Expert: Dr. Timothy K. Durnin - 6/26/2007

Question
QUESTION: I am 22 years old, and last night I woke up with a pain in the left arm just above the elbow, normally I would have thought that it was a muscular pain, but I also feel numbness in my fingers especially in my middle and anular fingers. Could it be serious, what should I do?

ANSWER: Hi Dave,

If the thumb is the first finger, what fingers are numb? I never heard of "annular" fingers.

You definitely have nerve root compression, if your entire hand was numb, it would be a vascular problem. I suspect only half your hand is numb, I just need to know which half.

Once I know that, I can tell you which nerve it is and how to fix it.

Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The fingers that are numb are the middle finger and the ring finger. Thanks for your help.

Answer
O.K., that helps,

The most probable suspect is the radial nerve. This can get pinched in two areas, the neck and between the clavicle and first rib. The most likely source is the neck, to find out for sure, you need to see a Chiropractor. He will pull on your neck, (traction it manually), to see if the pain in your arm ceases. Next he will raise your arm to see if it makes it worse, them he will push the two bones apart to see if it goes away. In less than a minute, a good D.C. can differentiate wether it is a neck or shoulder problem. If you need a referral, let me know of the doctors closest to you, I will call them and make sure they are good.

Good Luck,
Dr.Timothy Durnin


A few more things, since your thumb isn't involved, the median nerve can't be ruled out. To test this nerve, you can do it at home, press the backs of your hands against each other in front of you, with outstretched arms, with your forearms parallel to the ground. Your fingers should be pointing down to the ground. This 90 degree angle should be held for 30 seconds, if your fingers get worse, you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Do it again only put the palms of your hands together and angle the hand so your fingers point to the ceiling. This should elicit the same thing with CTS. Obviously, the best thing to do is have it examined by a professional.