I have some numbness and tingling in my ring finger and in my pinkie finger on the left hand. There’s no pain but sometimes I can’t straighten those two fingers. I went on-line and looked up carpal tunnel syndrome thinking that might be what I have — but my symptoms don’t match what it says for that. What else could be causing this problem?

You’ll need to see a medical doctor to get a proper diagnosis — and that’s what we would encourage you to do. The first thought whenever a patient presents with numbness and tingling is that there’s a nerve entrapment somewhere above the level of the symptoms.

Since it’s your fingers that are affected, it’s possible that the ulnar nerve (not the median nerve</i, which is what gets pinched in carpal tunnel syndrome) is getting pinched at the wrist, in the forearm, or around the elbow. Nerve compression affecting the ulnar nerve in and around the elbow is the most common source of entrapment. When that's the case, the diagnosis is cubital tunnel syndrome. Problems in the cervical spine (neck) have also been known to cause sensory symptoms such as you are describing.

The physician will take your history and conduct an exam with specific tests to identify what’s happening to cause these symptoms and find out what’s behind the problem. Something as simple as a muscle contracting and pressing around the nerve could be the underlying anatomical reason for the nerve compression.

But certain diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disease, hemophilia, and tumors anywhere along the nerve pathway can also cause nerve compression. That’s why it’s important to make an appointment and have everything checked out carefully before deciding to ignore it.