I had breast augmentation and am now experiencing hand and arm numbness whenever I run. What could be the cause?

Question

I got breast implants a year and a half ago (300cc under the muscle). I took 4 mos off running, started back slowly and then to my normal distances. Ever since my breast aug I have been having numbness in my arms and fingers when I get past a certain distance in my runs. It started at 6 miles but has been progressing and now will go numb if I run as little as 4. What could be causing this? The timing correlates with the breast implants but I can’t find any information on why this would occur.

Jennifer Lauren Crawford, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  Hand and arm numbness after extensive running is a bit unusual but I do find that many runners do note this complaint and it is probably for various reasons.  I doubt the issue is directly related to your breast augmentation even though it didn't seem to exist before.  The breast implants under the muscle do cause a new stretch and tension on the pec muscles but are not intimately situated at the nerves that supply sensation to your hand and arm.Your brachial plexus is a big grouping of nerves that extend from your spinal cord, through an area of your neck, into the deep area of your armpit and then continue to course and branch down into your arm and hand.  These branches can be irritated at any part in their course (so, your neck on down) and affect any branch downstream.  The most common reason for patients is a compression problem someplace in the course of a nerve.  Simple exam and tests can often rule in and rule out which nerves are bothered.  The most common spots are at the elbow for the ulnar nerve (which will typically affect your pinky finger) and the wrist for the median nerve (which will typically include your thumb, but not your pinky and is called carpal tunnel syndrome).  When arms and wrists stay in a certain position for a long period of time, the nerves become more compressed and the patient experiences numbness.  This happens when people go to sleep and their wrists relax into a flexed position or when they are driving.  People feel the need to shake out their hands and arms when this happens and it can awaken them from sleep.Next time you go running, pay attention to how you hold your arms and wrists.  I am a runner as well.  I always used to see photos of me running with my wrists somewhat dropped and flexed.  I never had carpal tunnel symptoms because of it but I could imagine that it could happen to some.  Periodically extend your arms and allow your hands and arms fall to your side and shake them out to relax the muscles and joints.  When and if the numbness does occur, make a mental note about which fingers are involved and what areas of the arm.  If it occurs in other situations like a prolonged drive, make a note of that too.  Do certain positions/postures make it worse?Collect that information and go see your primary care doctor.  He or she may refer you for further evaluation with a hand surgeon that also does nerve compression surgery and evaluations.  Areas of compression can be found at the spine, thoracic outlet, and various areas of the arm and wrist.  Occupational therapy and NSAIDS can help and sometimes even a shot of steroid.  Sometimes surgery is indicated.  Other potential reasons could be electrolyte abnormalities especially in people who overdo water intake.  Some people also experience more than your average swelling in their hands while running and if the swelling is controlled, the symptoms go away.  Also, every doctor has to consider cardiac or lung issues- is this an example of atypical cardiac pain?  Sometimes that is worth excluding although you are probably in excellent health.  But sometimes women can have heart related stress/pain that is referred to an arm or shoulder.  If you experience chest tightness or pain along with this numbness, you need to be evaluated immediately especially if there is a family history of early coronary artery disease with heart attacks or problematic heart rhythms or enlarged hearts.   Coming back to the implants, now that you are out of the early postop time frame and there is probably no remaining swelling, it is very unlikely for your augmentation to be contributing unless the stretch on your pec muscle is changing how you position your arms and is setting you up for a compression issue in your arm.  It is definitely worth further evaluation for the potential issues I brought up above.  Best of luck to you!

I had breast augmentation and am now experiencing hand and arm numbness whenever I run. What could be the cause?

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I had breast augmentation and am now experiencing hand and arm numbness whenever I run. What could be the cause?

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Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.