What Causes Numbness And Tingling Of Left Arm And Hand?

Posted on Mon, 5 May 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 6 May 2014 Answered on

Mon, 26 May 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : my left arm and hand are numb and tingling should I be worried? I thought I had just slept on my side wrong, but it is not going away.

Answered by Dr. Karl Logan (8 hours later)

Brief Answer:
nerve compression in your neck or arm.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for your question.

Based on your past medical history my first objective would be to rule out further nerve compression in your neck. This could be done by getting an MRI scan of your cervical spine.

Other cause of pain and numbness in your arm could be nerve compression in the arm itself. The ulna nerve can get compressed in the cubital tunnel behind the inside of the elbow joint, the median nerve in the carpal tunnel at the wrist. These are common site of nerve compression in the arm and can be diagnosed by the distribution of the numbness in your hand and nerve conduction tests.

Saturday night palsy so called is a condition where a person wakes up with a numb weak hand from falling asleep with his arm over the back of a chair. This compresses the radial nerve. This usually recovers spontaneously but can take weeks to months.

I hope this answers your question.

best wishes

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T