Pins and Needles :p

HavocXphere

Honorary Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
33,155
Disagree with ulnar nerve / carpal tunnel comments...had that...it blows but in my limited experience that looks very different. (People seem to barely notice unless they are IT minded people...then its a kick in the balls)

I stopped going to the gym and the last few months when I sleep I get pins and needles in my hands. To such an extent that few of my fingers go completely numb/dead and it wakes me up. Mostly when I sleep on my back.
Are you sure you are sleeping on your back? If yes then the carpel/ulnar is even less likely.

Personally I'd have a good look at circulation and changes in supplements (seeing how you stopped gyming).

Oh and ffs ask a doc if this doesn't go away...seriously.
 

Pitbull

Verboten
Joined
Apr 8, 2006
Messages
64,308
Disagree with ulnar nerve / carpal tunnel comments...had that...it blows but in my limited experience that looks very different. (People seem to barely notice unless they are IT minded people...then its a kick in the balls)


Are you sure you are sleeping on your back? If yes then the carpel/ulnar is even less likely.

Personally I'd have a good look at circulation and changes in supplements (seeing how you stopped gyming).

Oh and ffs ask a doc if this doesn't go away...seriously.

Not that big a deal, just kinda freaking me out as it's not going away. Will def tell him if I go to have my repeat scrip filled again. Appreciate the feedback guys.
 

Chicken Boo

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
991
About a decade ago I started suffering a lot of wrist RSI/carpal tunnel symptoms. It also started as a nocturnal bother and then became a daylight nuisance as well. Nowadays I have few issues; the problem has not gone completely (I don't think that's possible) but it's way, way reduced. I didn't have any surgery and took no medication for it. What I did do (keep in mind this was over time):

1) I stopped the activities that caused the most suffering, or reduced them as far as possible. These might not be easy decisions for you. For me it meant quitting playing guitar and gaming. Intense and vigorous mouse use was absolute killer, and even console controllers hurt bad after more than a few minutes. You have to be honest with yourself in assessing what is good or not for the wrists (and whether you value the activities more than pain-free wrists), and don't dismiss activities too quickly as not being quietly damaging. If you don't want to be honest now, well, constant pain and numbness become convincing motivators later on.

2) I adapted different sleeping positions. This process hasn't ended and possibly never will. It's also the most difficult to effectively enforce, since 'you' are off duty and your body happily resumes habitual patterns.

3) Only recently I started taking wrist prehab-rehab exercises seriously. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMfW2kCkeE don't just watch it, DO IT, make it a part of life. If you benchpress or do pushups invest some time into learning the best and safest wrist positions. (PM me if you'd like more info)

4) I became more generally mindful of wrist position. So for example if I lie on my back with my hands folded on my chest, it's a natural and comfortable position but after some minutes my hands WILL go numb. Rather than waiting for the numbness to remind me, I instead try a different position from the start, leave arms at my sides. I try do this all through the day no matter what I'm doing, try be aware if my wrists have slipped into "no-no" positions (before pain or numbness hits).

I can't say that any particular aspect helped more than any other, I think it's a combined all-angles effect.

Good luck. Whatever you do don't just leave it - this problem isn't likely to fix itself.
 

zolly

Executive Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
Messages
5,918
Check blood circulation.

This. My mother has poor circulation and I have inherited it as well. In the past during winter, my finger tips would go white and cold, particularly if I was using a computer for long periods of time. My mother's fingers (probably has something to do with her age) actually go blue!

Although I have to admit, I haven't had a problem recently, probably due to the fact that I've been exercising regularly for a couple of years now.
 
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