Ulnar Nerve Entrapment Symptoms

[BandersnatchF]

Shelley, you may have (nothing scary at this URL). Basically, your ulnar nerve could be compressed on its way out of your torso into your arm, causing all sorts of sensory (and motor) symptoms. Ulnar nerve entrapment can also happen at the elbow and wrist, but I suspect that, given the knot in your shoulder and back, the nerve is compressed there, especially since stretching relieves it.

The good news is that TOS is annoying but in no way life-threatening. Extreme cases may need treatment, but your stretching is probably sufficient if it causes the problem to go away.

Incidentally, another TOS symptom is cool hands that may tire easily. I know that my arm tires easily and has numbness when I wear a backpack and hold onto an overhead strap or rail (been doing that a lot recently because of all of my travel), and I suspect it's due to the backpack pressing down on my collarbone, impinging on the nerves and blood vessels under the collarbone.

 

[999ychelsea45999]

I wake up regularly with numb pinky and ring fingers. It has been going on for 10 months. As soon as I "release" my arms and shake them out, it goes away. I can also get numb finger when talking on the phone. My EMG showed no entrapments, so go figure. I don't worry anymore. BFS is somehow in the nervous system, and I just figure that is what is affecting my fingers.

I know there is has been some viral connection to BFS--I wonder if the same mechanisms that cause "cold-sores" somehow cut loose in the nerves. My analogy is that cold-sores come and go, can be quite painful,(and they will flare up with stress!) but I never ever thought they were going to turn into anything that would harm me. I.e. they are benign, but a real pain. Just like @#$$#@##! BFS

Eric