Hand numbness

@sardee1231 Hello and welcome to Connect. May I ask you for some further detail about your symptoms?

When did your neck pain begin? Did you have an injury or a whiplash? Have you lost muscle mass or muscle tone in your arms or on the back of your arms or shoulders? Do your hands get cold or turn colors? Do you have pain in your arms too or in other places like the shoulder blade? Look at yourself standing sideways to a mirror. Look at your head position; is it forward or does it line up directly over your shoulder? Are your shoulders in line with your body or are they forward? Does your entire hand go numb and what position is your arm in when this happens. Is it just part of your hand that goes numb or has pain, if so, which fingers or which side of your hand?

Have been seen by a neurologist or spine specialist before?

I know I've asked a lot of questions here, but for good reason. I am a cervical spine surgery patient and I also have a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome which most doctors miss. I may be able to help you pinpoint issues to discuss with your doctors and questions to ask that can help get them focused.

Do you have a scheduled appointment with a neurologist?

I had the same symptoms you are having and mine was due to my spinal cord being pinched at C4 C5 C6.. had the laminectomy surgery. It has been 6 weeks now and hand and legs are numb, my hands burn and tingle like asleep due to over firing. Was also told if I didn't have surgery that if I fell or got in a wreck it could paralyze me. Now just waiting for nerves to heal & connect so I can have some normalcy back.

Golly it sounds scary to me - we should be real careful with back surgery as I hear more and more people are not better after it - I sometimes think these type of doctors are just in it for making money. Hope you feel better soon.

@lynn2026 I'm glad you found your way to Mayo Connect. Yes, waiting for the trauma of surgery to heal and nerves to regenerate is a slow, frustrating process.
Let's see if our Mentor, @jenniferhunter, who has had spinal surgeries, can offer you some insight.

In the meantime, what does the surgeon say about a timeline for healing?

@gnocchi Cervical spine issues are different than thoracic or lumbar spine issues. Consider that all impulses from the brain go through the neck before they get to the body. Real spine problems are evident on imaging and neurological testing. I can tell you as a spine surgery patient that my spine surgeon isn't doing this just for the money. He will get get paid the same if he operates or doesn't operate because that is how Mayo Clinic works.

Cervical spine compression can cause a lot of disability and even incontinence. It can put a person in a wheelchair. Doesn't it just make sense to diagnose the problem and make an educated choice? You are correct that lumbar spine surgery is more painful and more difficult to recover from and sometimes patients have residual pain. I agree, always choose your surgeon carefully to find someone who's opinion you trust. I have not had back surgery, but this is what my doctor told me. I am pain free since my cervical spine surgery.

@lynn2026 It does take a long time for injured nerves to heal after being decompressed. At 6 weeks, you are just getting past full healing of the incision and scar tissue can begin tightening. There is probably still inflammation from the surgery. Physical therapy may help that. What has helped me a lot is myofascial release to loosen the tight scar tissue. Did you have leg pain before the surgery?

I had some irritated nerves after a steroid epidural injection. They were burning and giving electric shocks. That took a year and a half to heal and stop being sensitive to heat or cold. It has been normal since then. I had a C5 C6 fusion and was also at risk of paralysis if I should have had an injury on top of having a compressed spinal cord.

Here is the main discussion on MFR and a link to MFR Therapists:
-- Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
-- MFR Therapists: https://mfrtherapists.com/