If your neck muscles are all swollen and spasming- It is likely they are compressing the nerves.

If you have numbness and tingling that persists when your arms are lowered, or if it follows any nerve pattern (like ring and pinky finger for ulnar nerve) i think that is a pretty good indicator that you have nerve compression.

There are also some spcific tests your neuro can do

1. finger temperature If you hands and fingers are actually cold, circulation problem. If they FEEL cold but they are actually warm- nerve compression problem.

2. Neurological tresting where they look for numbness, varying sensitivity from hand to hand with something pricky (like a needle or a broken toothpick) or weakness (like when you hold your fingers spread out and they try to push them together while you resist) can be used. Even small findings can indicate significant nerve compression in my own personal experience. My nerve was wrapped around the rib adn totally out of control swollen but i just barely failed some of the neuro tests. I think part of that is that i am pretty storng to begin with, so when they rate my grip strength or finger resistance compared to the "average" woman it is pretty good, but I notice significant degredation.

Also, clumsiness, inability to grip jar lids, keys or other small items- screams nerve compression.

Actually, i think wrist pain also it a nerve issue. Sharon butler writes that nerve compression in the armpits and lats whows up as wrist pain and that if your have burning wrist pain (i have a lot fo this) that you shoudl stretch those two areas.


If you have bulgy-popping veins like you described, i believe that is the kind of veinous symtopms that are dangerous and should be taken care of asap.

the other symptoms i talked about above, though, I am pretty sure are all nerve type issues. THe one person I know who had veinous troubles only had almost no apin associated with the condiiton and recovered very easily from surgery. I think in general others who have come to this board with only veinous or arterial symtoms are a lot the same-MUCH MUCH less pain.

hoe this is somewhat helpful

Johanna

PS. I am obviously not a doctor....!