“Sometimes my shoulder feels like pins and needles, what is it?”

You would be surprised at how often we get that question. Other than just being muscle pain, here are a couple different things it could be.

A Pinched Nerve: This is most common. We call this cervical radiculopathy. This can cause shoulder pain and possibly numbness and weakness in your arm and hand in the affected side. Some even describe a numbing sensation into their fingers.

Herniated Disc: This is also extremely common. A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the gel-like cushions (disks) between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack up to make your spine. Herniated discs could be in your  lumbar spine (lower back), thoracic spine (upper and mid-back) or your cervical spine (neck). Chances are if your symptoms are pins and needles in the upper extremity, its cervical.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: The median nerve runs from your forearm through a passageway in your wrist (carpal tunnel) to your hand. Anything that squeezes or irritates the median nerve in the carpal tunnel space may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. A wrist fracture can narrow the carpal tunnel and irritate the nerve, as can the swelling and inflammation resulting from arthritis. Most commonly this develops from overuse.

Degenerative Disc Disease: Despite the name, degenerative disc disease is actually a condition in which natural, age-related wear-and-tear on a disc causes pain, instability, and other symptoms. This condition usually does not result in long-term disability, and most cases can be managed using non-surgical treatment methods.

All of these conditions can be treated right in our office and without surgery. If you have a feeling of pins and needles come in and get evaluated! We promise you will get better, faster here. Call 908-756-1960 or book your appointment today.