# Rowing: Numb Fingers and Hands



## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Each year the issue seems to get a little worse. About a week after a multi day oar trip I get numb fingers and even my entire hand. Its inconsistent how long it lasts (hours per day) and how often it hits. That said, it is normally multiple times a day, lasts from one to multiple hours each time, and last from 1-5 weeks. 

Anybody experience something similar? Any prevention or rehabilitation that seems to work?

My wife has injuries from playing the flute for the orchestra and has a few tools that I am starting to try. Will be curious to see if they help (flexed and grip master). Guessing there is a nerve either damaged by abuse or even pinched by a muscle. All kinda new to me as the only acute issue I experienced in the past was sciatica from paddling on Lake Powell.

Thanks for any advice or clues. Likely gonna head to the chiropractor and see if they can adjust my hand. That said they never seem to be to keen on giving me exercises to prevent and cope with it.

Phllip


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## wyosam (May 31, 2006)

I would suspect something similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, only instead of long term narrowing of the tunnel where the nerve passes through, it is more related to short term inflammation in that area causing pressure on the nerve. Getting old sucks. 


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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

Go get it checked out, if you can manage to reproduce the symptoms so a doc can evaluate while you're symptomatic. I was a computer geek for years and never had trouble, but then in semi-retirement, when cutting firewood during the day and climbing a lot too, carpal tunnel flared up. Neurologist used "nerve conductance testing" to confirm carpal tunnel. He had me buy a brace ($20 at drugstore) and wear it at night and it cleared right up. On recent rowing trip (my first), I started feeling a little numbness, but I wore the brace at night and it never really became a problem. So maybe try one of these braces on your next trip. They come from store actually bending your hand backwards a little, so maybe bend it (as neurologist recommended when it wasn't working for me at first) so your wrist is straighter. Good luck !


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Yeah, I need to find a doc I can call with rather short notice to test and evaluate (assuming it keeps up, which seems likely). Unfortunately, my GP and its office lacks the curiosity and interest in these types of issues. They throw meds at things but don't invest in long term care. 

I currently have an Internalist who I see 1-2 times a year for ongoing healthcare and evaluation (an odd multi-year health problem that has no current diagnosis) that I can chat with next time. I already have neurological problems but so far they had been limited to vision and smell. Will see what she thinks when I see her next. Hopefully this is caused by a behavior and not tied into my other problems. 

And yes...getting "old" sucks. Health changed radically for me at 30 years old which is way to young but you learn to be humbled and adapt. Only 35 now and not trying to allow myself to feel and act old as I am rather young. Some days are easier than others.

Phillip


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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

Yeah, unfortunately most docs these days are legalized drug dealers; largely the insurance companies' fault I believe (not allowing the doctors time to care).

I'd probably start with a sports med guy, then maybe a neurologist.

Re. feeling and acting old, or not, this is interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/magazine/what-if-age-is-nothing-but-a-mind-set.html?alg=4FK6W


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

+1 on the sports medicine doctor. That's who I see for functional problems. I'm lucky, my sports med doctor is the husband of the friend who got me into river rafting years ago. He has a good understanding of the issues that affect rafters and paddlers. My first thought with your symptoms was carpal tunnel like jge1 describes. Do you ever get these symptoms with kayak paddling? Trying a wrist brace at night is a quick and inexpensive solution to try out. I have suffered with mild carpal tunnel a few times and the brace helped a lot.


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## wyosam (May 31, 2006)

When you expect it to happen, night bracing, icing and some ibuprofen can reduce the inflammation and hopefully limit symptoms. If you have other neuro-related issues, definitely let whoever is caring for that know. Most any orthopedic group worth their salt with have someone who specializes in hand and wrist issues, who will almost certainly do nerve conduction tests for CTS- ask about it when scheduling. Procedure itself is simple and gives immediate results. Best of luck getting this sorted out.


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## Sembob (Feb 27, 2014)

Lift weights. Seriously. Strength training is super under utilized and a little can go a long ways. I am not saying you have to go try and bulk up but training with weights may change your attitude towards growing old. It is after all your best option. I would bet that with a good strength training regiment those problems will not appear. I know this advice sounds of BS but it has helped me a great deal. 


Jim


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Thanks everyone.

Will look into local options a bit more, especially sports medicine or an orthopedic specialist. My wife has dealt with some folks so I have a place to start. 

cataraftgirl: Can't remember if I experienced it with paddling as its been several years since I have spent considerable time in a sea kayak. Need to ask my wife if she has a wrist brace I can try as that would be an easy intermediate solution.

Current/historic issues are permanent damage and "should not" be progressive. I lost the vast majority of my peripheral vision between 2009-2012 from a rare disorder called ANION. Significant changes in smell haven't been tied into anything. Headaches and migraines are common enough for me but also experienced a month of crippling "nummular" headaches last winter. At this point all of these are being observed and watched annually/semi-annually as part of a larger constellation of health problems that have not found a diagnostic home since they started in 2009. I have some awesome parting gifts in the form of brain and optic imaging that are pretty awesome at least. 

The above is not likely related but one never knows with neurology (and neurological ischemia episodes like I experienced). Difficult not to keep them in the back of my mind and be vigilant considering the broader implications.

jge1: One of the things I love about my Internalist is that she obviously focused on diagnosis but helps me remember not to define my life on it. Haven't finished the article but enjoying it so far.

Phillip


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Sembob said:


> Lift weights. Seriously. Strength training is super under utilized and a little can go a long ways. I am not saying you have to go try and bulk up but training with weights may change your attitude towards growing old. It is after all your best option. I would bet that with a good strength training regiment those problems will not appear. I know this advice sounds of BS but it has helped me a great deal.
> 
> 
> Jim


Don't see any BS there. I need to learn to train ahead of time to prepare for river trips anyway so its not such a sudden shock to my system. Also could benefit from stretching and flexibility which is tied to aging as well. 

All fair enough recommendations. 

Phillip


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## malloypc (Jun 6, 2009)

Earlier on I had issues with numbness while rowing and found a few things that helped me:

Avoid tightly gripping the oar
Change the contact point of oar and palm preiodically
Strengthen the wrist / forearm - I carry one of those spring loaded hand grip strengtheners in the rig and use it frequently while driving 
Good luck.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

I had this problem when I was guiding paddle trips 6-7 days per week this summer. My wife is trained as a massage therapist and she focused on the knot that develops by my scapula on the affected side. It helped tremendously! I even felt sensation "rush" back into my numb hand during a session. 

You might try chiroperatic and massage. If you smoke or eat poorly consider changing those habits to improve circulation too...


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## Sembob (Feb 27, 2014)

I believe Randaddy may have nailed it. Circulation seems more probable to me than carpel tunnel issues. I don't see how rowing could cause those kind of problems. Lifestyle issues are very often at the root of these ailments. None of this may be the case with you Phillip but I bet if you did some work with weights and some yoga that numbness would go away. P90x is a great at home work out. Most of the strength training uses body weight and Dumbbells or bands and there is very good yoga and stretching involved. The yoga is very challenging. 
It just seems to me that rowing is the opposite of what would cause tendinitis or carpel tunnel. Rowing seems to make most of my issues go away. 


Jim


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

Numbness in your thumb and first two fingers is carpal- the braces give some relief and are worth a try. Stretch by pushing your fingers back toward the top of your wrist. 

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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

Randaddy said:


> My wife is trained as a massage therapist and she focused on the knot that develops by my scapula on the affected side...


Duh, yes, I should have mentioned this. After returning from rowing my first trip ever - way more rowing than I've ever done, 103 miles on slow water in 8 days, as opposed to maybe 10 miles a couple of days in the Grand - I noticed a knotted muscle area in my upper back on one side, and started noticing some tingling and a little numbness in my hand. I got a massage and the condition is way improved. I think massage is your answer ! And more conditioning before future trips.


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## jennifer (Oct 14, 2003)

I've had tendonitis in my wrist which caused similar symptoms. My hand also wanted to stay clenched and was hard to open. NSAIDS and rest, plus time and it goes away....

I also had a problem with thoracic outlet syndrome during a prior lifetime when I was a violist. Basically raising my arm reduced bloodflow to my hand. Numbness, tingling, weakness, and a very cold and unresponsive hand. Also had reduced nerve conduction. Stretching exercises and changing posture helped considerably, but it took months for me to get a functional hand back. Sounds like you may be suffering something similar and if so, lowering your oars and stretching the shoulder/upper back will help. You want your hands below your shoulders at all times if this is your issue.

jp


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## RiverMamma (May 3, 2009)

I have struggled with numb hands during River season for 15 years... It is always at it's worst when I am doing a lot of rowing. Just this fall I was offered the most amazing epiphany by two different people, first a personal trainer then a few weeks later a massage therapist... They both said the same thing: It is my neck muscles. I tend to brace with my neck more than my core, and especially while rowing. What happens is that the neck muscles tense and shorten, contracting the shoulder muscles and pinching the major nerve that runs down the arm (not that I know any of the technical terminology, this is the most basic layman's description I understood.) They both suggested that I use a tennis ball or massage roller on my neck and shoulders, vertically down the neck, and laterally across where the neck and shoulders meet. Be gentle & do it a couple of times a day, but don't over do it. Having been doing this throughout the fall, I have for the first time in 15 years actually been experiencing relief from my numb hands! It really has been effing incredible! I hope this helps you in your search for non numb hands...


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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

RiverMamma said:


> They both suggested that I use a tennis ball or massage roller on my neck and shoulders...


Yes, a tennis ball is great for self-massage. Or, depending upon the area and the pressure desired, as well as the hardness of the floor (carpet, hardwood, whatever) a lacrosse ball might work better (approx same size as tennis ball but much harder).

Another neat trick is to tie two tennis balls inside an old sock, and then you can roll it down both sides of your spine. It's great !


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## trevko (Jul 7, 2008)

I've had something similar - my opposite hand/arm would go numb while I slept on my side (if I was on my left side my right hand would go numb and vice versa). In addition to the neck/scapula message work I found that stretching my pectoral muscles helped a lot.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Weird this thread pops up right now. I split two chords of wood on Saturday and Sunday morning I couldn't close my hands or barely twist open my coffee cup and.....my fingers were and are still going numb at different times. If I move around it seems to help them get sensation back temporarily. I do think I need to get it checked out. It's better today but still intermittently going numb. I will take some of these ideas and work with it. I used to have some sleeping issues with numbness in arms but it had gone away entirely after losing thirty pounds. Last night was hell. 

It definitely seems to emanate from my shoulders and being a long time snowboarder who sucked when I started I have a couple of doozies now. Never hurt them kayaking and getting trashed in some way over my head holes so thankful for that. 

So I really have nothing important to add but thanks for the tips. Got some work to do.


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## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

I had developed elbow tendonitis that had become bad enough to start affecting my ability to work. I had a local doctor who prescribed ibu, ice, and a cute little support brace for the issue, which did nothing to get me back to work. He addressed the symptom of pain, but didn't even come close to identifying the underlying issue. It was incredibly disappointing.

I was referred to a chiropractor who immediately knew what was up and started treating the malady with graston (grafton?) knives, since he knew that my years/decades of abuse did a lot of damage to those muscles. So he broke down the tissue to the point of literally injuring those already damaged muscles with the intent to encourage more blood flow to the area and thus more healing. He followed these knife sessions with a short ultrasound session, and he even added one acupuncture session in as well. My issue was completely cleared up in 10 treatments. This was 5-6 years ago and I've suffered no setbacks and have had no problems working or playing since.

So I now have a greater appreciation for an eastern-based strategy for addressing health issues whenever possible. The western doctors tend to get you out of the office asap since their patient loads are beyond full, the eastern based practitioners tend to have a more holistic approach. Funny thing is health insurance paid for a useless western doc visit, and refused to pay for a treatment that actually worked. But that discussion is for another thread...

Not sure this addressed the specific issue of your numbness, but my lack of faith in the western medical system (I am terrified of ever having to go to our hospital!) leads me to direct you to the more proactive process of eastern-based medicine.

Good luck!


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## tmurph (Dec 31, 2011)

Hey Phillip. I can agree with many things that have been said. All need to be checked out and evaluated. I have had strange pains and aches in my arms and wrists from many things. In my case the problem is usually in my neck and shoulders and the pains are just referral. In this case I have had it treated with acupuncture and light chiropractic. I'm not a fan of having my neck "cracked", but things need to be in alignment to work correctly. I also have one of those neck traction devices that I've used when I feel things going wrong. The real cure is addressing postural problems and core strength for me. Good luck!


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

So Schutzie has (again) been off dealing with pesky work, and joins (again) the party late.

Indeed, what you are experiencing sounds like a knotted muscle under/around your shoulder blade.

I used to get this when I rowed, until a wit pointed out that I tended to hunch my shoulders when rowing, and I was pulling with my shoulder/arms, rather than my back/legs.

Correcting my technique helped, and begging back/neck massages from anyone in the party helped.

My daughter is a sports massage therapist and I just asked her; she said indeed, sounds like a #^(*^GH)^ muscle tensing against the %&()_ nerve (she's smarter than me, and knows the names of these things).

She said the obvious answer is to take a massage therapist with you on all long trips (strong hint; she wants/needs to see the Grand Canyon from the bottom and is a willing rookie swamper).

Failing that, you need to roll/apply pressure to the muscle group adjacent to/under your shoulder blade and to the shoulder muscles along the neck and upper back.

She thought the tennis ball idea was unworkable but suggested that a smooth stick or pipe about 3' long (yes it has a name, and no, I forgot what she said it is called) might work for self therapy for those unsociable or smelly enough to fail when begging massage from fellow river rats.


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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

Schutzie said:


> She thought the tennis ball idea was unworkable but suggested that a smooth stick or pipe about 3' long (yes it has a name, and no, I forgot what she said it is called) might work for self therapy for those unsociable or smelly enough to fail when begging massage from fellow river rats.


The tennis or lacrosse ball DOES work - sorry to gainsay her - but of course a skilled massage therapist is better.

The stick is called a Thera Cane and is also great. Good gift idea too !


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## smiley_n_mt (May 19, 2014)

+1 and two thumbs up for Thera-cane!
(had one along on the last 24 day GCNP adventure and the fifty somethings passed it around like a playing card)
-smiley in Missoula


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## gringoanthony (Jul 4, 2009)

Another possible culprit to consider:

Cubital and Radial Tunnel Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

I had a similar experience this summer.

Prior to this summer I never experienced anything more than relatively minor symptoms (similar to yours) in the morning, which I erroneously attributed to sleeping on my arm, because the symptoms went away after a little while.

Then I got stung on the upper arm by a YJ at the put in on a week long trip this summer. Long story short--my entire arm swelled up and I experienced numbness and pain throughout the trip. During the day my fingers and hands oscillated between ok and completely numb. This happened in seemingly randomly varying degrees of numbness and varying ratios between my hands and fingers and sometimes forearm. Nighttime was the worst. The pain was so severe that I could only sleep for a few minutes at a time and only when I was laying flat on my back with my arm completely straight along my side. Any deviation from this and I immediately woke up in pain. Needless to say, that week entailed the least amount sleep I've ever had in my life.

Saw an internist and allergist when I got home. Both told me the nerve passing through my elbow was compressed (see above link). And the swelling in my elbow from the YJ sting just exacerbated it to such a severe level. Internist told me it should eventually go away, which it did within about a month. And he said I just need to exercise more. Which I have been doing (sorry, nothing specific). He said if the problem keeps coming back, then it's time to consider other treatments. Fortunately, the exercise has been working and I haven't had any symptoms since. Even in the morning.

Anyway, If I hadn't been stung on the arm, I may have never even realized that I had a problem in my elbow. Like many others, my initial assumption was that my problems were related to my wrist.

Good luck finding a solution!


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## Alaskajim (Apr 5, 2011)

*Massage Therapist*

As I've aged I too had wrist issues. I've been a gym rat all my life and lift regularly but still experienced the pain/numbness/loss of strength on a regular basis. Then I started seeing (about 5 years ago) a massage therapist that specializes in deep muscle massage for athletes. Made all the difference. 

The massage always helps but as others have said the problem was my elbow not my wrist. A good MT will not only deal with your symptoms but help you understand the inter-relationship of your muscles and make recommendations for modification to your exercise regimen. It's not always easy to find the "right" massage therapy - helps if you know someone - for example if you have a local running store I'll bet some of their staff/clients can give you a steer. 

Between exercise, ice, ibuprofen and regular massage my symptoms have disappeared - even on a recent 21 day trip through the GC. Good luck.


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## rebies (Jul 29, 2016)

I am resurrecting this thread as I am having this same issue now as others have had in the past.

Towards the third day of rafting last week I got really tense in my middle to upper back. The next day my hands started to go numb on me. I woke up in a bit of pain in my hands, and continued to row for a fourth day. That night, when back in town my hands were in terrible pain. That was this past Monday night / Tuesday morning. Ever since my hands have been mostly numb and feel like they just came out of a bad pair of cold ski gloves for the day.

I have since done a 90 minute deep tissue massage, which was not a ton of help. I'm pretty sure I have pinched a nerve (or two in both arms - not sure.) I am hoping this gets better soon as it is terribly annoying and not normal.

I do think a lot of it had to do with renting a rig this year that was setup wrong for me. The oars were too far wide when I got it and on the oars. Meaning I had to do a lot of extra upper body work to row. The foot rest was a little too far for me as well. Again, meaning I was oaring with my upper body and not as much with my lower body.

By the fourth day I had the rig setup pretty well, but I think it had been too late. I have been off the water for 4 days now, but hands are still numb and not feeling the best. I can use my hands for the most part, but can't really feel things very well.

If I had to guess how much affected (100% being full feeling, 0% meaning I can't feel anything), I would say I have 75% of feeling in my thumbs, 30% feeling in my index fingers, 30% middle fingers, 70% ring fingers and 90% in my pinkies. My hands never got numb or had any pain above my wrists, so never felt anything in my writs, arms or elsewhere.

I will update later as things progress as this is extremely annoying and I'm not the only person this has happened to.


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## tmurph (Dec 31, 2011)

Rabies - You need to get that looked at! I mentioned before that in my experience these kinds of pains are often just referral from pinched nerves in your neck and shoulder. All the nerves to your hands - and that is a lot of nerves run through a very tight spot. I think you should have some alignment done in your neck - a bit a traction - and then acupuncture. Everything needs to move freely and then the soft tissues need to relax so you can heal. Find a guy who does both chiro and Accu . Good luck


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

From your description it sounds like you were not only using your upper body improperly, but had your arms spread farther than you normally do. This combination would surely inflame your upper and middle back, in particular around your shoulder blades. Rest, massage, have it checked out. The numbness should have gone away by now.
And when the rowing pit is out of whack, fix it before the third day next time, or suffer a repeat.


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