Tingles in the Fingles

[Tom Coletti]

Yup, my left hand fingers are not happy.

Not sure if it's strain from excessive playing or hours of leaning on cramped college desks while studying for midterms, but I may be showing early signs of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: pain in the inside of the left elbow along the ulnar nerve and constant tingling/numbness (i.e. that "pins and needles" feeling) in the pinky and half of the ring finger. This has been going on for the last few days, and while it seems like it may be subsiding a bit, it has still persisted, an I'm concerned in the long-term about loss of strength and coordination of those digits. Already I'm having difficulty fretting cleanly with the pinky.

Since it is most noticeable when practicing, I've decided to stop playing in the meantime and avoid putting any excess strain on the elbow until it either resolves itself or it gets taken care of in some other way, but I was curious if anyone else has experienced these symptoms and how you went about resolving the issue. Since I caught it early, I'm hoping that I can correct it through rest and some sort of stretching/ muscle therapy without damaging it further and then requiring surgery to relocate the nerve.

--Tom

[Tobin]

I get the exact same thing. Numbness in the pinky and part of the ring finger of my left hand. But curiously, not when playing the mandolin. I get it when laying on my couch, reading my Kindle or my phone (like I am right now). It has been going on for years, not getting any worse but not getting any better either. At least now I know what it's called. It seems to be related to a particular elbow position and muscle use combination, or at least that's when it seems to crop up.

Very curious what others have to say about this too.

[Jim Adwell]

Sometimes the fingers on my left hand get numb when playing, but sometimes not. I thought for a while it was the neck shape of one of my mandolins but I'm not so sure now, as it happens on all my instruments occasionally. Mostly it's the first and second fingers, but sometimes all of them.

When I was playing tenor banjo, and to a lesser extent guitar a lot, I had carpal tunnel problems in my left hand after 15 minutes or so of playing, serious enough that i just stopped playing regularly. Since then I play for fun only, and stop when (if) I have hand problems. If I were a professional musician, though, I'd have problems playing gigs on a regular basis, because of the numbness problem but also because of arthritic fingers (I'm over 60).

[Eric Hanson]

I feel your pain. Sorry it is plaguing you.
I was in an accident not too long ago and found this to be a bit of a problem myself.
While I cannot definitively diagnose the cause of your tingling, Here is what I found to be helpful.
For me, it was determined that some of the problem originated in the area of the neck from C3 to C6. I had massage and adjustments from a licensed Chiropractor along with acupuncture and massage. It has helped immensely.
This along with exercises to strengthen the muscles in this area of my neck. All of which have helped in various ways.
You might try any of these, along with getting through id-terms. The stress in a real killer when it comes to that area of the neck.
I hope that whatever you do, it serves to help you get rid of the numbness and tingling.

[JeffD]

I had hand pain upon playing for more than a half an hour. Pins and needles. Then sharp burning in my wrist and forearm. It turned out to be undiagnosed diabetes. Once I corrected my blood sugar, the pain went away and I can play for hours and hours.

Get it checked out, there may be more to it than any of us think.

[Mike Arakelian]

Go to Wikipedia and type in the term "ulnar nerve", or "ulnar nerve entrapment". It will pretty well describe what your experiencing and list several probable causes along with some potential remedies. It is very similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome except that it is caused by the ulnar nerve rather than the median nerve and affects the pinky and ring finger rather than the thumb and first two fingers. If simple remedies such as rest, ice, etc. don't help, you should seek medical help. Good luck.

[allenhopkins]

Same problem occurring after my recent orthopedic surgery to set my broken arm/wrist. Could be lingering effects from the nerve block I received before the operation, which lasted over 24 hours. (The block, not the surgery!)

Seems to be lessening, but I won't know for sure until the pins are removed, the cast comes off, and I start physical therapy and rehab.

[Jim]

Can be the result of inflamation and the resulting swelling either post op or otherwise.

[TheBlindBard]

I can't say that I feel your pain, but I hope all gets better and that you can play more soon
Best of luck, man

[mrbook]

I was getting numbness in my fingers for a while, more playing mandolin than guitar or banjo. I was also finding a lot of stress in the band I had played with for years. Changed playing companions - less stress - no current problems with tingling fingers. May not work for everyone, but it can be part of the problem.

[Vernon Hughes]

My right hand used to hurt and would seem to go to sleep when I was playing..I changed my strap length (closer up) and it went away.

[Jim]

My right hand used to hurt and would seem to go to sleep when I was playing..I changed my strap length (closer up) and it went away.

Often a change in elbow angle is the solution. I've had similar problems related to how I held my head after a Mtn Biking neck injury. When I stopped looking at my fingers I ceased to have finger pain & tingling. Turning my head to the left for long periods pinched the nerves, I didn't need to look at my fingers anyway so it sort of worked out to be a good thing.

[bmac]

This is likely part of the aging process... I experienced the tinglies at around 75 during a period of very bad health... after around a year of diligent practice on both mando and banjo the tingles went away and I have had no problem since,,, even if playing five or more hours per day. I might add though my health improved a lot from diet and medication so it may be related to that as much as diligent practice.

[eadg145]

I can't say what your problem is, but the symptoms seem similar to what I experienced when I had thoracic outlet syndrome. It seems that a combination of playing mandolin plus a lot of time on a road bicycle tended to tighten up my chest relative to my back. There were a number of physical therapy treatments to get me back together, but I have since found that doing door stretches regularly keeps the tingling finglings at bay. Raise your hands like you're surrendering, and press gently into an open doorway (oddly, from your hips). Hold that for the number of seconds equal to your age, and remember to breathe. Good luck!