Hand Numbness?

I'm not a doctor, just giving a different point of view, speaking from my personal experience. I don't have gangrene or discoloration but the blood flow down my arms gets restricted (a circulation problem) which causes my arms to fall asleep (at night and when I'm on the phone - using a headset helps) and my muscles and tendons to get fatigued (I also experience burning in my forearms and hand weakness). I've been dealing with this since 1990, had physical therapy and was diagnosed by an orthopedic doctor. This was not caused by swimming - for me - it was caused by bad posture and sitting at a computer 40 hours a week.

It is most likely not a circulation problem. Circulatory problems are usually associated with pain (claudcation) and discoloration (redness and eventually gangrene). The distribution of the symptoms suggests an ulnar nerve problem.

I guess I should have also mentioned that I shattered the head of my humerous racing supercross. They had to stitch all the little splinters back together and put the reformed head back into the shaft with a permanent bone screw. For several years I had so called "phantom pains in my elbow and wrist. Not even pain pills worked because I had thrashed my nerve and it was growing back together. I also played MLB in college and seperated my shoulder a few times. Thanks to swimming most of my shoulder pain has gone away. It only hurts when I swim long sets of Butterfly or long sprint sets of Breaststroke. That is why I figured it was some type of impingment going on some where. Thank you for all of you replies, I appreciate them. Hook'em Blue

Yes. My surgery option was to have my first rib removed. I declined. Up to this point my condition has been circulatory. I'm concerned about the beginnings of nerve problems. OUr new computer system at work is very mouse intensive. As rare as thorasic outlet syndrome is, another woman at my job was diagnosed with it, too. We are both tall (me 6 feet, she's 6'2), which contributes to bad posture at our computers. When I completely think about my posture my symtoms lesson. Swimming helps. My co-worker was told to start swimming, but ultimately her problems worsened because she hadn't been swimming her whole life. She just had surgery on her elbow to move the nerve from the inside to the top. I'm off to swim now!

I have become a big proponent of physical therapy. Unfortunately, I think it's underutilized. Somewhere I read that we should not think of swimming to stay fit, but rather staying fit to swim.

Originally posted by iswim41 All this still sounds like circulation problems. When body parts fall asleep they are not getting enough blood. This is a common misconception (it's usually not a blood flow problem). That having been said, your point about thoracic outlet syndrome is a good one, although this is a relatively uncommon condition. Keep in mind that in thoracic outlet syndrome, symptoms can originate from compression of nerves, arteries, or both. As you said, treatment usually involves physical therapy, although surgery is an option if this fails.

I suffer from similar symptoms, mild daytime numbness is arms and hands, severe nighttime numbness as well as trigger point pains in shoulders. I was diagnosed with mild carpal tunnel and cubitol tunnel syndrome. Sleeping with an elbow brace helps. I have not found a wrist brace comfortable enough to sleep in. The problem comes and goes and I only recently noticed that it re-occurs after swimming laps ( I swim 1 mile twice a week). It gets more aggravated if I swim backstroke. I am now wondering if it might be TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome).

i kind of have this problem exept opposite...my hands and part of my arms will get really numb and it kinda gets me scared...anything to worry about?

My hand falls asleep after about 54 continuous laps. I've just assumed it's due to poor technique. My hands did that last time we did a T-30. I think that I was not relaxing the forearm and hand muscles on the freestyle recovery.