TOS, or ulnar nerve? PLEASE HELP!!
 

Hello,

I do not have a diagnosis. I have been to numerous Dr's and they don't know what is going on. I have muscle twitching that seems to originate at my shoulders sometimes and almost every minute from my elbow (both arms). I also have extreme burning, tingling and prickling go from my fingertips all the into my spinal cord. These sensations never stop, they are there 24/7. I have had an emg of my lower right arm but the only thing they found was carpal tunnel. They refused to do one on my left and they didn't test anything above my elbow. Does this sound familiar to anyone? PLEASE HELP, I am desperate. Please, I beg you, don't read and move on. Please post anything you know. TIA

Do this:

Since all of the nerves pretty much go through the same muscles in the shoulder and back, block your ulnar nerve on the inside of your elbow by applying gentle pressure. If the tingling stops in your pinky, this is a pretty good indication the problem is above the elbow if not in your shoulder.

Another good way to test this is sit at a desk in the typing position; this is easier done sitting at an actual computer. Instead of sitting 90degrees like all of the literature says, lean back a little to where your arms are slightly angled greater than 90. Make sure you're in a comfortable position with your elbows closer to your body. The idea is to limit the shoulder involvement as much as possible. If you notice that the tingling starts to abate, Yahtzee......it's you shoulders. I would single out the traps and levator scapula muscles.

Don't get all crazy like I did, thinking it was TOS. Unless you're doing a ton of overhead work or are an athlete, or have been told you have an extra rib under your collar bone-something that predisposes you to TOS-you probably are misdiagnosing yourself.

Do some gentle stretches for the traps, scapula and chest. If you work at a computer, you need to take breaks, however you can do some gentle spine stretching while sitting at your desk. You should notice in a matter of hours if it's the muscles causing the issue, because all of the tingling will pretty much disappear.

This advice is coming from someone who's been suffering for 2 months now, and only recently did my physio and I figure this out....there was a lot of trial and error. Now I'm back to being a hardcore computer user albeit much more conscious about my muscle tension.

Lastly, you have got to relax. Good luck.

This advice is coming from someone who's been suffering for 2 months now, and only recently did my physio and I figure this out....there was a lot of trial and error. Now I'm back to being a hardcore computer user albeit much more conscious about my muscle tension.

Lastly, you have got to relax. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Were your symptoms 24/7 (literally, every minute with no break?) or did they come and go? Do you think it's possible to have nerves trapped in your bicep area?

I had pretty much the same thing on my left side some years ago. A neurologist with an office filled with Viagra promotional materials, clocks, pens, and tissue (yuk), diagnosed me with carpal tunnel via an EMG. Wrong.

An MRI showed that I had a herniated disk at c6 and c7. I think I injured myself reaching to turn on a lamp behind me as I lay on the couch. Embarrassing stuff. . . . I mainly felt the tingling in my little and ring fingers. Sometimes my forearm felt irritated. I took prednisone and it went away in a few weeks. Before this I went to two chiropractors who only made things worse.

The nerve could be irritated at a variety of locations. Worrying about TOS is premature. Might there have been a neck or elbow injury or some source of inflammation that could be the culprit?

Smuts, that is very valuable advice. My symptoms started thanks to a bad fall on the face. I have a disc bulge at C6-C7. I believe TOS and nerve irritation at the origin go hand in hand, one worsens, sparks off the other.