Aloha , I know this may not be surfboard design related but I hope someone can help me . I have been getting “numb, tingling” hands each time I go surfing for the last 6-8 months . Ha anyone else had this ?? I have been surfing since 14 … 35 years and never had any physical problems … Stinks cause it’s the 1 most favorite thing I like to do … As soon as I hit the water and start paddleing it starts to tingle … like their “asleep” and I get a weird feeling it my arms too like their rubbery-weak- uncordinated… It gets better slowly after being out of the water for days. Think maybe it’s a pinched nerve in my neck as sometimes I get this “Shock” if I move it wrong . If anyone has had this or knows someone who has I hope you can tell me about it and what they did… Thanks , Don.
Questions…
Is it both hands?
Is it all of each hand?
How long does it take to stop once you stop paddling?
Have you tried to determine which muscles, specifically, are weak?
You’d prolly get sent to an orthopaedist or PT.
Aloha …Yes both hands … Left one is worse seems to be from my palms to the finger tips mostly and gets “better” that way too .From the palms to the fingertips but only after days out of the water . I really feel it’s a pinched nerve ?? I’m no hot surfer but OK and now I get pretty uncordinated quickly in the water and even have some trouble walking when I first get out . But that goes away pretty soon. I sorta feel like you do when you get too cold and numb … nothing works well… This is in S. Fla. Warm water … I don’t know but I’m not gonna stop surfing… Thanks for any feedback I can get D. J.
It does sound like a neck problem, I think you should go find a doctor or chiropractor (preferably one that surfs). I had a bulged c-5 disc about ten years ago and I had some of those symptoms.
Hotcoat,
Uncoordinated and trouble walking are pretty scary sounding symptoms. Time to go to the doctor. Nip it at the bud so you can continue with the passion. Mike
Hey, last March, I hit the reef pretty hard while surfing this spot in PR:
http://www.ksusa.org/Forum/album_showpage.php?pic_id=2689
Felt OK at the time, even that night. Woke up at 4:00 AM, no problem. Woke up at 6:00, very stiff neck, could not really turn easily to the right. Probably a combination of hitting the bottom and sleeping on it wrong. Dropping in backside that day was fun, couldn’t really turn my neck at all.
The stiffness in my neck lasted about 2 weeks. After that, I only had problems when I leaned my head back in the shower. I would then get a shooting pain in my arm. That lasted about a week. The next phase was a permanently numb thumb…and the exact arm numbness you describe upon hitting the water and starting to paddle.
After a month of this, I went to the doctor. After ruling out stroke, diabetes, etc, he was pretty sure it was a pinched nerve or damage from something, probably the bottom hit. Fairly common, he said. Sometimes lasts a person’s whole life. Luckily for me, it slowly went away and one day I realized all symptoms were completely gone.
Now my leg is another story. Two major hits front and back from the nose of a longboard, at night I become hyper-aware of my right foot. When it’s bad, it drives me mad. Not pain, it’s something worse…kind of like the jimmy leg from Seinfeld, ha ha.
I missed the trouble walking and uncoordinated thing…GO SEE A DOCTOR…
I had a similar experience due to injury. I suspect you are prone paddeling, and hyperextending your neck, which is compressing your peripheral nerves at C3/4, C4/5, C5/6 joints due to cervical disc deterioration. Knee paddeling on a longboard, or surgery may be your options. SEE A DOCTOR,PRONTO! Best of luck Brah.
Seems like this would help take the strain off your back/neck too…http://www.paddleair.com/
cool idea but I haven’t tried it.
ok so it only happens when you are surfing right. a pinched nerve could make sense but the casue doesnt really make a whole lot of sense. the water is usualy something that resolves some ones pinched nerves. usually a pinched nerve wouldnt cause such wide spread area of numbness with a specific action. carpel tunnel syndrome can cause that aspect of your hand to go numb, but it should also flair up with other movements. i am just a sports medecine student and those are my suggestions i would recomend visitng a doctor, you dont want this to get a lot worse then it all ready is. this is interesting if you find out anything let me know.
how wide is your board because if it is to wide it may be compressing the arterie in your arm pit, bicep region therefore causing your hand to go numb. but with this it should affect your whole arm.
have you had any previous neck injuries that could relate to the pain in your hands. and does it ever bother you outside of the water
I’ll second the neck issue. Sounds as if you have pinched nerve, or nerve related problems. Get a diagnosis from a good chiropractor or orthopedist. Surfing always aggravates the neck when paddling.
I’m no doctor. Married to one. Anyway, a pinched nerve in the neck could account for the numbness in the hands. I used to get a spasm in my thumb when I turned my head to the right after too much Brazilian Jujitsui. But, difficulty walking and weekness that last for more that a few seconds let alone days is another thing all together. Go to a doctor. Your asking questions on the wrong website, my friend. Mike
Nice answer from Mr Thrailkill. The arms are the C5-8 nerve roots. Bilateral numbness raises suspicion of disc problems. Enduring numbness raises all kinds of warning flags.
Lots of older surfers find paddling with the neck straight (ie: looking down at the board) causes much less neck trauma.
But if the numbness lasts for a while, you really want to deal with it. Because not being able to surf might be a small problem in the future. A doctor will certainly send you in to an ortho who will get a CT and be able to tell something about the discs.
Enduring numbness can lead to nerve degeneration. But the trouble walking indicates something even deeper than that…don’t aggravate it for certain (ie: don’t surf), and get some professional help.
I’m guessing C6 disk compression - this is the rhomboid point of attachment (which in turn stabilizes the shoulder through the rotator cuffs especially the supraspinatus).
To add to what the others have already put forth, it is good to remember that surfing isn’t the only thing which puts stress on your body. Lifting, digging, twisting, and certainly how you sleep all contribute. I pinched nerves at a couple of places in my neck area, initially by digging a ditch in wet ground, but aggravated by surfing, and eventually woke up one morning a total mess. My symptoms sounded very much like yours except mostly on one side and no difficulty walking.
The HMO doctor was useless, but that’s always pot-luck. I was pretty much a basketcase. A friend who had had the same thing said try a chiropractor. I had to pay cash - and a fair bit - but the guy took care of me. He had spent time with the U.S. Olympic team and had a real understanding of sports etc. The first thing he did after talking to me, before any treatment, was to have a couple of X-rays done, so he could see what he was dealing with. The HMO didn’t even do that…
Took a while but things are pretty much normal. The sooner you get started the better.
Hi Hotcoat, I had a very similar problem with numbness and tingling in the arms and hands. I thought it was carpal tunnel, so I went to the chiropractor first. MD’s go for drugs and surgery, so I tend to try alternates first. After several treatments and ongoing exams, he found it was a pinched nerve in my shoulder. Paddling movements aggravated it, and I had trouble holding a planer or sander. This didn’t happen from an accident either. I had recently got some down pillows and bedding. I sleep on my side, and the pillows seemed firm enough to support my neck. Down feathers compress, and after about 3 hours the pillow was flattened. This went on even when I was being treated, since I didn’t know. Anyhow, one session with a massage therapist fixed it, and it was immediately gone. Needless to say, I got some very firm polyfoam pillows and a mattress pad made of that memory foam stuff so I don’t roll around while sleeping. The lesson is that unless you’ve been in some accident, check around for dumb causes or else the condition will perpetuate itself even though you’re getting treatment. Getting old sucks; when stuff likes this happens it’s hard to tell whether you’re just falling apart naturally or if it can be fixed easily.
In my opinion, all of the above answers that say “SEE A DOCTOR” (maybe two or three) would be correct. Until you’ve had a decent clinical exam and perhaps some imaging tests (x-rays might not show soft tissue injury) you may be risking permanent disability. Numbness, tingling and rubbery, uncoordinated arms are NOT normal.
Pinched nerves and herniated discs are bad enough. Spinal cord tumors are damn scary.
SEE A DOCTOR.
Aloha, Thanks everybody for the replys . I will get to the Dr. in Jan. which is when my insurance from the new job kicks in. I have a good Ortho. Dr. "He’s not a cutter " unless it’s really the last resort. I have had a little lower back trouble … Age arthritus bulging disc I was told but he said to keep going as it was’mt bad enough for surgery and I was plenty active … Not debilataded <sp? Really bad that this is only happening when I go surfing. I was thinking today about the Question… If it only happens Surfing is it worth it “taking the risk” of surgery to keep surfing … I really want to surf but wonder what the Dr. will say… Growing old sure isn’t fun sometimes… Thanks again for all your help… Don
Don:
I have a good friend that is a chiropractor in Palm Beach Gardens that specializes in sports type injuries. He treats alot of professional baseball and tennis players and has treated me for sympthoms similar (though to a much more limited extent) to yours. Feel free to PM me if you would like his phone number.
Jeff
On my journey (which has taken 7 years, ending w/ hip joint replacement), the most important thing I learned was to first get a proper diagnosis. I spent years farting around w/ alternative treatments that siphoned my cash away. My Chiropractor, who also surfs, was the first care provider who took and x-ray. So I’ll agree most w/ Mellor on the Imaging front. I’d prod you to spend your own money to get the diagnosis pronto. January is too far down the line for those key symptoms. Bungee jumping might work well too.