Medical Questions » Nerves Questions » Question No. 730
| Question: | I have had tingling like pins and needles in my left arm for three months. I would like to know what is causing it. Can you help me? |
| Answer: | When a nerve is squeezed, you initially feel a tingling sensation, then if the nerve is squeezed steadily harder the sensation becomes one like pins and needles, then pain, numbness and finally paralysis. The area affected is the place where the nerve ends.
If a nerve running from your fingers to the spinal cord is squeezed at your shoulder, the sensation will appear to come from the fingers, and there may be no abnormal sensation at the shoulder.
In your case, the pins and needles sensation is due to the nerve being squeezed at some point between where the sensation occurs, and where the nerve ends in the neck. The most likely areas for a nerve to be squeezed are at the elbow, shoulder and neck.
A strained shoulder, twisted elbow, whiplash injury to the neck and similar injuries are possible reasons for a nerve being squeezed. You should see your GP so that s/he can examine and X-ray you to determine the cause of the problem. Appropriate treatment can then be given to relieve the problem (eg. physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory medication).
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