[Animal04317]

Hey everyone great informative site! I came looking for possible reasons why my arms and hands could be numb. I had a repetitive shoulder injury in Jan. Work related so I called our nurse line told them i could not move my arms well both shoulders hurt and when I went outside to sweep the lot my arms went completely numb. i thought it was just aching because I work too hard--store manager so lots of stocking and way too much overhead work for the previous 3-4 weeks.

Went to doctor and they diagnosed tendonitis. 2 Weeks in a sling cortizone shot no help. Back to doctor NSAIDS rest light duty. Same for a couple of weeks after that. Next appt referal for mri of shoulder only. This whole time I am saying why are my arms numb reply was we do not have authorization to look at your arms only your right shoulder. MRI still not scheduled 3 weeks later--find out after calling a 2nd time that my adjuster at work "forgot" to make the appointment. It gets set the same day for the following week. Doctor is thinking impingement but when they did the MRI it was just with my arm down at the side so nothing showed but "arthritis".

Send me to pt which helps a bit with ROM but numbness still there. They know all my symptoms and have been great and documented everything. After 7 weeks of PT still have major pain in shoulder and numbness so doc takes me off pt back in sling and cortizone shot. Back 2 weeks later no relief so they finally send me to ortho.

Ortho says definate impingement cannot treat hands or arms only rt shoulder but wants EMG of rt arm due to possible surgery. EMG done that doc says carpel tunnel(no signs before injury) and that they need to do surgery the same day they do my shoulder. Back to ortho and he says ok we will schedule surgery as the emg was good no nerve damage in the neck. Surgery on 6/22 wants to send me back to work 2 weeks later. Fortunately my company didnt comply with state rules so I waited until they sent me the correct paperwork per my atty.

Tried the light duty one day but I was in so much pain that I couldnt move that night and that was just from organizing the paperwork in the office(they did nothing while I was gone for 6 weeks) and writing up complete lists for every employee on what they had to get done per my NEW district manager. I am now not only having the numbness but also pain in my wrists and hands and my left shoulder now has times that I get a pain like the impingement but when I am not moving. Also on the rt side I get a very tight feeling in my neck muscles and it radiates up to the top of my head.

I now have an IME with a doctor of my choice(supposedly one of the best in shoulders and was ortho for Atlanta Falcons). Hoping that he will actually look at the whole history of the injury and actually get the other issues checked.

Long story I know and now I need to give my fingers a break!