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what causes numbness, pin needles hands, fingers??

Hi I am 47yrs old. Have had c5 c6 fusion with coral cage and metal plate 6yrs ago due to disc herniation supposedly to cure upper arm pain bilateral and cramps in arms on use, arm pain/cramps did not cease. Now have elbow pain and wrist pain bilateral too. Arms are heavy all time and cannot go above head. Spine surgeon can do no more for me. Seeing a neurologist in early May as now also pins/needles 2 smaller fingers both hands and total numbess at night time of entire hands. Upper back pain tenderness and pain if sat for too long. Use of fingers lessened and hands weakened. Any input valued please. Many thanks.
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Avatar universal
I am 40yrs and a banker and work comtinuously on computer and travel a lot. In july 2008 for the first time i started playing tennis once a week for 1 hr. after 10 weeks i started developing pain in my right arm fore finger. now from august 2008 to now i.e. may 2009 the pain has intensified and moving randomly between all 5 fingers. 60% of the pain is in thumb and forefinger. repeat the problem is only in the finger tips of my right hand. the pain goes away when i raise my palm and keep it on my cheek or when i stretch it to the right while sitting and rest on a sofa. when i leave it down or use laptop etc, pain comes back. diclofenacs etc give me a 12 hr relief but i cant live with that. have tried acupressure. a nerve conduction study ruled out any carpel tunnel syndrome. a cervical spine mri shows prolapse of c4-5, c5-6, c6-7 but not compressing the spinal cord. have seen various neuros and orthos. advice is postural corrections, short wave diathermy, exercise. but it appears none of them have come across such a unique case. could you advice how and how long will it take to get rid of this.
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Avatar universal
Hello and thanks for your reply. I had got to the stage where I was thinking maybe it was RA but now they have hit me with this extra rib thing being the cause praps, causing pressure on nerves. As I have a large chest does sound feasible. Does RA show up on xray or MRI? I find heat does help but it hurts so many places its a job to know where to put it! Also I use a TENS machine but again I dont know if Im using it in right place. Am on Oxycontin at mo the doc said praps Gabapentin may help if it is nerve pain. As with you sometimes it hurts like hell other times its bearable. Seems the more I use the joints the worse it is. Anyway I hope you get some relief and at least you know what you are dealing with. Hope I get some answers too, 6years is a long time hurting! Best wishes
Catwoman123
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760862 tn?1243097304
I suffer from the exact same symptoms that you do and this is what is wrong with me.  I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and my elbows tend to swell quite a bit and their is a nerve that runs through the elbow and the swelling puts pressure on the nerve and causes my pinky finger and ring finger on both hand to go numb and my arm all the way up to my shoulder at times.

It is quite painfull as well as buggy, it hurts so bad at times and than is ok at times also.  My Rheumy gave me cortizone shots in my elbows as well as my slew of R.A. meds  and supplements such as methotrexate, sulfazalazine, plaquinell, prednisone, glucosamine with chondroiten, daily multi vitamin with calcium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B12 supplements, neurontin and of course pain meds.  sometimes the treatments and meds help and other times they do not.  i have also tried lidoderm patches, various OTC creams and sprays and voltare gel.  and like i said they sometimes help.  hot and cold compresses can help relieve it sometimes also.

maybe mention to your doc, couldn't hurt and may help.

good luck and if you have any questions or comments or would like to vent than let me know

take care - til next time
montanagurl
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Avatar universal
I have now had my visit to neuro re my posting on March  22 bilateral arm pain, pins needles and numbness, thoracic pain. It seems the extra set of ribs i have in the cervical area are causing the problems. I am to have another MRI of neck and thoracic area and a chest xray. These ribs were noted when I had previous surgery but I was told it was the herniated disc doing the damage. Any one got extra cervical ribs and got pain relief from them in any way eg surgery, physio, meds please??
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your reply and comments. I have not had an MRI recently, since post op when they said the decompresssion surgery had gone well and should have sorted out arm pain. I have had nerve conduction tests for carpal tunnel syndrome, results fine, but again this was prior to surgery so long time ago. You have given me food for thought and I will post back in May findings of neurologist. Many thanks.
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Avatar universal
Welcome to the Back and Neck Community.  Members are here to provide assistance and support to individuals experiencing symptoms related to possible abnormal conditions of the spine.  Advice given is non-professional and is primarily based on personal experiences.

Following a fusion procedure, there is an increased risk of degeneration of the adjacent discs which could produce similar symptoms (neck pain, shoulder pain, changes in sensation of the arm, weakness etc.) that you experienced preoperatively.  The fact that your surgery did not relieve the bilateral arm pain and cramps you had prior to the fusion, could be due to permanent nerve damage that could not be repaired even with surgical intervention.  This is usually the result of the nerves being compressed for a longer period of time before surgery is done.
You state that the spine surgeon can not do anything else for you.  Was another MRI taken recently to assess for interval changes since your fusion?  This would be the only clear way of determining the status of your cervical spine and what nerve involvement is present, if any.  Seeing a neurologist in early May is an appropriate referral and he will be able to perform additional testing which could rule out other causes of your symptoms such as cubital tunnel syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome. These syndromes affect the ulnar nerve (around the elbow) and the medial nerve (around the wrist) which can produce similar symptoms to what you are experiencing.
Only after the diagnostic testing is completed can a definite cause be determined.  Then treatment alternatives can be discussed.  These could include anti-inflammatory meds, pain control and physical therapy.  Surgery to relieve nerve compression could also be indicated if conservative treatment has no significant results.
Post again with an update and with any additional questions/concerns you may have.
Best wishes -----
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