Numb/pins and needles in left hand

Numb/pins and needles in left hand

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kiethton

Original Poster:

13,895 posts

180 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
So for the last few days I've had on/off but persistent pins and needles in my left hand and lower forearm.

Rather annoying!

All seemed to start on Wednesday evening after I drilled ~40 holes in a concrete slab above my head (had to do half the number today). Does this seem like a temporary DIY injury or something else?

Slight complication is given the requirements to get my flat done so we can move in I can't really stop working on it -but may have to go easy on the drilling if it is the cause? Beyond this are there any solutions?

Liszt

4,329 posts

270 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
Any history of heart attacks in the family?

Have an aspirin and man up.

Maybe some nurofen too.

And sharpen your drill bits.

I am not a doctor.

Or a builder.

DanSaff

555 posts

166 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
kiethton said:
So for the last few days I've had on/off but persistent pins and needles in my left hand and lower forearm.

Rather annoying!

All seemed to start on Wednesday evening after I drilled ~40 holes in a concrete slab above my head (had to do half the number today). Does this seem like a temporary DIY injury or something else?

Slight complication is given the requirements to get my flat done so we can move in I can't really stop working on it -but may have to go easy on the drilling if it is the cause? Beyond this are there any solutions?
I hope it's not serious because I have done the same thing with my right forearm the last week! It feels like it's really slow and kinda disconnected, as well as the pins and needles.

I was drilling out some exhaust flange studs in an funny position. Been about a week so far but it's getting better.

kiethton

Original Poster:

13,895 posts

180 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
No heart attack history thankfully, not old - 26 and a fit(ish) fatty - can run a 10k no problem

It's not a pain, just an annoyance/weird sensation

steve954

895 posts

180 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
Well I would have said carpal tunnel syndrome but as it is only after the drilling I would put it down to that, my advice don't worry carry on through it and once it all drilling stops so should the pain!
I have it all the time riding a motorcycle but then when not in use for say a week it's all fine again but as you say it is a pain.

kiethton

Original Poster:

13,895 posts

180 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
Also do 30 miles a day on the motorbike (commute to C London) so I doubt that helps either :/

Thanks, will push through smile

steve954

895 posts

180 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
Does the it wake you up in the night? If so try some splints on your wrist works wonders for me.

K77 CTR

1,611 posts

182 months

Sunday 26th June 2016
quotequote all
Probably due to the vibration of the tools you are using. Look up hand arm vibration syndrome (obviously not to that extent).

Steve126

301 posts

183 months

Monday 27th June 2016
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I've had times when I have spent quite a bit of time using my drill or angle grinder and the vibrations have given me what you describe. Even when it lasts a few days it sorts itself out.

kiethton

Original Poster:

13,895 posts

180 months

Monday 27th June 2016
quotequote all
Thanks for that all - looks like it is what's causing it.

Going to have this eve off to watch the football, only going over to do a bit of marking up for the sparky so hopefully that'll give it another day.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

186 months

Monday 27th June 2016
quotequote all
Silly as it sounds, wearing decent thick gloves can prevent wobbly tools giving you this sensation.

I get it from using hand held petrol gardening tools from time to time.

chris_c201

255 posts

197 months

Monday 27th June 2016
quotequote all
Might not be the vibration that is the problem and actually stemming from your neck... i go through periods of a similar issue and its from a nerve impingement at the back of my neck...

My issue is exacerbated by looking above "directly ahead". Once the issue starts it's hard to shift for a while due to inflammation, have had physio treatments of traction (looks barbaric but opens up the spaces between joints in your neck and really helped), NSAID's like Diclofenac and exercises where you look slightly down and pull your head back from the chin again to open up the joints.

If you look down toward the floor for a while do you feel the sensation coming back? Is it worse when you look up?

Either way, i'd maybe get to docs to rule out a more sinister root cause.. i had to get an x-ray as they were concerned i had a bone spur impinging on the nerve.

Out of curiosity what bike do you ride? The point i had the biggest flare up was when i had an R1, the leaning over and looking up when riding it left me with a numb left thumb after every ride.. ended up having to get rid of it and buy something with a much more neutral riding position....

kiethton

Original Poster:

13,895 posts

180 months

Monday 27th June 2016
quotequote all
chris_c201 said:
Might not be the vibration that is the problem and actually stemming from your neck... i go through periods of a similar issue and its from a nerve impingement at the back of my neck...

My issue is exacerbated by looking above "directly ahead". Once the issue starts it's hard to shift for a while due to inflammation, have had physio treatments of traction (looks barbaric but opens up the spaces between joints in your neck and really helped), NSAID's like Diclofenac and exercises where you look slightly down and pull your head back from the chin again to open up the joints.

If you look down toward the floor for a while do you feel the sensation coming back? Is it worse when you look up?

Either way, i'd maybe get to docs to rule out a more sinister root cause.. i had to get an x-ray as they were concerned i had a bone spur impinging on the nerve.

Out of curiosity what bike do you ride? The point i had the biggest flare up was when i had an R1, the leaning over and looking up when riding it left me with a numb left thumb after every ride.. ended up having to get rid of it and buy something with a much more neutral riding position....
May be a coincidence but it happens exactly as you describe.

Bike is a CBR125R (not done my test yet) used for a Bromley - City commute

chris_c201

255 posts

197 months

Monday 27th June 2016
quotequote all
From what you're saying and caveated by the sample size of me... and no medical training... I think there is a high probability the root cause is your neck... took me about 9 months of investigations, physio trips, doctors etc before i got to the root cause of mine.....

Assume as the CR125R is based on the bigger bike (Fireblade)the seating position is fairly aggressive with knees and hips bent, slight lean forward so head "back" to look directly ahead? If so sounds very familiar to what i experienced....

If it is, the good news is mine certainly isn't a constant issue, did have a spell of c3 months of it permanently being there and pretty bad but at the time i had the R1 and i was also travelling a lot with work... airplane seats really aggravated it. Deep tissue massages around neck and shoulders really helped although the face down part leaves your head in the "back" position which could actually irritate it more during the massage!

Fingers crossed mainly just flared up due to extreme pressure being put on it drilling overhead for so long... once the inflammation goes down (i'd seek docs advice first but if it does turn out to be this issue then ibuprofen worth taking for the anti-inflammatory effect) it won't return!