Arm Going Numb While Running

Sounds to me like an upper spine nerve impingement... been there, done that!!

What does your doctor have to say?

Sonds like the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome. Probably not directly related to running, just exacerbated by it (arm position etc...). I had the same symptoms but not from running.

It sounds like your ulnar nerve is being compressed, maybe due to an arm band has someone mentioned, or entrapped if you are rounding and elevating your shoulders too much. I think a trainer already mentioned your posture. If you are able, go to a physical therapist to access your gait (the way your are running) and posture. You do not want this to get worse. I hope this helps.

Do you have anything on your arm, wrist or hand. For example, when I use my HRM the watch is on my wrist, if it is too tight it might bother me. Perhaps your watch band is too tight, or even if you have a ring on your hand as your hands swell during exercising it's cutting off your circulation?
I had a similar issue but with my legs and it was because my running shoes weren't big enough, so when I exercised and my feet swelled the circulation was cut off causing my legs to feel as if they were asleep. I fixed that issue with a larger pair of shoes.

If that might not be the case for you I'd contact a doctor to be safe.

could it be carpal tunnel syndrome ? I have that, and it goes all the way to my elbow, so any real movement of arms, if your swinging them a lot or balling fists while running, could cause this.. don't have to just be moving the wrist for it to act up. If you have had a job where you have worked with hands a lot, home makers, and people who have spent a lot of time typing are more likely to get it. even at a young age. the dr told me 3 years ago I was only 4 points away from surgery even though I was only in mid twenties.. that my generation grew up typing and typed not just for work, but recreation and that it caused even older teens and early twenties to be diagnosed with this type of nerve condition. correction does not always require surgery.. you should ask your dr. there are spots on the wrist that they can tap on firmly and if fingers go numb or tingle.. they pretty much know even before the nerve conduction study.

I have a problem with my arm going numb if I roll my shoulders forward. I pinch the nerve, and hand goes numb. Be sure you are keeping your shoulders back, and your not leaning forward as you run see if that helps. :happy:

Thanks! It might be just bad posture. I'm not carrying anything and my chest strap is on pretty loosely. I may need to get someone to watch me run and tell me if I'm doing it wrong. I have seen the doctor about it and he put me through a stress test to rule out heart issues. Everything seemed fine, so he just left it at that and said if it really bothers me, stop running. If this is fixable I'd rather continue though. It feels great otherwise.

How do you find out if it's a nerve issue? That sounds like it would be more permanent. This only happens when I run.

Is your arm swing exaggerated? Are your shoulders slumped forward when you run? A rounded upper back is a reason why people get nerve impingement in their neck, shoulders and arms.

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PLEASE GET CHECKED BY THE DOCTOR

My 37 year old partner had the same symptoms last Summer, he persisted with his running for a couple of months assuming he was just raising his arms too much or not breathing deeply enough to oxygenate his blood properly and thought nothing of it until one day in August when he felt really breathless too and had to stop running and walk the rest of his route. He still felt rough the following morning, checked the NHS website's symptom checker and ended up in hospital for 4 days, upon admission they suspected asthma but it was found to be more serious and he'd actually had a minor heart attack. Further investigations and an angiogram found an almost blocked artery which was fixed in Feb this year with the insertion of a stent. He's gradually returned to fitness and has built up to running a mile with the aim of getting back to 5ks.

I'm not saying this is what's happening to you but at just 37 and at the lightest and fittest he'd been for years it came as a complete bolt from the blue. What is now a minor irritation could be the signs of something more serious or it could just be something trivial which you will stop worrying about once you have the comfort that it's nothing to worry about.


Sorry - after posting I've just seen your post about having had heart issues ruled out. I'm pleased to see that but will leave my post up in case other readers have not got checked out.

This would be a great question of your physician not MFP, but since you're here...

Pinched Nerve in neck, Herniated disc in your neck, Carpal (unlikely, but...), bad posture, you have a tourniquet on your arm, you have parasites, it's all in your head...


Really, the options are endless.

My doctor somewhat blew me off about this once he ruled out major heart issues. I am looking for a new one, but I figured there might be runners on here who had experienced this. It sounds more and more like bad posture. I do lean forward when running, so I will have to try fixing that tonight and see what happens. But I will have to watch for parasites :-p

Now that would piss me off, to be blunt. Good for finding a new doc.


My hands were going numb simply by existing. Carpal, right? Went to doc, they moved my neck and squished on my head and my whole arms went numb... I have 3 bulging discs in my neck, it's not carpal. It took them 5 seconds to figure that out and send me to a neurosurgeon.


FYI, I'm a million times better from PT and opted not to have surgery. Posture and proper exercise is remarkable

This could sound silly, but the same thing happens to me when I have my arms bent at the elbow for too long - if I sleep that way or if I sit at my desk and type for a long period of time without a break. It takes a little while to go away, even after I shake them out. Do you run with your arms tightly bent at the elbow?

Thanks! It might be just bad posture. I'm not carrying anything and my chest strap is on pretty loosely. I may need to get someone to watch me run and tell me if I'm doing it wrong. I have seen the doctor about it and he put me through a stress test to rule out heart issues. Everything seemed fine, so he just left it at that and said if it really bothers me, stop running. If this is fixable I'd rather continue though. It feels great otherwise.

How do you find out if it's a nerve issue? That sounds like it would be more permanent. This only happens when I run.

It sounds like Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which is a compression of the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves outside of the spinal cord, just under the clavicle. It can be compressed by tight muscles or poor posture, among other things. A common symptom of TOS is numbness and/or tingling of the 4th and 5th fingers from ulnar nerve compression.
I am a PT and frequently see this in people with poor posture i.e. rounded shoulders, forward head.
You need to be seen by a doctor or PT to confirm diagnosis but if its TOS it is easily treatable.

Your ulnar nerve provides sensation to those three fingers on the palm side of your hand. If it is purely just those three fingers feeling numb/tingling then it is most likely due to something impinging on the nerve. It could be up in your elbow or somewhere along your forearm or wrist. Try stretching your triceps and forearm muscles early on in the run and see if that helps.