Back injury: TINGLING IN ARMS AND HANDS

TINGLING IN ARMS AND HANDS


I suffered a back injury 4 years ago whilst manual handing a patient, moving the person up the bed backwards in a twist motion pulling each buttock. I developed acute pain between the shoulder blades during the maneuver which caused severe neck pain and stiffness. The pain remained acute for 8 months after which time I tried to resume normal activities, however when trying to vacuum and lawn mow and cross train I developed arm and hand tingling and hand stiffness which lasted 4 months.

I also found difficulty lifting arms higher than shoulder height, couldn't lift baby into highchair or bath, or tying my hair up, my arms would lose strength quickly. It felt like a stabbing sensation between shoulder blades. Pain was localized at between T4 - T5, however also experienced radiating neck and shoulder burning type pain.

4 years on the neck/shoulder burning persists, back seizes when bending/ top heavy for prolonged periods, however strength has returned to my arms. I hope to get my spine back to normal health but unsure of the cause?

Hello,
Gosh, you've put up with these pains for sooooo long! These are the sorts of conditions that chiropractors treat on a daily basis.

I suspect there are different things happening, but they could be one and the same.

That pain you have in the midback is probably a straight forward "sprung rib". Do you ever get pain on taking in a deep breath?

The muscles from the area run up to the lower neck, and seem to have affected the first rib. That's why your arms go weak when you lift them up.

But honestly, I'm speculating. What's needed is a careful, thorough Chiropractic examination to first make a diagnosis, and then fix the problem.

Start tomorrow looking for a good chiropractor. Talk to friends and family, and even your doctor. I can give you a reasonable assurance this is treatable. After all this time, you may have to accept that the pain won't go away entirely, but I take it you would be happy with an 80% improvement, right?

Make sure you get some rehab exercises from your chiropractor. Take him/ her a copy of this letter.

Good luck, let me know how you get on.

Dr B.



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