Left arm and hand numbness

Dear Ask The Doctor: My left arm and hand has been relatively numb for a week. Although I am still able to use them in my work (I'm a golf caddie 6 days a week), I'm obviously concerned. The condition has lessened from last Saturday, but still remains.

Dear Eric: The numbness in your left arm and hand as you described it might be due to a cervical nerve compression, but it would be important to rule out inflammation of the peripheral nerves at the level of the arm, elbow or wrist. In the younger patients, cervical radiculopathy may be a result of a disc herniation or an acute injury causing impingement of an exiting nerve. In the older patient, cervical radiculopathy is often a result of spinal canal narrowing from bone (osteophyte) formation, decreased disc height and degenerative changes due to aging process. The treatment strategy usually includes: a physical therapy program aimed to reduce pain and inflammation, and the use of anti-inflammatory drugs (“Motrin”, “Aleve”), also a re-education of habits and posture to improve quality of life. You should be independent in a stretching and strengthening program and continue with these exercises under the periodic supervision of a physical therapist initially and then completely on your own. If the condition fails to improve with a comprehensive rehabilitation program and selective injections, if required, then you should be presented with a surgical evaluation. Often, patients should show progressive improvement over the first 6-8 weeks with conservative treatment. If there is no significant improvement in this time frame, consider a surgical evaluation.