You may have a pinched nerve. This could have ocurred in the
neck, shoulder, or arm. The pinkie finger is supplied by the
ulnar nerve. This nerve comes down from the
front
of the shoulder, through the elbow, and down to the palm of the hand
near the pinkie. There are many nerves that are involved with
neck and shoulder injuries or stresses. You could have damaged or
irritated a nerve by overuse.
You can try some ibuprofen for a few days to see if the
antiinflammatory will relieve the pain. Try to rest the arm as
much as possible. If you find a position that is comfortable, try
to keep the arm in that position so as to release the pressure on the
nerve for as long as possible. Since this has been going on
for a while, you should see an orthopedist or neurologist to get a
proper hands on eval and identify which nerve is the culprit. Then
perhaps some physical therapy to loosen up the tight muscles or to
better equip you to avoid postitions or activities that would reinjure
the nerves. I went through something like this a few years ago
with unbearable pain, no treatment and a couple months of discomfort,
so I'd go now if I were you!
Here are a couple websites that discusses the anatomy of these joints:
http://www.injurytreatment.com.au/home/injuries/shoulder
http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/shoulderprobs/shoulderqa.htm#structures
Edited by judi1 on July 3 2006 at 12:17 AM
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