Numb fingers

[mathhag]

So I have just recently developed numb tingling fingers. My doctor and I are pursuing a diagnosis, hopefully with an MRI.

however it is making concertina playing quite unenjoyable. Although my finger tips are numbing I must be pressing harder be I am not getting feedback. Then they start to hurt

Anyone  out there experience this and have insight or suggestions so I can play. At this point after about  half hour I am done for

[Paul_Hardy]

I have had intermittent pins and needles and partial numbness in extremities (firstly hands, then also feet) for a few years now. I think it is due to arthritis in the upper neck vertebrae putting pressure on the spinal cord.  The trigger is spending much time looking sharply down (e.g. at feet when hiking down hills), or craning the neck back to look up, or sleeping in curled posture. . I noticed it particularly during Covid lockdowns when I was spending a lot of time reading with a book or Kindle down on my lap. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to particularly affect my concertina playing. 

 

I had various tests done (including nerve function, which was slightly degraded but not severe) but no real medical suggestions, other than to keep the neck motion active, but avoid lots of looking up or down!

 

Does any of that sound familiar? I'd be interested to hear how your tests pan out.

Edited March 21 by Paul_Hardy
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[Leah Velleman]

I hate to say it, but part of the solution is probably to give your hands some rest. Stop playing when your fingers start tingling or going numb — and if that means you can't play at all, because they're numb or tingling 100% of the time, then don't play at all until you have some kind of treatment plan. Apparently "pushing through" nerve problems tends to make them a lot harder to treat, and I know people who have ended up with permanent damage that way.

[Leah Velleman]

Also check out this page from a player who had numb fingertips (plus some other pains) and talks about things that helped, including adjusting his wrist rests with foam pads. I tried the foam pad trick when I was having elbow pain a while ago, and it wasn't a silver bullet solution, but it might have helped some, and your symptoms sound closer to his than mine were.

 

(The actual solution for mine was rest (ugh), stretching, and wearing wrist braces at night. It's better now, and when it flares back up I go back to the wrist braces for a bit.)

[Geoff Wooff]

I  have   two  numb  fingers  caused  by  Carpal Tunnel  Syndrome  and  that  is  two  years  after  an  operation  to  relieve  the  problem.  Prior  to  the  surgery  I  had  three    fingers  and    thumb numb  and  a  great  loss of  strength  in  my  left  hand.  This  appears  to  be  in the   repetitive  strain  injury  category  and  that  does not  surprise me  as  my  hands  have  come in for  a lot  of  strain  during  a long  working  life.

 

I  can  manage  to  play  my  concertinas  again,  though  occasionally  I  hit  a  wrong  note,  some  would  say  it  was  ever  thus.

There  are  various  nerve  and  circulation problems  that  affect  the  fingers, I  wish  you  good  luck in finding  a  cure.

[Ken_Coles]

4 hours ago, Leah Velleman said:

Also check out this page from a player who had numb fingertips (plus some other pains) and talks about things that helped, including adjusting his wrist rests with foam pads. I tried the foam pad trick when I was having elbow pain a while ago, and it wasn't a silver bullet solution, but it might have helped some, and your symptoms sound closer to his than mine were.

 

(The actual solution for mine was rest (ugh), stretching, and wearing wrist braces at night. It's better now, and when it flares back up I go back to the wrist braces for a bit.)

 

Leah sums up how I still handle it. But the medical attention and physical therapy were essential - self-diagnosis/treatment wasn't/isn't enough in many cases I know of.

 

I hadn't had issues for years and then we moved to a fancy new building where I work. The desk moves but can't be lowered a much as my old computer table, so I do spells on a stool instead of the silly fancy office chair the taxpayers bought for this building. It wasn't broke, and they fixed it. So using my wrist braces a bit.

 

Good luck but do talk to an expert.

 

Ken

[mathhag]

Thank you all for your input. Lots of great insights and suggestions. Pretty sure I do have my head bent way too much. A little more information is that my Dr , who is fabulous and a DO (lots of training for this type of problem) did a very thorough physical exam and ruled out Carpal Tunnel. He also determined that it is not in The Central Nervous system. We are both thinking it is in my cervical spine. I have had multiple injuries that put me at risk of a problem there. My husband went through a similar problem , that was misdiagnosed as Carpal Tunnel. He eventually had a disk in his neck replaced that stopped progression but did not relieve the numbness in his hands and feet.
Good news is my MRI has been approved.

 

[Don Taylor]

I regularly (morning and evening) do some simple neck stretch exercises that help to relieve neck ache and numbness in my hand.  They are called the 'McKenzie' exercises after the New Zealand physiotherapist that developed them many years ago.

 

There is a book by Robin McKenzie called 'Treat Your Own Neck' which describes the exercises and explains the theory behind them.  There are also many web-sites and YouTube videos that cover these exercises.

 

If you try these exercises then be patient waiting for results.  It takes  a few days before things start to improve, and, as always with physiotherapy exercises, if it hurts then stop doing it.

 

Added later:  If you wear glasses then are you craning your neck forward to read a computer screen or a music score?  If so, then talk to your optometrist about getting some glasses that focus at the right distance for you.  I have bifocal glasses but I use a pair of 'computer' glasses to read a computer screen without craning my neck.

Edited March 22 by Don Taylor

[mathhag]

5 hours ago, Don Taylor said:

I regularly (morning and evening) do some simple neck stretch exercises that help to relieve neck ache and numbness in my hand.  They are called the 'McKenzie' exercises after the New Zealand physiotherapist that developed them many years ago.

 

There is a book by Robin McKenzie called 'Treat Your Own Neck' which describes the exercises and explains the theory behind them.  There are also many web-sites and YouTube videos that cover these exercises.

 

If you try these exercises then be patient waiting for results.  It takes  a few days before things start to improve, and, as always with physiotherapy exercises, if it hurts then stop doing it.

 

Added later:  If you wear glasses then are you craning your neck forward to read a computer screen or a music score?  If so, then talk to your optometrist about getting some glasses that focus at the right distance for you.  I have bifocal glasses but I use a pair of 'computer' glasses to read a computer screen without craning my neck.

I will definitely look at these excercises. TY

[malcolm clapp]

Not being one to cause unnecessary alarm, and with no professional medical knowledge, but does anyone who plays a metal ended concertina and finger/hand problem (myself included) considered the possibility of a nickel allergy? Apparently, an estimated 10% of the (human) population are susceptible to such an allergy, for which there is no cure. Avoiding objects and foods containing nickel are recommended, according to Dr Google. The early signs are not particularly troublesome and certainly not life-threatening, but the long term effect is failure of the body's auto-immune system, which is a bit more serious.

 

Four years ago, I developed necrotising fasciitis in my left leg, which led to sepsis. Three months in hospital (2 months in ICU in an induced coma) was not a happy experience as you can imagine. Just recently, after a COVID scare and some investigation as to my auto-immune status (poor!), I was asked about exposure to nickel, sent to a dermatologist, and guess what? I'm one of the 10%. It was only then that the penny dropped and the 40 odd years of playing a metal ended (nickel plated) Jeffries on a regular basis might be the cause of my woes.

 

Not much that can be done at my advanced years apart for some dietary changes to help boost my immunity, and avoidance of potential causes of infection, so just have to take a bit of extra care with tools, sharp instruments (no pun intended), insect bites, minor skin abrasions and especially COVID I guess. I doubt if I have anything to loose by continuing to play my Jeffries as the damage to my AIS is already done, and there is no absolute proof that the concertina is to blame, but is the strongest link that the medicos can come up with.

 

Food for thought....

 

[davidevr]

No doctor here so take this with a grain of salt. If MRI and other exams rule out other obvious physical reasons, numbness might be caused by nerve compression, which is more related to back/ postural habits than the use of your fingers. Most problems in the hand and wrist are ultimately caused by a bad use of the back (your arms are attached to it after all), or by the neck/back balance.

When I started playing the concertina I got some numbness on my right thumb; I consulted a physiotherapist which suggested I paid attention to my back and try not play in a hunched position. The numbness went way by itself in a matter of weeks.

[Little John]

6 hours ago, malcolm clapp said:

... some dietary changes to help boost my immunity ...

 

It would be interested to hear what these were.

[malcolm clapp]

3 hours ago, Little John said:

 

It would be interested to hear what these were.

Haven't yet seen a dietitian. A bit hard to find in my neck of the woods.

Google has plenty of suggestions, but probably a lot of misinformation too....

[Stephen DOUGLASS]

As above...The diet investigation might be worth a shot. Neuropathy is a symptom of diabetes and could be related. Good luck on finding a diagnosis, I am sure many of us will, and do have related issues.

[Mike Jones]

I am cursed with Type 2 Diabetes. I have almost no sensation in my feet (although that does not stop me Morris dancing) and the sensation is declining in my fingers (but it does not prevent me from playing my various concertinas).

The Diabetes is controlled by Metformin that boosts the performance of what Insulin i do make. Recently it was discovered that Metformin is antagonistic to Vitamin B12. my most recent diabetic screening showed I was seriously B12 deficient. I had a course of B12 injections and changed my diet to improve my B12 intake earlier this year and the symptoms in my fingers have eased and my feet don't ache/hurt so much at night. I'm due for screening again soon. Apparently many people are Vitamin B12 deficient and don't know it. B12 deficiency has a number of negative  effects on mood too.

A number of years ago I came of my bicycle and broke my left scaphoid bone. That was probably not as bad as Carpal Tunnel (CTS) although it took a long time to heal and soon after I had a bout of CTS, although I was doing a lot of left handed mouse work at the time, and had to rest/take it easy for a couple of months. Rest is always a good way to make musculoskeletal disorders better.