Numbness and tingling in my hands and arms

[tigerlilyx61]

I am a 53 year old female that has been bodybuilding for the past 5 years and managed to achieve most of my fitness goals. Unfortunately since I started lifting in 2009 I have developed a very uncomfortable and continuous numbness and tingling in my hands and arms. It is serious enough to disrupt my sleep and make everyday tasks painful and difficult. I have been putting up with because I really have found no relief other than to stop lifting.

I have tired several chiropractors
Acupuncture
Traction
Massage

I have C5 and C6 disk fusion done in 2000 before I began lifting for bodybuilding.

I had an MRI done after the pain began in 2009 after I began lifting regularly and it showed a slight bulging above and below the fusion site.

I have had to take time off from lifting on two occasions for surgery recovery over past 3 years and both times the pain subsided so I am lead to believe it is clearly related to lifting.

I don't power lift, I typically do sets of 10 to 15 reps. Does not seem to matter what exercises I do weather it a leg day or upper body day. The pain is ever present.

I have tried several AAS as well as several different HGHs. I am presently on a low dose (HRT) of topical testosterone, 12.5 mg of Tbol/day and 2.5 ius of HGH (grey tops). My diet is exceptional and my work as a nurse is not overly physical other than being on my feet most of the day.

My supplements, diet and work have never seemed to contribute or relieve the pain so I am left to believe it is a direct result of my lifting.

Since quitting lifting is not something I want to do, I am here looking for advice.

I have attached a recent photo to give some idea of the physical shape I am in if that helps answer any questions.

 

[Thor]

Hey There

I am a few years older than you and have a similar problem, my Chiro is the only one that has given me any relief and good advice, he says its nerve damage and also i have something called raynauds syndrome, i have been in a few bike accidents and have been in construction most of my life so my body and hands have taken a beating. There really isnt much you can do except a lot of stretching and he does some ART type of stuff on my forearms with this tool that he has, it hurts and it sucks to get it done but as long as i get to him once a week its helpful, he also told me to get deep tissue massage as often as possible, i go once a month to a woman who is really great and she spends a lot of time on my forearms and hands, most of my life and even still i have been using my hands almost constantly and i have to conciously tell myself to rest them, i have to sit on the couch and place my hands on my lap and just rest them, i am not sure if this helps but i will tell you that a GOOD chiro is VERY helpful, mine is amazing and it took me going to 2 others first to realize this guy was the best, ( he was also recomended by a friend), it sounds like you have nerve and/or circulation issues. Not an easy thing to fix/manage. Good luck and let me know if you find anything else that helps, for some reason mine isnt bad when im working out, but at work and riding my Harley is when it happens quickly, pins/needles and some times a bit of pain in hands and forearms mostly.

 

[arnis16]

I'm experiencing the same thing with my hands and arms, more so on my right side (I'm right handed btw) for the past 3 weeks. I started a lean gain phase about 6 weeks ago after my last show and have gained 20 lbs of weight. I also started gh at 4-6 iu daily 6 weeks ago. Now I know how many people experience carpal tunnel syndrome when using gh so I'm looking at that as the main culprit. My rapid weight gain along with all the extra water may be playing a role too. This CTS is bad because it directly affects me at work due to the precise and intricate work I have to perform with my hands. I'm dropping gh to 4 iu to see if this alleviates the symptoms, if not I'll go down to 2 iu, then drop it altogether if that's what it takes to stop the CTS.

Have you experienced this numbness and tingling with no gh?

 

[Flexpack215]

I'm experiencing the same thing with my hands and arms, more so on my right side (I'm right handed btw) for the past 3 weeks. I started a lean gain phase about 6 weeks ago after my last show and have gained 20 lbs of weight. I also started gh at 4-6 iu daily 6 weeks ago. Now I know how many people experience carpal tunnel syndrome when using gh so I'm looking at that as the main culprit. My rapid weight gain along with all the extra water may be playing a role too. This CTS is bad because it directly affects me at work due to the precise and intricate work I have to perform with my hands. I'm dropping gh to 4 iu to see if this alleviates the symptoms, if not I'll go down to 2 iu, then drop it altogether if that's what it takes to stop the CTS.

Have you experienced this numbness and tingling with no gh?

wow i have the exact same problem as you, I couldn't type it any different lol. only thing that I have also added was a bit of syntherol in the traps and I think I hit a nerve one time. It has been keeping my up at nights and at times can get very painful with the numbness and tingling in my right arm/hand.
I do think the GH is only making it worse though. I have been running 10iu and yesterday only did 5 and seems like the pain was about half as bad last night.

 

[DboldeezNUTSS]

I am a 53 year old female that has been bodybuilding for the past 5 years and managed to achieve most of my fitness goals. Unfortunately since I started lifting in 2009 I have developed a very uncomfortable and continuous numbness and tingling in my hands and arms. It is serious enough to disrupt my sleep and make everyday tasks painful and difficult. I have been putting up with because I really have found no relief other than to stop lifting.





I have tired several chiropractors


Acupuncture


Traction


Massage





I have C5 and C6 disk fusion done in 2000 before I began lifting for bodybuilding.





I had an MRI done after the pain began in 2009 after I began lifting regularly and it showed a slight bulging above and below the fusion site.





I have had to take time off from lifting on two occasions for surgery recovery over past 3 years and both times the pain subsided so I am lead to believe it is clearly related to lifting.





I don't power lift, I typically do sets of 10 to 15 reps. Does not seem to matter what exercises I do weather it a leg day or upper body day. The pain is ever present.





I have tried several AAS as well as several different HGHs. I am presently on a low dose (HRT) of topical testosterone, 12.5 mg of Tbol/day and 2.5 ius of HGH (grey tops). My diet is exceptional and my work as a nurse is not overly physical other than being on my feet most of the day.





My supplements, diet and work have never seemed to contribute or relieve the pain so I am left to believe it is a direct result of my lifting.





Since quitting lifting is not something I want to do, I am here looking for advice.





I have attached a recent photo to give some idea of the physical shape I am in if that helps answer any questions.

Are you staying hydrated? I know dehydration can do this.

 

[rangerjockey]

I as well have had numbnes/tingling for years, I am 49 next week. One of the culprits to our condition is our love of the sport, as we gain muscle mass and the muscle grows it will pinch and put pressure on the nerve sheaths contributing to our affliction. For me I toss and turn like a rotissire chicken in the night from it. GH will enhance it big time. It takes many months if not years for nerves to repair if at all. Unfortunatley, this is a side effect of B-building and we have to pretty much live with it. The human body does not want to gain to much muscle, we were designed to walk and pick fruit off trees (hence our shoulder design.) with todays wonderful suppliments , nutriion and gyms we can gain alot of muscle mass. I had a pretty extensive right shoulder surgery in April and have not touched a weight for upper body in months and my wonderful numbness is still "saying hello daily". What I would recommend, since quitting lifting is not an option is different types of therapy as mentioned above, anti inflamitories/ice and finding a DR. which might be sympathetic to us (orthapedic dR). Of course what I mentioned above is not a medical issue such as Carpal tunnel or other issues. hope it helps its my 2 cents worth. Oh by the way great physique ms. RN

 

[Bio]

You're in a tough spot TL...You must be aware that with a fusion, the likelihood of needing another fusion down the road is high...It can be even higher for folks like ourselves who continue to lift. I'm having a two level cervical fusion next week...C5-6 and C6-7. I was told that hopefully I would get a good 10 to 12 years out of it before the next level or two would need it...You're at the 15 year mark. I think your best bet would is to see what exercises exacerbate it the most and try to avoid those and see your doctor and get a new MRI to see what's going on...You don't want permanent nerve damage! No easy answers unfortunately!

 

[LK3]

I feel like im stating the obvious but most here complaining of numbness and tingling are also using substantial amounts of hgh...

THAT would be one of the first areas I would look at to fix this.

idebenone has been shown to have good effects on cns, in both pain condition and spams.

there are other supps that can help cns function too.

I also notice sometimes a bad inject will cause this or something similar, scar tissue can also come into play...

 

[Flexpack215]

I'm having the same problem in my right arm. Keeps me up all Night and sometimes the pain is almost unbearable. Sharp needles down my whole arm and numb hands. I probably should have cycled off GH to see if that would help but it's feeling to me like I hit the Radial nerve with a pin. What's weird is it only gets real bad at night and there is no comfortable position. Prolly go see my doc soon.

 

[tigerlilyx61]

Thank you for all your responses. In the past week I have diagnosed myself...hey I'm a nurse what can I say?...with thoracic outlet syndrome. Actually I have thought all along that this is what I have. I stopped gh and tbol. Started with deep tissue massage and stretching. Stopped lifting...upper body only. Ibuprofen for inflammation. I am pretty sure if I go to the Dr this is what she would tell me to do anyway. She also would recommend physical therapy but honestly do not think this will help. When I am able to switch insurances...in December...I might go to her and have MRI. My current insurance sucks. It is difficult to stay motivated when 1) I am in this much pain and 2) I have to stop lifting but I'm trying Thanks again everyone.

 

[gotgame]

Thank you for all your responses. In the past week I have diagnosed myself...hey I'm a nurse what can I say?...with thoracic outlet syndrome. Actually I have thought all along that this is what I have. I stopped gh and tbol. Started with deep tissue massage and stretching. Stopped lifting...upper body only. Ibuprofen for inflammation. I am pretty sure if I go to the Dr this is what she would tell me to do anyway. She also would recommend physical therapy but honestly do not think this will help. When I am able to switch insurances...in December...I might go to her and have MRI. My current insurance sucks. It is difficult to stay motivated when 1) I am in this much pain and 2) I have to stop lifting but I'm trying Thanks again everyone.

What is the sensory distribution of your numbness? Any motor weakness? Is adsons positive? How about spurlings?


I agree with what Bio said above and to add to that please dont go to any more chiros. You had a fusion, as you know that completely changes the dynamics of the stress being applied and it can be dangerous.

Thoracic inlet/outlet can be serious. I have it as well and I had to lose some of my bulk and try to get my scalene/SCM to atrophy a bit. Remember it might not only cause nerve issues but can cause an effort thrombosis if that is what you have.

If you get the MRI please post it up.

 

[j2048b]

Man have i had these numb hands and crap myself lately, never did any gh, so not sure what is going on, i wake up a couple times a night and my hands are so damn numb i have to open and close them a million times in order to get feeling back, last night slept with my right arm besides me, and my left hand and arm up above me a bit and only woke up 1 time and it was nice, finally woke up and only my left hand was numb,

Wondering if perhaps im cutting off circulation to an extent during sleep perhaps or what?

The other day at work my arms had a numbness all the way into my hands, not sure at all whats going on?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[johnjuanb1]

You have acceptional back development for such a short amount of years in the gym. Good job!
I would think the numbing is caused by inflammation that's irritated by lifting weights. Inflammation pressing against nerves would cause numbness and discomfort. You may want to try eating systemic antiinflammatory foods.
Peptides for reduced inflammation could be beneficial like TB500(Thymosin beta 4 peptide), and BPC157. Both have systemic antiinflammatory effects.

TB500 reduces inflammation via 2 mechanisms. It first works to lower inflammatory inducing cytokines. These cytokines induce systemic inflammation. Secondly, TB500 works to reduce inflammation of white blood cells, the cells responsible for immune system function.

 

[LK3]

You have acceptional back development for such a short amount of years in the gym. Good job!
I would think the numbing is caused by inflammation that's irritated by lifting weights. Inflammation pressing against nerves would cause numbness and discomfort. You may want to try eating systemic antiinflammatory foods.
Peptides for reduced inflammation could be beneficial like TB500(Thymosin beta 4 peptide), and BPC157. Both have systemic antiinflammatory effects.

TB500 reduces inflammation via 2 mechanisms. It first works to lower inflammatory inducing cytokines. These cytokines induce systemic inflammation. Secondly, TB500 works to reduce inflammation of white blood cells, the cells responsible for immune system function.

this is actually a pretty decent point too...

I didn't see any mention of dealing with systemic inflammation, I generally stay on high does of strong compounds for this, when I am not on I do not lift heavy, in no way shape or form. it will only lead to pain and less progress.

I was planning on being on things again this week but between my two donkeys and a mule they still couldn't deliver my products!

another couple weeks of 100s until I can go through with plans.

if you do not cycle through your training it will make this worse.

if time out of the gym solves it then you know this is the issue and need to figure out how to supplement and train smarter.

do not use ibuprofen for shit like this...

use healthy methods.

 

[NY Muscle]

Has anyone looked into this stuff by Evomuse called Nerve Restore? These guys make really good products just wondering if this would really work.

 

[LK3]

Has anyone looked into this stuff by Evomuse called Nerve Restore? These guys make really good products just wondering if this would really work.

the ingredients aren't bad but I think you could do better with the same money.

idebenone
rhodiola ( that one is standardized for sali rosavin on paper is more effective, in real life I don't see much difference but I also use more rho/ro )
b12/complex
alc
magnesium sup is necessary as is zinc both for cns

you can find research for all of the above for nerve issues

res and ptero also have info out there in cns issues.

 

[tigerlilyx61]

You have acceptional back development for such a short amount of years in the gym. Good job!
I would think the numbing is caused by inflammation that's irritated by lifting weights. Inflammation pressing against nerves would cause numbness and discomfort. You may want to try eating systemic antiinflammatory foods.
Peptides for reduced inflammation could be beneficial like TB500(Thymosin beta 4 peptide), and BPC157. Both have systemic antiinflammatory effects.

TB500 reduces inflammation via 2 mechanisms. It first works to lower inflammatory inducing cytokines. These cytokines induce systemic inflammation. Secondly, TB500 works to reduce inflammation of white blood cells, the cells responsible for immune system function.

Can I ask where you buy your TB500 and BPC157?

 

[LK3]

Can I ask where you buy your TB500 and BPC157?

look at his signature...

 

[tigerlilyx61]

duh...my bad!:banghead:

 

[tigerlilyx61]

Update

So I have been off everything, (that was 2.5 ius grey top HGH, 12.5mg tbol and a small amount of topical testosterone) and no lifting other than a couple of leg workouts and some cardio.

I have been to a good massage therapist twice now and I can say that the numbness and tingling in my arms and hands has not gotten worse and may actually be a bit better.