It is fairly common for people to experience numbness or tingling in their hands at some point in their lives. What causes this? Well, there are a variety of causes that can result in this pins and needles sensation. Carpal tunnel is one reason. But there are many others. One very common reason is compression on the nerves that run below the pec muscles. This is common today due to our lifestyle of frequent sitting and using our hands in front of us (rather than reaching up into trees and bushes while foraging for food in the caveman days). When our pecs are tight and our shoulder blade muscles are overstretched and possibly weak, we can start to get tingling or numbness in our hand. This can usually be fixed pretty easily with some targeted stretches and exercises. One common habit that can contribute to this problem is looking at your phone while sitting in bed. This happens to me quite frequently and I honestly appreciate the reminder to put my phone away!
A certified hand therapist will assess which nerve is being compressed based on where the tingling is occurring. Each nerve that runs down your arm serves a different part of the hand. So based on this information, a therapist will give you exercises and nerve glides (similar to stretches) that will help relieve the compression on that specific nerve.
Nerves in the arm can get compressed at the wrist, elbow, or shoulder. Compression at each of these areas will cause tingling in the hand. If you are experiencing this problem, I highly recommend you make an appointment with a certified hand therapist. You likely will be able to resolve the problem in just a few sessions!
