Where to go from here with ring/pinky problem?

L

littledave

New member
Hello everyone. Four months ago my left hand and middle/ring/pinky startrd going numb after I got a s harp pain in my left elbow from doing push ups. Saw two ortho who are also surgeons, they did Xrays and said I tweaked it, rest and splint at night would do the trick.

Saw a chiro who performed ART and that seemed to help my hands feel better, yet still got symptoms, continued with 7 treatments of ultrasound and that massage technique to break up scar tissue.

Then I saw a neurologist and had nerve test EMG done. Said it's checks out okay and rest would do it.

No for a few weeks, my ring finger and pinky are tremoring or shaking when I play my guitar or type. I play for a living and this is worrying me a lot now. It feels fatigued or almost sprained. But the numbness has greatly subsided, which I thought was good until...

... A few days ago, I feel muscle spasm in my elbow area and see my ring finger moving towards my palm involuntarily. It did it like a 10-12 times. Hasn't done it since.

I notice my pinky is getting clumsy too. The neuro said it's dystonia and not related. I find this hard to believe.
Just saw a hand therapist, these docs all checked my hand and there was no loss of strength or anything.


I don't know where to go from here or what doc to see anymore. I really need the function of my hands for my work.
 
You can have surgery to release the pressure on the ulnar nerve.

I'm sorta in the same boat (tho I'm no guitarist). Pins and needles and numbness in ring/pinky fingers up to both elbows - 3 orthopedic surgeons (2 hand specialists) and one neurologist later, I still have no idea what's going on. EMG both hands/arms showed nothing, MRI of my cervical spine only showed muscle spasm. Splinting/rest, padding and PT only helps so much.

I'm going back the hand specialist orthopedic surgeon next Thursday.

The curling movement you describe might be from tetany. Tendon rupture would be more abrupt, and permanently contracts the finger. Focal dystonia of the finger/s is common - you've probably heard of it referred to as "fiddle finger" or "writer's cramp".
 
Sorry to hear you have it in both arms. I also have it in my right hand if I use the computer but it seems less, and I'm more concerned with my left right now.

I have read from a neurologist that ulnar damage doesn't show up on an EMG until it's too late and atrophy sets in. That was not a fun read. But if it doesn't show on an EMG, I wouldn't know how they'd know where to perform surgery. Though I do have elbow pain at times.

Wouldn't the decreased numbness be a sign of a healing? It's nowhere near as numb as it used too. The dystonia set in because I felt some pain when playing certain chords on my guitar and the muscle in those fingers feels almost sprained or just very fatigued. So the fingers began to shake. But I'm getting muscle spasms much more frequently in my arm either at the elbow or near the wrist. My fingers hasn't started moving on it's own again, thank God.
 
Hey Jeff,

Any news on your situation? I am going through the same thing, and had to give up playing guitar. I can't stand the sensation of my numb fingertips on the strings.
 
Much improvement, I've spent lots of time and $ on docs but the best thing that's helped me was finding someone that practices ART and deals with nerve entrapments. Combined with lots of aggressive, constant stretching. It's made my hands feel so much better. Check out Active Realease Treatment, I bet it'll help Dave.
 
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