right arm numbness

[Steve Sheffar]

I have some numbness in my right arm after todays WOD. I fell on my back after and handstand attempt. Is there a relationship?

The numbness is painful and I am concerned that I have injured myself without knowing. IE broken bone.

[Richard Gonzalez]

I had the same thing when I first started doing overhead squats. This first time I did this workout, it was with a PVC pipe and my arms would go numb. (After they went numb, it seemed my arms were pretty much sucked of all their strength for the rest of the day)

I was told that it was lack of flexibility in my shoulders which was most likely the problem. I was instructed to stretch my arms by grabbing a pull-up bar.

I have noticed that since doing OHS, the numbness will return, but it seems to be getting better. I just keep stretching and working on my OHS form (which isn't great).

Hopefully it is just a flexibility issue with you, and not a serious issue.

[Corey Duvall]

I find this happens to me when I don't maintain active shoulders. Active shoulders mean that you should contract your shoulder blade muscles against the force. This means to put your shoulders in your ears every time you work overhead. For pullups and dips you need to pull your shoulders down and back. Sometimes with flexibility lacking you will have a tough time fully getting your shoulders up... so keep working on flexibility but also work to keep those shoulders high.

[Mitch Hamm]

I had the same thing happen to me yesterday after doing "Nancy" and the OHS for the first time. In the early sets I noticed a slight tingling and numbness in my fingertips. By the 5th set my right elbow, the underside of my right forearm and my last three fingers were numb. Fifteen hours later my forearm is still numb and the fingers are tingly.

I have been working a lot on my shoulder flexibility since starting CF two months ago. I hang from the bar a lot and also move a long piece of PVC back and forth over my head with straight arms to hyper extend the shoulders. It's helping, but I have a ways to go.

I would like to understand the exact cause-effect relationship of this "malady".

Mitch

[Ben Moskowitz]

Originally Posted by Corey Duvall

For pullups and dips you need to pull your shoulders down and back.

I think for the bottom of the pullup you want your shoulders in your ears, like in an overhead squat.

Falling on your back from a handstand always sucks. I have been trying in vain to improve my handstand. However, I always practice rolls whenever I practice handstands. I have gotten somewhat decent at the handstand forward roll, so now I don't have to worry about hurting myself anymore.

This might not apply, but I did kipping, close-grip, supinated chin-ups one day and my left index finger was numb afterwards. It stayed like that for a day or two, but then it was fine. Just... weird.

[Ed Nguyen]

I have the same thing happen to me whenever I do OHS. I thought about this during my anatomy class in med school the other day, and this is what I think is happening:

I know that the ulnar nerve innervates the last 3 fingers and the bottom part of the forearm, and it branches off of the brachial plexus (located in shoulder area, just behind the collar bone) along with a bunch of other nerves that go to the arm. Whenever the arm is held in the position for OHS, some of these nerves may become pinched causing the numbness/tingling.

I don't know if stretching or anything else that can stop this. Maybe losing some muscle mass in the shoulder region would help, but I don't know if I want to go that far. Then again, I'm just a medical student and not a doctor yet.

[Tom Nguyen]

That entity is called thoracic outlet syndrome and often occurs in muscular individuals. Can also be associated with cervical ribs and other anatomic variants.

safe link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoracic_outlet_syndrome

[Brandon Oto]

Ed, the bar is also bearing down heavily on the hand, and the wrist is ****ed at a pretty odd angle. Could the kink be at that end? That would put it closer to the symptoms (which I also get, btw).

[Susie Rosenberg]

If pain and numbness persist, see your doctor. The "pinching" of the nerve can happen anywhere along its path from your vertebrae through your peripheral nerves. If it doesn't go away, and the impingement continues, you can lose motor function (ie, some strength.)

I learned this the hard way: I walked around--and exercised!-- with two herniated cervical discs for weeks before I sought medical attention. I had pain and numbness in my left latissimus dorsi, triceps, and a couple of fingers.

Susie

[Ed Nguyen]

Originally Posted by Brandon Oto

Ed, the bar is also bearing down heavily on the hand, and the wrist is ****ed at a pretty odd angle. Could the kink be at that end? That would put it closer to the symptoms (which I also get, btw).

It could, especially since the nerve runs pretty close to the skin in the wrist, but that wouldn't explain the numbness in the forearm and arm (which I get).