Introduction: Some patients presenting with subacromial impingement syndrome complain of tingling and numbness radiating to hand. In the current literature, there is no description of such paresthesia being a part of the clinical picture of impingement syndrome.
Objective: This observational study aimed at looking whether these symptoms resolve with successful arthroscopic decompression of the impingement.
Material and methods: One hundred consecutive patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery were enlisted for the study.
Results: Fifty-four percent reported paresthesia during the course of the shoulder problem (63% of them had radial sided symptoms, 29.6% ulnar-sided symptoms and 7.4% involving all fingers). Significant association was observed between the occurrence of paresthesia and worst pain levels (P = 0.0053), age of the patient (P = 0.0104) and the acromial impingement grade (P = 0.0377). Nerve conduction studies done in seven patients (with paresthesia) selected by systematic random sampling did not show any significant attributable entrapment neuropathy. Up to 12 months follow-up, 48 of 54 (88%) had complete relief of pain and paresthesia and 50 (92.5%) were satisfied.
Conclusion: Some patients with subacromial impingement syndrome report associated peripheral paresthesia radiating to hand, which is strongly associated with the age, pain level and the grade of impingement. In most (88%) of such cases, these symptoms are relieved after treatment of the impingment lesion. The incidence and aetiology of such paresthesia is the subject of further studies.