Yes, I know I should see a hand doctor. And I will if this persists. But until then.....

I just got off my first wall (TR forthcoming!). A day or two later, I noticed the inside of my ring finger was numb. 5 days later still numb.

A google search yields some candidate issues, but I really don't fit either. Ulnar nerve compression (but this effects the pinky and outside of the ring finger) OR carpal tunnel (but this usually effects the thumb, index, middle, in addition to inside of the ring finger).

I know internet diagnosing is bad, but until I see a doc.... anyone ever have something similar?

Brain parasite. Specifically, the Ineedius Morewallius.

Is it your ring finger, the one with the ring? If so, hand swelling from climbing the wall could be causing the the ring to press on the nerve at the base of the finger. Or, check out your wall gloves and see if they caused a pressure point during the climb - although you likely would have felt numbness during the climb then. Lastly, any acute force applied to that finger/hand afterwards? Wrenching on the pig during rappel, slipping on the walk-out, etc.

5 days is still a short time, by doctor's time, for non-central nervous system based numbness/pain (meaning not a disc pushing on your spinal cord or exiting nerve root), especially to a one side of a single finger that still has full movement. He or she will likely say to wait another week or two and see if it improves. Just my experience, YMMV.

Congrats on the wall, by the way.

No idea what it is but in the spirit of misery loves company... during ice season, I always have various digits go numb for weeks at a time...usually a finger or 2 on each hand ....they always seem to recover.

Yeah, Andy, this is personal/anecdotal not based on substantive knowledge, but...

I occasionally get numbness in different patches of hand or finger "downstream" from where I've pinched or torqued my hand or finger. The correlation is clear: working a hard (for me) move, I'll feel the contact area getting tweaked, including a little of that "electrical" feel of nerve contact. Then a little numbness sets in a bit further down the extremity. It lasts from days to weeks and then resolves.

I always assume it's pinched or bruised nerve tissues. Doesn't that happen to everyone?

Yeah, its common.

I've had it happen before, but never last this long... thanks for all the feedback, misery does indeed love company.

i assume you are not speaking figuratively of a troubled/withdrawn marriage.

but i have had similar experience with numb digits after a LOT of time on the jumars. or figure how many times when you are on a wall do you use two fingers to pull up on a carabiner. it went away eventually. another repeated movement that does that kind of numbness is excessive hand drilling.

This type of thing is more common in colder months because (my limited understanding is that) as nerves cool, nerve conduction speeds slow down. Thus, since fingers are quite peripheral and cool down quicker, chronic or acute nerve trauma manifests itself as numbness. I notice this type of thing frequently in the winter-- rarely to never in the summer. Yours has been numb a little longer than I would expect though based on personal experience. I once volunteered to be a guinea pig for an EMG (tests nerve conduction and I think muscle also): not fun. Good luck! Hope you don't need an EMG.

This is happened to me twice. In both instances it went away, but took a month or two.

Yea Phil - but yours was from too much self pleasuring .

Andy,
Did you notice any numbness or tingling immediately after climbing? Or was it generally okay until a day or two after? I've had this happen to my index and middle finger after climbing Crime of the Century in Squamish (yarded a bit too hard on those first finger locks). The distal halves of both fingers were numb for about 3 weeks. i could hold a lighter under them, poke them, etc., and feel hardly anything. That was a few years ago, and I haven't had any issues since. I'd give it a few weeks.

-Ben

If it is only on one side of one finger, the anatomy points strongly towards something that happened to 1 of the injured finger's digital nerves. Unless a cut or major blow occurred, it's likely that this is a neuropraxia, i.e. bruise to the nerve. Such injuries can take anywhere from a few days to 6 weeks (rarely to 6 months) to heal. Typically it occurs from some excessive compression right over the nerve which travels more along the palm side along the side of the finger. More questions, ask Jon T.

andy, what is numb to you? radiates? burns? like it fell asleep?

Are you having any carpal pedal spasms? hand cramps?

can you recall an acute injury to that elbow or hand?

ever have neck or back problems?

do you sit/work on a computer for hours on end and mouse with that hand?

finally, how about minerals and vitamins? Hydration?

Fam Hx of circulation issues, diabetes, nuro issues, reynode's...

I've had this happen to one of my fingers when I put a large amount of pressure on my hands useing the campus board without being warmed up.

I felt a numbingness but also a wierd lump followed by a small amount of pain that eventualy went away after a few weeks.