this tingling might go away right?
October 15, 2020 9:19 AM Subscribe
I've had plenty of times when I have woken up w numbness/tingling in my hands, and it goes away pretty quickly. This morning, I woke up with pins an needles in my right ring and pinkie (pinky? Hmm) finger that have persisted for three hours, not improving any nor getting any worse, just still there. I'm sure it is another manifestation of cubital tunnel stuff.. I've had troubles like it before, just never persistent like this. have you had this go on for a few hours ? What happened next, did it go away and then you forgot about it and moved on? (Fingers crossed). Thanks metafilter.
If it doesn't go away, you can talk to a doctor (probably should anyway). If it does go away, consider using a splint or towel at night.
posted by aniola at 9:24 AM on October 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by aniola at 9:24 AM on October 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
However it resolves, it's a good idea to get this on your medical record (even if only by a phone call to your doctor's office) so they can track the issue's development over time. That's a key component of any diagnostic evaluation that you may want to undertake in the near or long term.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:29 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:29 AM on October 15, 2020
that stuff is potentially, cumulatively, NOT harmless. it sounds like you should be wearing a splint at night and maybe while you work (I assume you work a typing job.) To answer your question, yes my hand problems generally go away when I ice, assiduously wear a brace at night, and sometimes tape my pinky to my ring finger for work.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:29 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:29 AM on October 15, 2020
I have carpal tunnel syndrome and some rotator cuff issues. If I'm not taking care of my arms/shoulder I get numbness and tingling in my fingers after a night's sleep. It will sometimes get bad enough to wake me up. Step one for me was doctor and prescription muscle relaxants until the inflammation abated. Step two was physical therapy. Now keeping on top of them means at least daily stretching and ideally light weight lifting 2-3 times a week. I notice pretty quick when I go off my routine.
posted by carrioncomfort at 9:33 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by carrioncomfort at 9:33 AM on October 15, 2020
I fell asleep on a transcontinental airline flight while resting my head on my hand "Thinker" style, and my pinky was tingly for weeks afterward. No apparent long-term damage.
posted by wnissen at 9:36 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by wnissen at 9:36 AM on October 15, 2020
I had this too.
1) Because of changes to my work environment (as in: I worked from home during early COVID), I ended up resting my elbows on my work table more frequently, and at a different angle. Bad ergonomics, etc. This aggravated the nerve that ran through my elbow.
2) I slept with one arm curled behind my head, which further aggravated the nerve.
I woke up with unpleasant tingles and numbness. My solution was to sleep with a thumb hooked in the waistband of my pajamas for three nights, and to reconfigure my home desk setup. It felt weird and it worked.
Good luck!
posted by mr. remy at 9:44 AM on October 15, 2020
1) Because of changes to my work environment (as in: I worked from home during early COVID), I ended up resting my elbows on my work table more frequently, and at a different angle. Bad ergonomics, etc. This aggravated the nerve that ran through my elbow.
2) I slept with one arm curled behind my head, which further aggravated the nerve.
I woke up with unpleasant tingles and numbness. My solution was to sleep with a thumb hooked in the waistband of my pajamas for three nights, and to reconfigure my home desk setup. It felt weird and it worked.
Good luck!
posted by mr. remy at 9:44 AM on October 15, 2020
I had similar symptoms for months, although in my case it came and went depending on my posture and neck positioning. I think it was due to bad ergonomics followed by a bad night of side-sleeping, so now I sleep wrapped around lots of big fluffy pillows.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:03 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:03 AM on October 15, 2020
If it's still bothering you, you can try some cubital tunnel nerve glides (google it) and maybe some self-massage.
posted by callmejay at 10:58 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by callmejay at 10:58 AM on October 15, 2020
This happens to me when I sleep on my side on a too-firm mattress. I've been trying to train myself to sleep on my back more and also got a mattress topper that has some more give so that my shoulder and arm don't get as compressed while I sleep.
posted by quince at 11:42 AM on October 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by quince at 11:42 AM on October 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
If it's localized to your hand I'm pretty sure this isn't the issue, but just in case it spreads: might you be low on oxygen? Tingling/numbness is a common symptom of low oxygen and could easily be checked if you have an oximeter.
posted by saltypup at 12:47 PM on October 15, 2020
posted by saltypup at 12:47 PM on October 15, 2020
For me this turned out to be ulnar nerve stuff. With rest, and avoiding the thing that made it worse (in my case, bending my elbow) it would eventually go away for a while, but it limited my range of motion enough that I eventually ended up having surgery, which completely fixed the problem. YMMV, of course.
posted by en forme de poire at 1:21 PM on October 15, 2020
posted by en forme de poire at 1:21 PM on October 15, 2020
Yep, this is totally ulnar nerve/cubital tunnel syndrome stuff (which it sounds like you know). I had something similar flare up a couple of years ago. I'd recommend getting checked out by an orthopedist just to be safe. After I saw my doctor, these are the things that helped it calm down:
-a few weeks of PT, accompanied by taping the nerve
-complete ergonomic overhaul of my work setup
-sleeping with my "bad" arm supported by a pillow (I still need to do this or else I'll wake up with numbness/tingling in those fingers)
My doctor told me he didn't think surgery was necessary in my case unless I had persistent numbness for a month or more, but YMMV.
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 10:28 AM on October 16, 2020
-a few weeks of PT, accompanied by taping the nerve
-complete ergonomic overhaul of my work setup
-sleeping with my "bad" arm supported by a pillow (I still need to do this or else I'll wake up with numbness/tingling in those fingers)
My doctor told me he didn't think surgery was necessary in my case unless I had persistent numbness for a month or more, but YMMV.
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 10:28 AM on October 16, 2020
I have something similar, which I'm pretty sure started about 8 years ago when I spent a couple months riding a bicycle with a too-high seat, resulting in pressure on the heels of my palms from the handlebars. Tingling started on the inside ring fingertips and pinky and, at its worst, turned into full numbness which extended up to my elbows and kept me from sleeping for more than 20 minutes at a time because lying down made it worse.
Once I narrowed down the likely causes and quit riding that bike it sloooooowly improved, but has never gone away. The tingle is no longer omnipresent but even small things can bring it back -- sleeping in the wrong position, carrying a heavy bag, repetitive gripping movements (e.g. staple gun), rowing a boat, pushing a grass cutter. I did a 10hr drive a few days ago and could feel the numbness in my ring fingers start when my hands were positioned incorrectly.
I didn't see a doctor for it, as by the time I would have got an appointment I'd already self-diagnosed the cause and it seemed one of those things whose recovery couldn't much be sped up. I can (mostly) manage it by being diligent about my movements and hand usage while awake and wearing wrist splints at night, but I'm more or less resigned to the idea this is the new normal, as from all I've read surgery is the only permanent solution and for me that's a last-resort option.
posted by myotahapea at 11:19 PM on October 17, 2020
Once I narrowed down the likely causes and quit riding that bike it sloooooowly improved, but has never gone away. The tingle is no longer omnipresent but even small things can bring it back -- sleeping in the wrong position, carrying a heavy bag, repetitive gripping movements (e.g. staple gun), rowing a boat, pushing a grass cutter. I did a 10hr drive a few days ago and could feel the numbness in my ring fingers start when my hands were positioned incorrectly.
I didn't see a doctor for it, as by the time I would have got an appointment I'd already self-diagnosed the cause and it seemed one of those things whose recovery couldn't much be sped up. I can (mostly) manage it by being diligent about my movements and hand usage while awake and wearing wrist splints at night, but I'm more or less resigned to the idea this is the new normal, as from all I've read surgery is the only permanent solution and for me that's a last-resort option.
posted by myotahapea at 11:19 PM on October 17, 2020
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posted by jtexman1 at 9:22 AM on October 15, 2020