and lower arms get more sleep than I do. I do not have spinal issues though. I have moderate carpel tunnel in both hands, pinched nerves in my both elbows and very early stage RA (probably the cause, discovered via blood-test ordered after the electrodiagnostic tests).

 

Interestingly, my EMG was normal. It was the nerve conduction studies that showed classic CTS. It showed huge delays in nerve response between my shoulders and fingers and my lower arm and fingers. (Although I did accidently slap the technician when they did this test :lol:)

[Catwoman]

Could it be carpal tunnel? My symptoms were quite similar to yours. You might want to try wearing wrist braces for a few weeks and see if you notice any positive changes just by having your wrists immobilized in the "correct" position. I can't remember exactly how long I had to wear the wrist supports, but I seem to recall that it was about a few months or so. I wanted to avoid surgery, so I thought it was worth a try to use the supports, and they worked wonders for me.

 

I bought mine at Target, and they are black with green trim. If you'd like to know the brand name, I'm sure I can find them and post the info for you.

[Pippen]

Could it be carpal tunnel? My symptoms were quite similar to yours. You might want to try wearing wrist braces for a few weeks and see if you notice any positive changes just by having your wrists immobilized in the "correct" position. I can't remember exactly how long I had to wear the wrist supports, but I seem to recall that it was about a few months or so. I wanted to avoid surgery, so I thought it was worth a try to use the supports, and they worked wonders for me.

 

I bought mine at Target, and they are black with green trim. If you'd like to know the brand name, I'm sure I can find them and post the info for you.

 

 

That's exactly what I was thinking as I read her post. My carpal tunnel sounds similar. Mine started when I was pregnant with my second child. It was always much worse at night, no doubt because I sleep with my hands elevated. Any task requiring upward position--driving, painting, etc--would be at least tingly but often go beyond that to painful.

 

I went through the neuro workup that you did. The neurologist told me to wear the braces around the clock as much as possible until it calmed down and then to wear them at night afterwards. I also wear them anytime I do any driving beyond around town and when I do tasks requiring significant upward hand position or repetitive motion (like lots of typing). It took about three months for the symptoms to really settle down that first time around.

 

I also found that my sypmptoms get worse when my caffiene intake is high.

[Catwoman]

That's exactly what I was thinking as I read her post. My carpal tunnel sounds similar. Mine started when I was pregnant with my second child. It was always much worse at night, no doubt because I sleep with my hands elevated. Any task requiring upward position--driving, painting, etc--would be at least tingly but often go beyond that to painful.

 

I went through the neuro workup that you did. The neurologist told me to wear the braces around the clock as much as possible until it calmed down and then to wear them at night afterwards. I also wear them anytime I do any driving beyond around town and when I do tasks requiring significant upward hand position or repetitive motion (like lots of typing). It took about three months for the symptoms to really settle down that first time around.

 

I also found that my sypmptoms get worse when my caffiene intake is high.

 

Sounds like we had the same symptoms. I discovered that I tended to curl my wrists inward when I was sleeping, and would wake up in pain (or with the pins & needles thing) every single morning -- and often several times during the night. The braces made a huge difference in the nighttime symptoms pretty quickly because they kept me from putting my wrists in the stupid wonky positions, but if I didn't wear them one night, I'd be right back to the same positions and I'd get the same symptoms immediately. I think the braces really helped train me to stop curling my wrists in the wrong direction (but it took at least a few months.)

[justamouse]

because standing on your head while you school the kids is finally catching up with you?

[Catwoman]

because standing on your head while you school the kids is finally catching up with you?

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Tell the truth. You're a doctor, aren't you? ;)

[justamouse]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Tell the truth. You're a doctor, aren't you? ;)

 

 

The Dr is in.

Edited February 18, 2012 by justamouse

[Catwoman]

 

The Dr is in.

 

:smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5:

[Pippen]

 

The Dr is in.

 

Another Friday night in February at the Hive.:lol:

[Harriet Vane]

 

The Dr is in.

 

:lol: