Numb fingers?

J

Jason Fry

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
3,160
Seems like every time I do filework, my thumb, first, and second fingers go numb. Like slept funny, arm asleep numb. The other two fingers are OK, and this only happens when I do filework, not when I grind, etc. Any ideas what the heck is going on?
Jason
 
The same thing happens to me ,I have looked into it and from what I understand it is the start of carpal tunnel .I have done construction for 11 years and I have always carved and done a lot of hand file work and I am always doing things that take control and strenght so I am screwed.You can find a do it yourself test online (kinda funny hand movements that will or will not cause numbness).
 
Yep, it's pressure on a nerve somewhere. Perhaps Carpal altho mine originates higher in the neck/shoulder area. Sorry to say it will probably get worse. Physical therapy will help some. Amazing what you can learn to do with numb hands.
 
Yeah, it's somewhere along the median nerve as your symptoms are within its sensory distribution. As was said, it can commonly come from the carpal tunnel, or it can come from the elbow or even the neck or a combination. The carpal tunnel is packed with the median nerve and a whole bunch of flexor tendons for the hand. When you're filing for a long period of time, your finger flexor tendons stay flexed as they try to hold tight to the needle files and take up more space in the tunnel. There's not a lot of space to begin with, so after a while, the nerve starts going to sleep as its blood supply is decreased. Bigger handles on the files will help, for sure.

Also, be aware of your posture as you typically might be bent over and flexed at the neck for a long period of time while filing. Try to find a position that is neutral. If you are putting pressure on the nerve up higher (say, in the neck), you will be more likely to see symptoms distally (like the carpal tunnel). That's called a double crush in the business (I'm a Physical Therapist, by the way).

If it is truly carpal tunnel issues, avoid full finger flexion for a while and do some finger tip hanging stretches (use just the finger tips to grap onto the edge of the molding on the top of a door frame and gently hang on your finger tips with the rest of your fingers and wrists straight. Also, median nerve flosses will help. I'll see if I can find some pictures of one as explaining it can sometimes be a hassle.

--nathan
 
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Ok, so no luck with pictures, but I'll explain it the best I can.

-Stand with your involved arm hanging at your side.

-Raise the arm away from your body so it's close to parallel with the floor, palm facing to the ceiling.

-Bend your elbow to about 90 degrees (bringing your hand towards your head) while simultaneously extending your wrist and fingers away from you. The position you end up in should look like you're a waiter carrying a tray of food/drinks.

-Then straighten your elbow out again while simultaneously flexing your wrist and fingers towards you. The position you end up in should be with your arm straight and parallel to the floor with your fingers/wrist pointing at the ceiling or even slightly towards your head.

-Repeat the elbow and wrist motions about 30 times. It also helps to have your neck/head bent towards the side your working on.

Basically what you're doing is pulling the nerve back and forth through it's course. Do these flosses 3-4 times a day.

Hope that helps!

--nathan
 
Funny, I have ulnar tunnel which is numbness in the ring and pinky fingers. I have it from resting my head on my left hand with my elbow on the table (lifelong habit). Also putting pressure on the wrist like when I ride a bicycle is really bad for it.

The messed up thing is that it takes months to heal but only one slip up to re-injure it. Just be patient. Oh - and stop doing whatever it is that is copressing your wrist bones. Figure out some other way to drive your tool and leave your wrist out of it.
 
I get similar symptoms after hand stitching leather sheaths.Mainly thumb and first finger.Maybe it's time to go 100% Kydex.
 
silver_pilate said:
Yeah, it's somewhere along the median nerve as your symptoms are within its sensory distribution. As was said, it can commonly come from the carpal tunnel, or it can come from the elbow or even the neck or a combination. The carpal tunnel is packed with the median nerve and a whole bunch of flexor tendons for the hand. When you're filing for a long period of time, your finger flexor tendons stay flexed as they try to hold tight to the needle files and take up more space in the tunnel. There's not a lot of space to begin with, so after a while, the nerve starts going to sleep as its blood supply is decreased. Bigger handles on the files will help, for sure.

Also, be aware of your posture as you typically might be bent over and flexed at the neck for a long period of time while filing. Try to find a position that is neutral. If you are putting pressure on the nerve up higher (say, in the neck), you will be more likely to see symptoms distally (like the carpal tunnel). That's called a double crush in the business (I'm a Physical Therapist, by the way).

If it is truly carpal tunnel issues, avoid full finger flexion for a while and do some finger tip hanging stretches (use just the finger tips to grap onto the edge of the molding on the top of a door frame and gently hang on your finger tips with the rest of your fingers and wrists straight. Also, median nerve flosses will help. I'll see if I can find some pictures of one as explaining it can sometimes be a hassle.

--nathan
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, Nathan. Hopefully it will work on an old guy. Worth a try for sure.
 
I am still recovering from carpal tunnel surgery. Left hand was done june 29th and the right july 13th. While the numbness and pins and needles are all gone now, the hands are still quite weak when trying to grip anything and the palms are quite sensitive to getting banged. The Doc says everything will be back to normal 6-8 months(fingers crossed). I have to say the dexterity with the fingers is quite an improvement , but I still can't play the violin :) . The neuroligist told me if left to long it could affect the nerves and be permanent so you might want to have it looked . Good luck with it
 
If you look up carppal tunnel excercises on youtube.com there are a few videos,
Learned some new stretches there.
 
I had carpal tunnel in both hands with surgery scheduled on the right. Two days before surgery I talked with a customer who told me he could cure me and to cancel the surgery. I listened, did the surgery on the right, and started his cure on the left. It worked, or has for 2 years. That said, take his cure with a grain of salt. It worked for me but may not for anyone else. I will add that I'm really cynical when it comes to "I have the cure."

My customer had researched a bunch and concluded that most folks with carpal tunnel work indoors. People who work outdoors a lot typically don't have repetitive motion injuries. He concluded that the problem stemmed from a deficiency of vitamins A and D. Those vitamons are synthesized by sunlight.

He then tried 3 times the RDA of vitamins A and D and cured his own carpal tunnel problem within two weeks. He was real specific about not taking more than that because it may cause a liver problem.

He even went so far as to have a half million pills made, but said he was no salesman.

Bottom line is that I tried it and in about 3 weeks had no more problem with my left wrist/carpal tunnel. It's been 2 years and I still take the vitamins and still have no problem. I asked my hand doc about it. He couldn't explain it but said to go with it.

So give it a try. GNC has the A and D pills in one bottle. Don't use more than the 3 times RDA. You have nothing to lose and it may well work for you as well as it worked for me.

Now if only there was a vitamin for trigger finger.

Good luck,

Gene
 
Studies have shown that Vit B6 deficiency is somehow associated with CTS, and there are some abstracts I've seen suggesting Vit D as well, but I haven't read the full articles. When I get back to the university on Monday, I'll see if I can find some more studies.

The only word of caution on the vitamin situation...Vit A and D are both fat soluble. That means they are absorbed in fat within the body and aren't as easily removed by the body. There is an increased risk of toxicity with these type of vitamins (vit A more so than vit D), so be careful if you have liver or kidney issues, and I'd be hesitant to do it for a long term treatment unless I knew the higher doses weren't going to cause trouble. They have created water soluble Vit A, but it is even more toxic than the natural form.

It can't hurt to try, and you'll probably be fine as long as you don't go more than the 3X RDA, but I'd also suggest talking with your doctor as Gene did to find out how much extra vitamin you should take and for how long.

--nathan
 
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