What causes arm numbness? Neck Disc, Elbow Tunnel Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Effect of ‘Prolo Therapy’ by Nerve Regeneration Injection
Bae Bae-yoon, Representative Director of Daegu Wankwae Neurology Clinic
Recently, the number of patients complaining of numbness in the arms is increasing. After Corona 19, as the number of forward-looking jobs increases and the use of IT devices increases, cases of complaints of numbness in the arms are increasing explosively following Corona 19.
The most common cause of arm numbness is compression of a nerve. The typical diseases that compress the nerve are neck disc, elbow tunnel syndrome, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
The main symptom of a herniated disc in the neck is often reminiscent of neck pain. However, this is not an accurate judgment. In fact, when a herniated disc occurs in the neck, symptoms such as headaches, stiff shoulders, and numbness in the arms are experienced as well as stiffening of the nape of the neck. As cervical spine instability continues, it stimulates the surrounding nerves and affects other parts of the body.
In particular, the nerves leading to the shoulder and arm are located around the cervical spine. The nucleus pulposus protruding from the intervertebral disc stimulates these nerves, causing numbness in the arms and shoulders.
The high incidence of cervical disc is because the muscles and ligaments around the cervical spine are weak. In the case of the neck, ligament relaxation is more likely to occur than in the waist. You have to support a heavy head, but the neck ligaments are too thin and the muscle strength is low, so the incidence of neck discs is bound to increase.
The main symptom of Elbow Tunnel Syndrome is tingling in the 4th and 5th fingers. It is usually accompanied by pain on the inside of the elbow, but it is often mistaken for a neck disc because it often causes symptoms when sitting. It is sometimes diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome because it sometimes wakes up with numbness while sleeping. It is common in office workers who sit and use a computer a lot, and it is also common in people who use their arms excessively.
The main symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are numbness in parts of the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, which are the areas controlled by the median nerve, or in the palm of the hand, decreased motor function, pain in the wrist, and pain in the hand and wrist except for the little finger. The dominant view is that carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the wrist is continuously used excessively. In the case of cooks, drivers, housewives, office workers, and heavy use of computers or smart devices, the reduction in the size or space of the carpal tunnel continues, compressing the median nerve and causing pain in many cases.
If the nerve is compressed and numbness or pain continues, an accurate diagnosis and treatment by a specialist is necessary. This is because, in many cases, symptoms worsen to the point that daily life becomes impossible due to nerve damage or muscle atrophy when nerve compression is maintained for a long period of time.
Various methods such as relatively simple drug treatment and physical therapy, nerve treatment, regenerative treatment, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and surgical treatment are considered depending on the individual’s condition and situation. Recently, neuroprolotherapy has been widely used as a treatment method. It is a treatment method that regenerates the compressed nerve by injecting an injection that can regenerate the nerve following finding the exact location of the compressed nerve with ultrasound.
Bae Bae-yoon, Representative Director of Daegu Wankwae Neurology Clinic
