Question
Hello,

I have been using my left pinky and ring finger aggressively for typing and have developed severe pain in the area of my palm respective to those two fingers, along the ulnar tract. This was last year and i have been taking NSAID to suppress the pain. My doctor had advised me to stop immediately, and switch to tylenol arthritis. Since the Tylenol does not work as well as the NSAID, there is severe pain in my armpit that is chronic and the pain is unbearable. There is also slight aching in my left shoulder blade and back. My doctor said this is likely a repetitive stress injury in the hand, resulting to a referred pain in the armpit and back. I need a second opinion.

My question is if this is pain due to nerve damage/pinching or is it tendonitis or something else? Why is pain in my hand causing a lot more pain in my underarms. My insurance does not kick in until another couple weeks to run more advanced tests. Is there anything other than NSAID, Tylenol, or strong pain medications that can relieve the pain in the meantime?

Thank you very much.
Bao.

Answer
hi bao, i have a friend named bao, wonder if this is him.
THe NSAIDS will only mask your symptoms not fix the problem. Your doc should have known that and referred you out a long time ago.
It sounds like a clear cut case of a pinched brachial plexus nerve. Only one profession removes pressure off spinal nerves and that is chiropractic. If you get a good chiro he/she will address the over use injury by releasing any muscles spasm and also by addressing the pinched nerve by realigning the spine. Go see a chiropractor ASAP and you will get through this problem quickly.