Arm Numbness and Tingling in College Station, TX: Finding the Source

Arm numbness and tingling usually mean a nerve is being pressed on or irritated somewhere between your neck and your fingertips. MedlinePlus lists a pinched nerve from a neck injury, pressure on the spinal nerves from a herniated disk, carpal tunnel syndrome, and staying in one position too long among the common causes. Less often it comes from circulation problems, diabetes, low vitamin B12, or a stroke, which is why the pattern matters.

People describe it in different ways: pins and needles, a hand that falls asleep and is slow to wake up, a burning strip down the forearm, or fingers that feel thick and clumsy. Some notice it only at night. Others feel it every time they look down at a phone or grip a steering wheel. The medical term for these sensations is paresthesia.

The fingers involved are one of the best clues:

• Thumb, index, middle and part of the ring finger: the median nerve, the one squeezed in carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Pinky and half of the ring finger: the ulnar nerve, often irritated at the elbow near the funny bone.
• A band from the neck or shoulder down the arm: often a nerve root in the neck.

Neck-related numbness usually comes with other symptoms. It often comes with pain that starts at the neck and travels down the arm, feels burning or sharp, and gets worse when you turn or tilt your head. If your arm symptoms come with a stiff, sore neck, the neck moves to the top of the list.

We see this often at our chiropractic office in College Station: desk workers and Texas A&M faculty on laptops all day, people who lift and reach overhead at work, and drivers whose hand goes numb on long trips.

Most arm numbness traces back to one of a few spots along the nerve’s path, and more than one can be involved at the same time.

• A pinched nerve in the neck. The AAOS guide to cervical radiculopathy explains that it most often comes from age-related wear in the neck or a herniated disk pressing on a nerve root where it leaves the spine. Along with pain down the arm, it can cause tingling in the fingers and weakness in the shoulder, arm or hand.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome at the wrist. According to the AAOS on carpal tunnel, it causes numbness, tingling and burning mostly in the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers, often wakes people at night, and can make you drop things. Repetitive hand use, long periods with the wrist bent, pregnancy and diabetes all raise the risk.
• Ulnar nerve irritation at the elbow. Keeping the elbow bent for long stretches, leaning on it, or sleeping with your arms bent can irritate the ulnar nerve and leave the pinky and ring finger tingling, often first thing in the morning.
• Sustained positions. Long hours with the head forward and shoulders rounded load the neck and the muscles around the shoulder blade. Many people feel this as pain between the shoulder blades along with arm tingling.

A crash can do it too. Arm tingling is a recognized symptom after whiplash, and it deserves a careful exam once a medical provider has cleared you.

Where you feel it and where the problem lives aren’t always the same. A nerve root irritated in the neck can make the hand feel numb while the neck barely hurts, and a nerve can be pressed at more than one spot along the way. That’s why the exam follows the whole path instead of stopping at the spot that tingles.

Finding the source starts with your story, so it helps to note a few things before your visit:

• Which fingers or parts of the arm are affected
• When it starts, such as during sleep, driving, typing, lifting or certain neck positions
• Whether your grip feels weaker or you’ve been dropping things
• How long it lasts, and whether it’s happening more often

Then Dr. Hansen tests strength, reflexes and sensation in both arms, checks how your neck moves, and uses orthopedic tests that load the neck, elbow and wrist one at a time to see which one brings on your symptoms. Digital X-rays are taken in-house only when the findings call for them. Arm symptoms can come from several places, which is why the exam always comes first.

When the neck is the source, care for a pinched nerve in the neck follows three steps. Prime uses guided breathing to help your body settle out of a guarded state. Facilitate is a gentle, specific adjustment, with lower-force options like Activator when a nerve is irritated. Integrate covers posture changes and neck and shoulder exercises between visits, and hands-on soft tissue work on tight muscles is often part of the plan. If the exam points to the wrist or elbow, or to something outside our scope, Dr. Hansen will tell you and refer you to the right provider. Carpal tunnel syndrome tends to get worse over time when it’s left alone, so it shouldn’t be ignored either.

Some numbness is an emergency. MedlinePlus advises going to the hospital or calling 911 if:

• Numbness or tingling comes with weakness, or you can’t move an arm or leg
• It started right after a head, neck or back injury
• You have slurred speech, a change in vision, confusion, or trouble walking
• You lose control of your bladder or bowels

Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the face, arm or leg can be a stroke, so call 911 right away. Arm pain or numbness with chest pressure, shortness of breath or a cold sweat needs emergency care too. Dr. Hansen won’t adjust when any of these signs are present.

If none of those apply and the tingling keeps coming back, we’re glad to see patients from Bryan, Navasota and nearby towns. Schedule your first appointment and we’ll trace it to the source.

Is my arm numbness coming from my neck or my wrist?

The fingers involved and what triggers it usually tell. Neck-related symptoms often travel from the neck or shoulder down the arm and change when you turn or tilt your head. Carpal tunnel syndrome mostly affects the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers, often wakes you at night, and flares with gripping or a bent wrist. Tingling in the pinky and ring finger points toward the elbow. An exam that tests each spot separately sorts it out.

Why does my hand go numb at night?

Often because of how you sleep. Many people sleep with their wrists or elbows bent, which squeezes the median nerve at the wrist or stretches the ulnar nerve at the elbow, and nighttime symptoms are very common with carpal tunnel syndrome. Sleeping on one arm or with your head turned sharply can also irritate a nerve in the neck. If it happens most nights, or your hand feels weak during the day, get it checked.

Can a chiropractor help with arm numbness and tingling?

When the source is in the neck, often yes. Gentle adjustments, soft tissue work and home exercises can help ease pressure on an irritated nerve root, and the AAOS notes that most pinched nerves in the neck respond to conservative care without surgery. When the source is the wrist or elbow, or the exam shows weakness that’s getting worse, Dr. Hansen will tell you and refer you. He explains what he finds before any care starts.

When is left arm numbness a warning sign?

When it starts suddenly or comes with other symptoms. Numbness or weakness on one side of the face, arm or leg, slurred speech, or vision changes can signal a stroke. Chest pressure with pain or discomfort spreading into the arm, a cold sweat, nausea or shortness of breath can signal a heart attack. Call 911 for either. Tingling that comes and goes with a position, like leaning on your elbow or holding a phone, is usually a nerve being pressed, but it’s still worth an exam if it keeps returning or comes with weakness.

Do I need an MRI or a nerve test?

Not always. Many cases can be sorted out with a careful history and a hands-on exam, and X-rays are taken in our office only when the findings call for them. If the exam shows real weakness, symptoms that keep getting worse, or a pattern that doesn’t fit the neck, Dr. Hansen will refer you for an MRI or a nerve conduction study, which can help tell a pinched nerve in the neck apart from pressure at the elbow or wrist.

I work on a laptop at Texas A&M. Could that be causing the tingling in my hands?

It could be part of it. Long hours on a laptop put your head forward and your wrists bent, which loads both the neck and the carpal tunnel. We see this pattern often in Texas A&M faculty, staff and students in College Station. Raising your screen, using a separate keyboard, keeping your wrists straight, and getting up between tasks can help. If the tingling keeps coming back, an exam can show which spot is involved.