strange affliction

Timbuck

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About a week ago i started to get tingling in my left pinky....since then my left hand has been progressivly getting weaker :confused:..i found that i couldn't hold down some chords on my uke properly..and now today i'm trying to string up my latest soprano and i cant find the strength in my left hand to tighten up the tuning pegs :mad: and i'm having great difficulty tying knots in the string ends.
has anyone else had symptoms like this?
 
I am no doctor, but did you have some symptoms building up to this. Carpul tunnel comes to my mind, or some other type of nerve damage. Sounds to me that it is time for a trip to the doctor's. Good luck and don't force it or over do it, you don't want to further injure yourself.
 
Having a doctor check it out would be prudent. It sounds like you might have something pressing on a netve. Neurological issues should be checked out.

In the meantime, you should also think about any recent changes in activities/tools, etc. Did you change sleep positions? Get new pillows?

My husband had a similar experience to yours, over the course of a couple of months after we got married. It turned out that his wedding ring needed to be resized up. The numbness and loss of strength went away.

I have a "tricky" shoulder from a long-ago repetitive stress injury. A bad pillow configuration at night has brought on the symptoms you've described.
 
Yes, and too much time in the shop was the cause. Someone mentioned to me about sleeping with curled up hands. Being conscious of making sure they were in an open position at night, like maybe under a pillow, that helped in about 2 weeks time. Not too many issues anymore, except after excessively heavy projects..
 
Yes, and too much time in the shop was the cause. Someone mentioned to me about sleeping with curled up hands. Being conscious of making sure they were in an open position at night, like maybe under a pillow, that helped in about 2 weeks time. Not too many issues anymore, except after excessively heavy projects..

Ditto that except mine was caused by bad ergonomics at work. I sleep with wrist braces on every night now, and that keeps me good during the day.

Definitely see a doc though so you don't do any permanent damage!
 
My wife has been having some trouble in her wrist and forarm. Using a brace at night is a good idea and seemed to help her.
My sister-in-law does a lot of massage and she said chirpractors often pull on your fingers. I tried it and it seems to help too.
 
I have had numbness down the back of my arm to my little finger that also resulted in weakness. This was due to a herniated disk in my neck that was pinching a nerve. Too anti inflammatory drugs to help bring down the swelling which helped the symptoms.
 
Ken, I'm in agreement with the previous posters that you should get it checked out by a doctor. Rule out anything serious first, please.
 
About a week ago i started to get tingling in my left pinky....since then my left hand has been progressivly getting weaker :confused:..i found that i couldn't hold down some chords on my uke properly..and now today i'm trying to string up my latest soprano and i cant find the strength in my left hand to tighten up the tuning pegs :mad: and i'm having great difficulty tying knots in the string ends.
has anyone else had symptoms like this?

To rule out simple things first, have you had your elbow resting on a surface for a lengthy time?
Repeatedly resting my left elbow on an arm of a chair while I played the uke, caused tingly feelings and numbness in my left pinky. I assumed I was pinching a nerve, and changed my normal playing position to not rest my fretting arm. The condition left after a few days.

Hope your condition is not more serious .
 
I agree Ibuprofen a couple times a day is great for that

Ibuprofen can be a dangerous drug for many people and can actually make some conditions worse over the long haul. Best to seek MD advice rather than to get it from a ukulele forum!
 
Ibuprofen hard on the body, organs and stuff, definitely not for long term. Very hard on the stomach, I know from personal experience and an ulcer. Nowadays I really gotta be hurtin to take the stuff and it's rare that I will.
 
Ibuprofen hard on the body, organs and stuff, definitely not for long term. Very hard on the stomach, I know from personal experience and an ulcer. Nowadays I really gotta be hurtin to take the stuff and it's rare that I will.

Definitely need to follow the directions, alot of over the counter drugs can be abused. Medications are processed in the liver, long term usage can have an effect on the liver and kidney functions.
It only takes about 28 Tylenol to kill someone.
 
When I smashed my fingertip a couple of years ago...an oak beam and a table saw, my finger between the two, gravity doing it's thing...my doc had my hand x-rayed, and he noted the arthritis and said it was totally normal for someone using his hands for decades at work. I am 68... So age does catch up. I do notice more trouble in the morning if I had one or two drinks too many the night before. I also have trigger finger that comes and goes.

But the pinched nerve thing makes sense...could be spinal...you might consider chiropractic and acupuncture.
 
Ken, I had similar symptoms, but on the right side. Mine was caused by deterioration of the disks between three of my neck vertebrae--causes the nerves to the arm to be compressed, causing numbness and weakness. Have you hyper-extended your neck recently or do you spend a lot of time with your head tilted forward? Anyhow, as others have already said, you should see a doctor.
 
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