Feeling pins and needles sensation while stretching

Hey Mates!

While stretching I have a sensation of pins and needles in my arms. After a while it starts to feel a little numb. Is it ok? What should I do? I'm talking about a static stretch.

Thanks in advance for all your answears

Same thing happens to me, which I believe is the overly-stiff nature of my shoulders and neck. There were a few forum entries about it as well. I'm only four weeks in, but hoping to see/feel a difference soon. The short duration of the tingling/numbness won't cause any damage.

Question to be answeard - how long can it be held, and is sil safe and effective - 90sec, 100sec, 120 sec?

SarahsWhere said:

Same thing happens to me, which I believe is the overly-stiff nature of my shoulders and neck. There were a few forum entries about it as well. I'm only four weeks in, but hoping to see/feel a difference soon. The short duration of the tingling/numbness won't cause any damage.

The tingling and loss of sensation is caused by compression of the nerve. Mere minutes doesn't really cause damage.

With regards to stretching, it's not the needles and pins you should be concerned about. What you do need to pay attention to is soreness around the joints and tendon insertions. Intense stretching can lead to tendon damage if progressed to quickly, however, there's no needles and pins associated with that type of damage, IME.

Will this sensation pass?

Ravn said:

With regards to stretching, it's not the needles and pins you should be concerned about. What you do need to pay attention to is soreness around the joints and tendon insertions. Intense stretching can lead to tendon damage if progressed to quickly, however, there's no needles and pins associated with that type of damage, IME.

If it's to the point you are going numb then you need to back off, or reset. Sounds like you are pinching a nerve. or have a nerve that isn't gliding properly in the nerve canal. This is why doing a reset, shaking it off etc can help, it can free up the nerve.

For more help you need to give more specifics, what stretch etc..?

For me, I get it the most in the thoracic bridge PE3-Supine Shoulder Extension. I hold it until the tingles start and then reset. I suffer from very tight shoulders and back because all I do is sit with my hands on the controls as a pilot.

Don't forget to do daily lighter stretching to open up your chest and shoulders. I got some theraband loops and do a similar standing stretch for 20-30 seconds several times a day. I also stretch with arms straight overhead in door frames when they're available.

Since the connective tissue is the issue (haha), it's going to take some time to loosen it up. Remember coach's advice to be patient.

It's the thoracic bridge PE3-Supine Shoulder Extension It starts after about 20 seconds

Cole Dano said:

If it's to the point you are going numb then you need to back off, or reset. Sounds like you are pinching a nerve. or have a nerve that isn't gliding properly in the nerve canal. This is why doing a reset, shaking it off etc can help, it can free up the nerve.

 

For more help you need to give more specifics, what stretch etc..?

So we have the same problem I'm not a pilot- just a regular Joe , but a desk job and not enough effort put in back training is the answear for this dilemma

SarahsWhere said:

For me, I get it the most in the thoracic bridge PE3-Supine Shoulder Extension. I hold it until the tingles start and then reset. I suffer from very tight shoulders and back because all I do is sit with my hands on the controls as a pilot.

Don't forget to do daily lighter stretching to open up your chest and shoulders. I got some theraband loops and do a similar standing stretch for 20-30 seconds several times a day. I also stretch with arms straight overhead in door frames when they're available.

Since the connective tissue is the issue (haha), it's going to take some time to loosen it up. Remember coach's advice to be patient.

It sounds to me as you will be suffering from compression around the thoracic outlet, this is an important area where the brachial plexus (nerves to arms and hands) and subclavian artery (major artery to the arm) pass through on their way to the arm and hand.

I'm guessing you experience the pins & needles in the entire hand. Nerve compression will generally produce parasthesia (altered senstaion as in pins & needles or numbness) in specific delineated areas such as the thumb, index and middle fingers as in the case of the median nerve. For the whole hand to be involved more than one nerve would need to be compressed or a temporary drop in blood flow will also cause this.

The thoracic outlet involves the first rib and the clavicle (collar bone), shortened pectoralis minor tendon and scalenes are often problematic issues here. 

The table hold and rocks PE iM 2 & 3 form Front lever in F1 are great at opening this important area, especially if you avoid sticking your head out and looking forward. Try to look straight up at the ceiling and align your head with your as if you were swimming backstroke.

Don't be to worried about the temporary pins & needles, it will get better as you open up 

I was reading through this to see if there was anyone who has experienced persistent numbness in an extremity after one of the stretching sessions.

I did one of the front split routines earlier today, and I have still had some slight numbness in my lower right leg and definitely my right foot. This has been going on for the past 3 hours now. Is this out of the ordinary? Thanks!

Hi @Elijah Hernandez,

It is normal to sometimes feel this sensation during stretching sessions and for a few minutes after, however, 3 hours is not normal. I highly recommend consulting a medical professional about this issue as they will be qualified to give you a medical diagnosis.

In which specific parts of the arm and/or fingers do you feel the numbness and tingling?

@Jeffrey Bittner

I woke up this morning with less tingling in my foot. It's almost completely gone now. Consulting a medical professional is always solid advice; I was just wondering if the others in this forum had prolonged numbness or if it was out of the norm. It sounds like the issue is trying to go too far too fast from what I was reading in the above posts. Do I need to back off my stretches a lot? I was trying to achieve moderately uncomfortable... lol. Looks like I may have passed that point on accident.

Thanks again.

Hi Elijah,

I suggest postponing further stretching until after you are cleared by a medical professional. Once you have the okay to return begin stretching again, start off at a much lower intensity level.

Hi!

Same thing happens to me in my legs and particularly when I go in a front flexion for hamstrings.  My right leg is a lot tighter than my left one and every time I start to stretch, I start to feel some numbness.  In inverted pike for example, I also feel needles in my adductors.

What is causing that?

Thank you!

I fell on this question I asked some months ago and realized that I still don't have an answer to one of my points. 

Why stretching the hamstrings causes needles in the adductors?