Be Careful of Tingling Sensation

​Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy(CSM)
 
Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy(CSM) is a compression of the spinal cord in the neck. CSM causes various symptoms such as weakness and numbness in the hands and arms, loss of balance and coordination.
 
Self-checking method (Fig. 1 & 2):
Extend your arms and count how many times you can open and close your hands within 10 seconds.
The important point of this test is closing your hands tightly after extending your fingers fully.
If you can open and close your hands more than 20 times within 10 seconds, there is no problem.
If you have tingling sensation in your fingers and can’t do 20 times, you have to be careful.
 
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
 
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a medical condition due to compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist at the carpal tunnel. The main symptoms are pain, numbness, and tingling, in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and the thumb side of the ring fingers.
 
Self-checking method:
1. Carpal tunnel syndrome doesn’t make the small finger tingling. Stimulate from the thumb to the ring finger with something having a sharp tip like a toothpick. When you stimulate the small finger, check if there is any difference from the feeling of other fingers. If there is some difference, there can be carpal tunnel syndrome.
 
2. Phalen's test – Pushing the back of the hands together in front of the chest, keep pushing them lightly for 20 seconds (Keeping the arms as high as the shoulders). If there is no tingling in the thumbs to the ring fingers within 20 seconds, there is no problem. If there is tingling or pain or the original symptom gets worse, there is a possibility of Carpal tunnel syndrome. (Fig. 3)
 
3. Tinel's sign – when it is difficult to flex the wrists for Phalen’s test, lightly tap the wrist and if you feel tingling sensation or the original symptom gets worse, there is a possibility of carpal tunnel syndrome. (Fig. 4)
 
Subclavian artery stenosis
 
Subclavian arteries go through below the clavicle and supply the blood to the arms. Subclavian artery stenosis is the narrowing of the subclavian artery caused by the hardening of the artery, etc. and decreases the blood supply to the arm, causing symptoms like tingling sensation.
 
Self-checking method:
Measure the blood pressure in the arm you usually don’t measure with. If there is more than 30 mmHg difference between the right and left arms, there is a high possibility that the blood has some abnormal condition.
 
There is a case that the leg has the hardening of the blood vessel, causing the narrowing of the blood vessel. If there is the narrowing of the blood vessel in the thigh, there can be tingling sensation in the toes.
 
Self-checking method (Fig. 5):
There is an artery on the top of foot called dorsalis pedis artery, which is located 1 to 2 inches below the ankle. If you can find the arteries, check whether there is a difference about the strength of the pulse between the right and the left, using your fingers. If there is a difference, the blood vessel of either side of the leg can have some abnormal condition.