Pins and needles in arm and hand

[QuinceTree]

Hi Coach,

Greetings from locked-down London.

I am asking your advice (or anyone else's who has come across this) on what I imagine is a shoulder-related issue.

I have had arthroscopy/sub-acromial decompression on both shoulders which worked well on the left (last year) but the right has been a bit impingey on and off, despite best endeavours, in recent months (the right shoulder surgery was in 2013).

Since the lock-down I have been doing a bit of resistance band work which has gone as ok as it might, but a couple of weeks ago I seem to have injured myself pressing (with a single band, elbows in, as close to what I would do with a barbell as I could).

Symptoms: painful front of right shoulder, pins and needles periodically down arm into my hand, no obvious weakness in the hand. Dr. Google seems to suggest a pinched nerve in the neck.

Once lock-down is over I can go to my shoulder surgeon and ask him but, in the meantime, I wonder if you or anyone else on the board has come across this? And, if so, do you have any recommendations for how to handle this - e.g. are symptoms likely to solve themselves if I rest up or train around the injury?

Background: age 54; life, work, travel & injuries permitting lifting weights for about 10 years; more off the programme than on, but, frustratingly I had a nice LP going for the first time in about 3 years just as Covid screwed everything up.

Thanks in advance.

[Nick D'Agostino]

Hey QuinceTree,

From your description, it does sound nervy. The good news is, as you noted, most of the time these issues go away on there own. If you can find a way to press with the bands or do a pushup, that doesn't cause the symptoms, stick with that variation as the primary pushing exercise for a week or two. Which fingers do you feel the numbness and tingling in?

[QuinceTree]

Hey QuinceTree,

From your description, it does sound nervy. The good news is, as you noted, most of the time these issues go away on there own. If you can find a way to press with the bands or do a pushup, that doesn't cause the symptoms, stick with that variation as the primary pushing exercise for a week or two. Which fingers do you feel the numbness and tingling in?

Thanks Nick - I appreciate your time in responding.

It's the whole hand but probably more noticeable in thumb, forefinger and middle finger.

[Nick D'Agostino]

If you want you can try some median nerve glides. Sometimes they are referred to as sliders and tensioners. If you youtube it a bunch of instructional videos come up. Do something like a couple of sets of 10 a day. If it pisses thing off stop doing them. After like a week of doing them if you think it is helping to manage your symptoms keep doing them for a few weeks. If you feel like its doing nothing, just don't do them and wait it out.

As a side note if it is starting to get better on its own I would not go to a surgeon asking for advice. This is not specific to your situation but more of a general guideline to live by.

[QuinceTree]

If you want you can try some median nerve glides. Sometimes they are referred to as sliders and tensioners. If you youtube it a bunch of instructional videos come up. Do something like a couple of sets of 10 a day. If it pisses thing off stop doing them. After like a week of doing them if you think it is helping to manage your symptoms keep doing them for a few weeks. If you feel like its doing nothing, just don't do them and wait it out.

As a side note if it is starting to get better on its own I would not go to a surgeon asking for advice. This is not specific to your situation but more of a general guideline to live by.

Thanks Nick - on a quick scan, the median nerve glides look helpful - I will look properly after work today.

Olympic bar and weights arrive over the next 10 days so, squatting aside, I should be able to get back to normal barbell resistance paths compared with the bands, which just feel really weird on pressing movements, and maybe this will help too.

Thanks again for your advice.

[Nick D'Agostino]

You're welcome! Just low ball the initial pressing weights when you start up an LP again. If you feel some symptoms during training, that is ok, as long as you are not feeling debilitated after training (this includes the next day). Good luck!