Has anyone had issues with your hands going numb due to working out? I noticed it about four years after I started working out, and still have issues. Thankfully it rarely happens in the gym, but is pretty common when I sleep.
I went to a chiropractor a while back, and he said it is due to my neck and lower back degenerating…partly from age but also partly from working out.
Just curious if anyone else has experienced this, and if it has affected your lifts at all.
I have. Feel free to PM me.
It happens to me when I’m sleeping but I figured it was simply because I’m getting heavier and sleeping on my arms is cutting off the blood flow.
I don’t see how working out degenerates your lower back. Furthermore, I’m not sure how that would make your hands numb. Then again, I’m not a anatomist.
I’d like to know what causes that.
My wife has that sometimes when she works out.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
It happens to me when I’m sleeping but I figured it was simply because I’m getting heavier and sleeping on my arms is cutting off the blood flow.
I don’t see how working out degenerates your lower back. Furthermore, I’m not sure how that would make your hands numb. Then again, I’m not a anatomist.[/quote]
Pretty sure when you rupture a disk in your lower back your could get numbness in your feet/legs, or upper back and get some numbness in your hands.
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
I have. Feel free to PM me.[/quote]
Tex Ag
Can you share it with the rest of us? I am also wondering.
[quote]dad4 wrote:
Tex Ag wrote:
I have. Feel free to PM me.
Tex Ag
Can you share it with the rest of us? I am also wondering.[/quote]
+1
Thanks for the info, BBB.
My chiro showed me x-rays of my neck/lower back compared to what was considered optimal, but then again maybe he was just making a business case.
He advised me against doing lifts that put undue pressure on the neck (dumbbell presses, etc.) so I’ve found alternate exercises to work shoulders. I also avoid free weight deads and squats.
His explanation was that as the spine degenerates, the hole through which the spinal cord passes becomes smaller. The numbness occurs when pressure is put on the spinal cord due to having less “breathing room”. I have no idea how scientific that is, but that is how he presented it.
I hadn’t heard about “triple crush”, but that makes sense. Would you second the recommendation to avoid exercises like dumbbell press or is it cool to go back to those?
[quote]forlife wrote:
Thanks for the info, BBB.
My chiro showed me x-rays of my neck/lower back compared to what was considered optimal, but then again maybe he was just making a business case.
He advised me against doing lifts that put undue pressure on the neck (dumbbell presses, etc.) so I’ve found alternate exercises to work shoulders. I also avoid free weight deads and squats.
His explanation was that as the spine degenerates, the hole through which the spinal cord passes becomes smaller. The numbness occurs when pressure is put on the spinal cord due to having less “breathing room”. I have no idea how scientific that is, but that is how he presented it.
I hadn’t heard about “triple crush”, but that makes sense. Would you second the recommendation to avoid exercises like dumbbell press or is it cool to go back to those?[/quote]
I personally would not do any form of shoulder presses, due to the awkward position it places the humerus and shoulder joint in. Then again that is a sacrifice some bb’s are willing to make for their sport, which is fair enough. As for the arm numbness, just sounds like some tightness in the lats/pecs, which you can resolve with door stretches etc.
Regards
Due to popular demand…
I will start with saying, listen to BBB. I did and what he suggested has been backed up by a physical therapist I am currently using. And to be honest, given the advice I have seen BBB give, I would have gotten a new PT had it not worked out the way it did. That said, in my case, there is a bit more going on as well.
I have degenerative disk disease in my neck as well but I do not think it is the main issue (though perhaps indirectly…). I have bulging disks and bone spurs as well. It is crowded in there. Because of this, I would be very hesitant to allow chiropractor to yank on me. By the way, the DDD is hereditary and not much you can do about it. Lifting did not cause it nor have I ever been told to not lift because of it (I have known about it for over ten years now).
As BBB suggests, there could very likely be a soft tissue cause/solution. Some of the stuff I can do on my own - rotator cuff exercises, some fascia stretches/massage. The DC broomstick stretch feels good. Some of it my PT has to do (some because my mobility is not good enough, some one cannot do to him/herself).
So there is some structural issues but another aspect I am dealing with is genetic predisposition and previous trauma to the area. For me the issues run from my neck all the way to my hands. Essentially a bad situation made worse. So my experience may be unique.
The only exercises I have been told to avoid are behind the neck BB presses - and this is how the neck gets positioned more than the shoulders. I gave up side lateral raises years ago because my hands go numb mid set. I still do cleans and push presses, DB press and machine work. That said, my hands have gone numb recently during push presses.
The main adjustment I have made is volume. Because it is hard to avoid your arms, shoulders, and traps (these all seem to have an impact) I have had to decrease volume everywhere (even things like hack squats and standing calf raise machines are problematic). Not optimal for muscle growth but I need to be able to use my hands for eating, typing, caring for my child, etc. It is a trade off (and apparently not a very “T-Man” choice according to the bleating herd).
Sorry such a long thread. Take away points:
-listen to BBB
-rotator cuff, stretches, etc.
-plenty of lifting can still be done
Good luck.
And let me formally thank BBB now.
Thanks, BBB!
It’s got nothing to do with working out I have had this in the past before I started to work out fish oil tablets and stretching before bed fixed it up. I think i started doing that nightly and haven’t had any problems since.
I have been dealing with this for a while now. It has gotten better BBB gave me advice a while back. He told me to be careful of my posture while using the pc. I’ve also found great help in the use of msm.
It only bothers me after pulling movements. Not sure why that is…anyone?
[quote]slimthugger wrote:
I have been dealing with this for a while now. It has gotten better BBB gave me advice a while back. He told me to be careful of my posture while using the pc. I’ve also found great help in the use of msm.
It only bothers me after pulling movements. Not sure why that is…anyone?[/quote]
Check your form. Are you keeping your shoulder blades pinched? If not, you may be having some impingement during the movement.
You might want to try some mid-back activation work. There was an article on shoulders posted a week or so ago that has a good activation/warm-up routine in it.
Just a suggestion.
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
slimthugger wrote:
I have been dealing with this for a while now. It has gotten better BBB gave me advice a while back. He told me to be careful of my posture while using the pc. I’ve also found great help in the use of msm.
It only bothers me after pulling movements. Not sure why that is…anyone?
Check your form. Are you keeping your shoulder blades pinched? If not, you may be having some impingement during the movement.
You might want to try some mid-back activation work. There was an article on shoulders posted a week or so ago that has a good activation/warm-up routine in it.
Just a suggestion.[/quote]
Thanks, Much appreciated!
BBB, it could be something as simple as carpal tunnel too.
What exercise are you usually doing when this occurs? Certain lifts could put more pressure on specific nerves. There are also movements that pull on specific nerves. I believe one of my PT friends called it nerve flossing?
This will help as well
