fingers feel numb

[mandroid]

Carpal tunnel on the left hand, ? others found resolution??

[MissingString]

Had the surgery (on both hands) and never should have waited so long. Took about 4 weeks to start playing again and 3-4 months for complete recovery. Even after a few weeks I was in far better shape than before. My hands were done about 3 months apart. For me it was only getting worse and had gotten to the point where I could barely fret chop chords. Good luck, if you go the surgical route I’d be happy to answer any questions via PM. Chris

[Bill Clements]

Try wearing a wrist brace while sleeping, if your hand goes numb. Worked for me and I only had to deal with it for a couple months. The velcro tears up sheets, however.
My brother-in-law just had surgery on right wrist recently and is doing fine. So did another friend. Long heal but both got relief. I hope you don't have to resort to surgery, but it may be the only answer. Have you seen a doctor yet?

[Mandoplumb]

Go for the surgery if the doctor recommends it. I tried all the home remedies and waited too long, my hands tingle most all the time now after the surgery. No longer goes numb and I have gotten use to the tingle but doc says that tingle is here to stay because I waited too long.

[MontanaMatt]

Carpal tunnel on the left hand, ? others found resolution??

Sorry to hear you're suffering! Bummer! I get recurring tingling. For me, I've found that sleep position frequently causes strange wrist angles and strain while I sleep, also holding the steering wheel on long drives irritate my nerve compartment. I sleep with simple wrist braces from the medical supply store when things act up. This allows the tendons to be neutral for an extended period while I sleep. Also keeps me from stuffing a hand under the pillow or tweeting my wrist whileside sleeping. When it gets too aggravated I take aspirin for the anti inflammatory effect. My dad had troubles with his ulnar nerve, at the elbow, so not carpal tunnel issue, but similar symptoms.
I hope this will provide some relief. If not seek an occupational therapist first, as the knife might not be needed.
Prayers for you!

[Billy Packard]

My condolences..

At one point in my mandolin career I had to put the mandolin down for nearly 6 months because of poor right hand technique and its resulting affect on my right elbow.

Almost always poor technique is the cause.

I find 'counter balance' efforts most beneficial. For example these days I am experiencing some left elbow stress. In the gym I focus on triceps work. Also taking a full day without any instrument play every 6 days or so also seems to level out the stress.

Regardless, I (EYE) me, myself, would go under the knife as the last resort.

And I have been saved on numerous occasions by the knife so you know I'm ok with the knife!


Billy

billypackardmandolin.com

[Beanzy]

I agree there could be a technique issue at play here.
I have experienced the numb & rubbery feeling fingers issue on my left hand before, as well as the right elbow issue,
As nobody is perfect I reckoned it could be technique, so spent quite a while looking to see what factors were possibly at play.
As well as self evaluating each joint position from biggest down to smallest I set up my practice mirror that I used to use for ‘cello so I got an ‘outside’ perspective on things too. I could have used the video camera fed to the TV, but I would have had to set it up each time & know I’d not do it every time, whereas the mirror just stayed there for every time I practiced. You could do it easily now with “screen mirroring” function on the iPad or phone.

With the left hand issue I discovered I was holding the elbow back causing tension & a more acute angle than I intended. I assume this also limited blood-flow more than a more open position would. It also made leeping a flat angle from forearm to hand more difficult and limited my reach a bit.
My solution involved making sure the both elbows hung completely loose touching my sides, then just bringing the left hand straight up to touch my shoulder & dropping it back down until the bicep and forearm felt like they were open. I think it’s a point where it’s in balance between the muscles, you can feel it if you do that shoulder touch thing then drop the arm slowly. It’s kind of a balance point just before the back of the forearm and the bicep tenses up. Anyway only then, with a nice flat wrist, would I drop the neck into my hand and set to playing.

The main thing was removing all the upper arm tension by making sure the elbows were dropped and dangling freely, touching both sides so I had no tension from carrying any upper arm weight. That and the open position on the left elbow did away with my numb fingers. It was interesting how it was the big muscles causing the fingers an issue, but I suppose it makes sense that they’ll bully everything else into compromising if they’re positioned under tension.

Whatever the issue is in your partiicular case I would recommend using the mirror or video camera with TV and a period of really self critical analisys of your position, with a basic objective of identifying any points where tension might be introduced starting with the biggest muscles and working down. It will probably involve a new playing position at the end of things, but luckily as you’ll be removing tension it should get to feel natural pretty quickly.

[Em Tee]

I have carpel tunnel and often get numbness in my left hand while playing. I find that if I re-position my wrist or elbow when the numbness starts, frequently that helps. Keeping that straight line to the wrist can be difficult with those chop chords.

Good luck to you.

[Paul Busman]

Physical therapy might help.
As an OR nurse I worked on a great many of these cases. The procedure itself is quick and pretty straight forward. If I were in the OPs shoes, I'd get it fixed. Play harmonica while it heals

[Jim Garber]

I would still go to surgery as a last resort and try to find the absolute best hand surgeon you can find, possibly some one who works with musicians. Also, bear in mind that your problem could be as a result of your playing but also could be as a result of other activities. Working on a computer keyboard for hours a Day can often be the cause.

[Mandoplumb]

I would still go to surgery as a last resort and try to find the absolute best hand surgeon you can find, possibly some one who works with musicians. Also, bear in mind that your problem could be as a result of your playing but also could be as a result of other activities. Working on a computer keyboard for hours a Day can often be the cause.

Any number of things could be the cause, that doesn't matter. Once you have a problem get it fixed as quickly as possible.

[EdHanrahan]

... I'd get it fixed. Play harmonica while it heals.

Or, as when upper arm shattered in '07:
Yard-sale mini-keyboard (one-handed only) + "Idiots Guide to Music Theory" = BIG jump in mandolin comprehension.

[Folkmusician.com]

Mine was getting progressively worse up until I changed my sleeping, sitting, and general hand positions.

Sleeping positions made the single biggest difference. Laying my hands a certain way with just the right wrist angle makes a huge difference. I am highly conscious of this now, and rarely awake with any tingling.

Computer, where I spend many hours a day. Just adjusting keyboard height and paying more attention to wrist and hand position. I did use a gel wrest, but just keeping my hands up seems to work well. I like chairs with arms.

Wrist position throughout the day, eating, on the couch, driving... all made a difference.

Gripping things with force, lids on jars, carrying heavy things, even sacks of groceries. Anytime I have to grip with force, I can feel it setting off the symptoms. If it is something really straining, it will be at least 24 hours before the symptoms go away and sometimes longer. This usually can't be avoided, but I limit it where I can.

Playing always sets it off for me. I haven't found anyway around it. So I limit playing, and don't play if I have stressed myself in other ways.

[catmandu2]

My experience is as Robert's. Prevention of exacerbation, massage, rest. Ultimately I've given up fretted strings as they stress my hands too much; fretless ones do not, so I play fiddle and oud, and others with more natural ergonomic requirements.

[Br1ck]

I have this all the time to varying degrees. Often, playing actually helps, and stretching the finger muscles does too. Left hand mostly. Still, I'm good for several hours a day playing time.

[Tom Coletti]

Had cubital tunnel a while back, both carpal and cubital tunnel are the result of major nerves in the arm being pinched in certain areas, resulting in tingling, pain, or numbness. Ultimately the goal is to reduce inflammation through behavioral change and non-invasive remedies, or to remove part of the bone/cartilage that may be pinching the nerve through surgery.

If your symptoms are minor and intermittent, or last no more than a few weeks at a time, you may be able to remedy it with a regiment of wrist/elbow bracing, anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, stretching exercises, icing and heat pads, and so forth. Sleep and desk posture are critical as others have said; try not to sleep on top of the affected hand and avoid leaning your wrist directly onto a hard surface for extended periods of time.

If symptoms last longer than a few weeks or if the affected fingers go completely numb, definitely talk to your physician right away about physical therapy or corrective surgery. Prolonged numbness due to carpal or cubital tunnel can cause the hand to weaken permanently, so promptness is key.

Best of luck to you,

[Frankdolin]

I also have this problem, Brick and Em Tee hit most of my points. I also try and rotate my shoulder and elbow, gently, and just let my arm hang loosely till the feeling comes back. And until the day the feeling doesn't come back, no ones cutting me!

[MissingString]

Had cubital tunnel a while back, both carpal and cubital tunnel are the result of major nerves in the arm being pinched in certain areas, resulting in tingling, pain, or numbness. Ultimately the goal is to reduce inflammation through behavioral change and non-invasive remedies, or to remove part of the bone/cartilage that may be pinching the nerve through surgery.

In the above post I mentioned that I’ve had both hands done for carpal tunnel and the surgery was a piece of cake. What I din’t say is that when my left hand was done I also had the cubical tunnel surgery. This is not a surgery to go into lightly. I had bad nerve impingement from an old lacrosse injury in college. My ring and pinky finger got to the point of not functioning. Relief was near immediate in my hand but the recovery from the surgical site takes a while. It requires a fairly large incision at the elbow and work on the bone, nerve and muscle. Pretty painful recovery compared to other surgeries I’ve had. The results I’ve had have been 100% positive. If anyone is experiencing similar numbness or loss of function in ring/pinky fingers I’d be happy to talk you through my experience and recovery. Best of luck to anyone dealing with the effects of either carpal or cubital tunnel. Some great advice in this thread.

[Eric F.]

I always try to avoid surgery (especially now that I live in a rural area with few specialists), so I wore a wrist brace all the time last summer, including when I slept. I paid lots of attention to my posture and wrist position while at the computer. I also did some stretches my doctor showed me. I wasn't able to play mandolin or guitar for several weeks, but I've been fine ever since.

Good luck!

[mandroid]

VA trip, yester day .. Im 4 hrs RT on the road to PDX , ulnar , not carpal (more medial ) some hypertension.. more to follow...

[lflngpicker]

I feel for you and wish you the very best in your attempts at treatment. I can't imagine how hard that must be to think of it impairing your enjoyment of playing music. Take care, friend!