ask: What could cause numbness in 2 fingers on my left hand?
About a year ago I had the same numbness in my little finger and the one next to it on my left hand... it went away for several months but has been back for 4 months. I'm right handed but use my left hand when typing, etc. I have no tight jewelry or anything binding my wrist or fingers. The conditions is constant and affects certain tasks.
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Barbsplace,
I have three questions for you.
1. What do you do for a living? Do you type a lot or do some other kind of repetitive motion?
2. Is the pain worse at night?
3. Have you had any episodes of severe back pain recently?
March 10, 2010 - 9:45amThis Comment
#1 I'm a semi-retired illustrator... I spend time, mainly on the net, doing research and corresponding with friends. I type with my right hand but occasionally use my left hand when necessary. Nothing else repetitive comes to mind.
March 10, 2010 - 11:54am#2 No pain... just numbness and tingling... the same day and night. I do have a a "trigger finger" on my middle finger, right hand.
#3 Yes!! In fact I'm having a second episode of lower back pain right now... I thought both times were from working in our yard,
weeding, shoveling and digging.
Many thanks for responding!!
You're very welcome!
The two possibilities that occurred to me were a repetitive stress injury (inflammation inside the arm, shoulder, elbow or wrist can cause nerves to rub against one another and cause numbness and (usually) pain. Since you are right-handed, I wouldn't think that your illustration career would have anything to do with numbness in your left hand. Plus with RSI usually there IS pain that radiates from the point of injury either upward or downward, and most often that pain IS worse at night.
So that's what makes me wonder if you have a disc in your back that is getting squeezed, or herniated. Our vertabrae have gel-like discs between them, which keeps the bone from rubbing together and keeps our nerves from getting squished. When one of those discs gets herniated -- meaning it starts to get flattened and can almost slip out between the vertabrae -- the damage to the nerves can result in a pinched nerve, creating the numbness you describe in your ring finger and little finger.
Sometimes this can resolve by itself. In either case, however, you might be helped by anti-inflammatory medicine (either prescription or over-the-counter) and physical therapy. It may be that your second episode of back pain has been caused by your enthusiastic yard work, which has caused a disc to herniate and in turn caused that numbness.
Here's a good illustration and explanation of this:
http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/neck-pain/why-pinched-nerves-cau...
Are you considering asking a doctor about this? It might be that with a few weeks of physical therapy and some exercises that you could say goodbye to both the back pain and the numbness.
March 11, 2010 - 9:49amThank you Diane, for such an excellent and thorough analysis of my numbness problem. I couldn't have asked for a more detailed, easy-to-understand explanation!! About fifteen years ago, my general doctor was an osteopath, but at that time, I was not concerned with back issues. Yet, he mentioned I had a herniated disc which "was not unusual for women my age"... that was the
March 11, 2010 - 11:33amlast time I had any x-rays and have had only occasional bouts of back trouble. The current pain I'm in is worse than usual, but I
generally "bounce back" rather quickly, so I hesitate to see my doctor unless this condition lingers on. I believe you are 100% correct in your assessment, and I will follow your advice by telling my doctor about my symptoms at my next appointment which is coming up relatively soon. I recently purchased an inversion table, but haven't used it yet. Perhaps I can include it in PT... Again,
you have my heartfelt thanks and appreciation!!!
Barbsplace,
I'm so happy that I was able to help. I know how troubling that numbness can be. And while "women our age" (OMG!) may have a bit of wear and tear on our bones, we also plan to have another few decades of active life in us, so it's important to get these things handled well!!
Please come back and update us when you're feeling better or when you see your doctor and decide whether any treatment is needed. I look forward to the day when you are pain- and numbness-free.
Thanks again for writing,
Diane
March 12, 2010 - 8:29amI forgot to mention that I have been taking Fosamax (and currently it's generic) for at least five years since I do have osteoporosis.
March 11, 2010 - 11:42amI get bone scans every five years.
Thank you for updating us, and I'm glad Diane's information was so helpful!
We would be very interested in hearing more about your inversion table, and if you find it helpful!
March 11, 2010 - 2:01pmBarbsplace,
You might want to read a post I wrote yesterday about the FDA reviewing Fosamax and other drugs like it (though experts caution that women already taking it should talk to their doctors before making any decisions):
http://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2010/03/11/fda-reviewing-osteopo...
March 12, 2010 - 8:31amRead this about Fosamax:
March 11, 2010 - 2:06pmhttp://www.empowher.com/community/share/fosamax-and-femur-fractures
You're welcome! This site is quite helpful and informative. Armed with such a wealth of medical information, I emailed my doctor this morning, asking about a possible change from Fosamax and relating the back pain symptoms... altho I said I don't, at this time, need an appointment.
March 11, 2010 - 4:49pmSecondly, I spoke earlier of ordering "BackJoy" a seat made to improve posture and help relieve back problems... I've been using it on a trial basis for about 4 weeks and am impressed with the results. My posture is better! I still think the cost of $100+ is a bit steep, but in the long run, may be worth the investment! Also, I believe the seat may be too small for someone much heavier than myself.