Tingling in both hands and arms along with loss of sensation in left arm

by Nicholas
(San Diego California)


I have neck pain and stiffness and I am going through physical therapy to relieve my pain and my muscular issues with my scapulas. However, I have loss of sensation in my left arm, and in both arms tingling that radiates down to the fingers.


From paying attention recently, I've concluded that I mostly feel tingling on the pinky and ring fingers, but will occasionally get pain that radiates on the palm and also the sides of the arm.

I feel a pain not directly in my upper neck, but more like where the neck and thoracic spine meet. My physical therapist says I likely have a pinched nerve in C5 and T1. Whenever I adjust my chest or breathe in deeply my lower neck cracks.

Please help me and give me advice as to what is going on and what I should do. This has been going on for about a year now, but the pain has gotten worse in the last few months.

Hello Nicholas,
Thank you for taking the time to write a proper narrative in the Queen's English; it helps.

The big concern is that you have tingling in both arms; that to my mind warrants at least an x-ray and perhaps a scan, and even a neurological consultation; it's unusual.

Clearly there's instability in your neck, hence the fact that it cracks so easily. You don't manipulate your own neck? What old injuries have you had?

Changing doctors is always a difficult question, but when you know you are going downhill despite treatment, then you must put sentiment aside.

One important little question is whether raising your arms above your head increases or decreases the tingling and numbness or relieves it.

I hope this contributes.

Dr B

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