Pain and numbness in the left shoulder radiated to the fingertips

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi my name is James I am a 35yearold male and I have a numbing sensation from my shoulder to my fingertips and it is a constant pain that's been going on for months whaT should I do This numbness is only in the left shoulder

Dear James: The numbness in your  shoulder to your fingertips as you described it might be due to a cervical nerve compression (C7-C8), but it would be important to rule out inflammation of the peripheral nerves at the level of the arm and hand, meaning a Carpal tunnel Syndrome. 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 re-evaluation.