Pinched Nerve in stick shift arm - Anybody else?

Feeling very old as I type this. I have had stick shift cars more than 50% of the time over the last almost 30 years. About 5 years ago I had an Infiniti G35 6MT. Awesome car. Anyway, it was a stickshift. At the time I developed a bad pinched nerve in my right arm. I didn't think it was the stick shift that caused it but more likely my work space so I had an ergonomics guy come out, sold me an expensive desk chair, moved my computer monitor to center of desk, headset for phone, etc.... I eventually sold the car but not because of the pinched nerve and have driven automatics the last 5 years. Now, 6 weeks into active 996 driving I have developed the same pinched nerve and it definitely is aggravated when I drive the Porsche. I am thinking it's a coincidence but am trying to drive it less. Anybody else ever have anything like this? Any clue for a remedy?

I love my manual but I'd go PDK in a heartbeat if I ever couldn't shift comfortably.

Cortisone shot.

Yikes, time for a visit to the doctor! -Eric

Import a car from the UK and shift with your left hand ? Have you tried acupucture ? It has worked on various aches, strains and pains I have had over the years. I try to avoid meds as much as possible for short term issues.

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Awesome! I love your UK idea. If I end up selling I will look into that option. That would truly be unique! I tried acupuncture 5 years ago and it helped. I went weekly for a couple months. Good reminder. Thanks.

A few percocets and go for a drive, what could go wrong?

Hot Yoga

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I do hot yoga 3 times a week. Love it! Drove the Porsche there yesterday a matter of fact! Still driving it a little. Hard to totally ignore it sitting in the garage looking lonely. It's just a pain... in my neck... literally... to drive it!

it could boil down to some subtle driving position issue like leaving your hand resting on the shift ****, seating position or wheel position. try some water too (drink it, not applied to the effecfdted area)

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Wow sounds like you have a serious issue. I do the Hot Bikram Yoga once a week & it cures EVERYTHING & makes me feel 10 years younger. Like Ivangene suggested, you might try a ergonomic advisor for your "driving office". Do you have the stock shifter? All the "upgraded" shifters require more effort to shift, & the original is very easy to shift.

You may need a small operation on the effected part of your back. Can you believe that I had a severe pain in my leg around the knee area which was a direct result of a trapped nerve in my spine lumber region. Some disc had to be cleaned up and that did the trick for me. They called it a red herring pain. Does your seat have the lumber support? A slight adjustment there may ease the pain in your arm if it is a nerve being trapped in your spine. Can you remember was the seat in your G35 6MT the same style and feel of seat as the one in your Porsche?

Could it be Carpal Tunnel? If so, you may want to try a wrist brace. Not sure how well you'd be able to shift with the brace on though.

I'd also consider a physical therapist.

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with a beer chaser

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If it worked before, try it again. Reduce the frequemcy as you go, once a week for a few weeks the every two weeks for a few etc. If it worked before do it again. Avoid the meds and cutting yourself open if you can.

I won't speculate on a diagnosis for you but sometimes it is the really simple things. I've been undergoing medical testing for the past couple of years. A couple of months ago during a test I mentioned that I was having pain in my left elbow and that 1/2 of my left hand had been numb for a few weeks. Could maybe all of this pain stuff be related to my back, maybe a pinched nerve? The doc was pretty cool and simply said "nope" those symptoms have nothing to do with your back, stop leaning on your left elbow. So I say, I DO NOT lean on my left elbow. He says, pay attention to what you do and I bet you lean on your left elbow. So I get in the P-Car mumbling how useless Dr.'s are and how none of them nor all of the GD tests do any good - I start driving down the road and guess what? I noticed that I was leaning my left elbow high on the door panel. So I change that habit and in less than a week my elbow was fine and all of the feeling returned in my left hand. I guess the moral of the story is that my elbow problem really did have something to do with the P-Car, yet unfortunately the P-car is unrelated to rest of the crap.

Get a Bird Armrest (search it) to support your elbow.

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Ever think about moving to England?

As always I really appreciate ALL the ideas/suggestions/thoughts/etc.... I have been trying to drive it less, have adjusted my seat/lumbar, and am trying to be extra conscious of where I put my arm and how I shift. Just sucks getting old! As washington dc porsche's idea of moving to England... great idea except I lived there for 4 months in 1989 and loved it (btw, now I can't donate blood for possible mad cow concerns - TRUE) and I really like the SUN! If I leave California it will be for Arizona!

Have your right arm surgically swapped for your left arm. Do this before you consider selling your car.

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You don't say what your symptoms are. Pain? Numbness/tingling? All of the above? Where in the arm are your symptoms? Are they in your hand also? Have you had any imaging done, particularly your shoulder? Have you been to a neurologist and had nerve studies done? Not the most comfortable procedure, involves tiny needles and electric current, but it can pinpoint the actual source of the impingement. Treatment is entirely dependent upon the cause. How much stop-and-go do you drive ? It seems questionable that moderate driving would cause aggravation of symptoms. Aside from truck drivers, we don't see a lot of repetitive-motion injuries from stickshifts, and most of those are knee issues related to clutching.

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It's possible but you'll need to prove to NHTSA that it performs "substantially similar" to the same left hand drive version of the 996 in crash tests. Absent supplying a few examples for them to bash up, NHTSA will accept a letter from Porsche AG (not a dealer) on their letterhead stipulating that the right hand drive version would perform the same as the US certified left hand driver version...either that or find a 25+ yr old RHD 911 that fits your needs. Know anyone in Porsche's legal department? Maybe you can get them to acknowledge the whole IMS issue while you're at it! lol On a more serious note, I'm glad it sounds like you're feeling a little better. I hope you find a long term solution to the problem! -Eric

I get the carpal tunnel pain when I play guitar too much. Sleeping in the brace seem to help but I have to cut way back on the guitar for a while also. Doing resistance training also seem to help, as I am nearly 60 and seem to be loosing muscle mass at an alarming rate otherwise. Getting old is definitely not for sissys.

So I go back to the doctor yesterday and ask if I should see a neurologist at this point, I think I have already gone through every possible test, including an EMG, with no luck in figuring things out. At first he gives me a resounding "YES' and states that we are pretty much out of options. Okay - I don't want to give up and I agree. Then while waiting to check out, you know, fork over some more dough, the doctor himself appears and asks if I got around to trying acupuncture. I say no, he says okay, bag the neurologist and I'll have one of the girls get you a card for the acupuncture guys. I say okay, but am thinking, geez, I could get that advice from Rennlist and save the co-pay.

Acupuncture is a good analgesic and in certain limited use, anaesthetic, but its effects are transient and palliative. If you want to be cured, a cause must be investigated. Tell me, does your health insurance permit you to go directly to a specialist or must you get a referral from your primary care physician? That would at least explain why your doc reneged at the last moment and opted to save your insurance company the cost of paying for a neuro consult. That sort of thing will become more and more commonplace as Obamacare undermines the best practise of medicine.

Thanks Palmbeacher. We are fortunate on the insurance front, I can go directly to a specialist, no referrals are required. My GP is simply stumped and admits that at this point we are grasping at straws. Symptoms have also suggested an auto immune disorder but everything I have been tested for over the past few years comes back negative, and I have been tested for conditions I can't even pronounce. I have had many x-rays, MRI studies, and more blood panels than I can count. And the EMG results ruled out neuropathy. The issue is pain, predominately in my feet, severe and intense that comes on at anytime under any condition, severe enough to make me jump out of my seat during a meeting, or to lift my foot off the ground and whince if I am simply standing and having a conversation with others. I've paid close attention trying to figure out if there is any circumstance or condition that brings it on, and so far nothing ties together. Heck, even at 3:00am I can wake from a sound sleep with my foot in the air and screaming from the pain that I can best describe as being stabbed in the tips of my toes. also have incidents where out of the blue it feels as if the top of my left foot is being electrocuted and that happens most often when I am driving. I also have experienced complete and immobilizing full body pain. Prednisone is the only thing that will calm things down, and per my doc the use of prednisone is simply setting me up for more problems in the future, so not an acceptable solution. And where does the P-Car come in? I have been wanting to attend a DE, kept my C2 primarily for this reason, but truly afraid for my safety and the safety of others because of this. I'm 57 and getting that car on the track is one of my "someday" items. I am very open to suggestions. Thanks again

I only offer this as another thing to consider. I never (anymore) drive with a wallet (or phone, or anything else) in my back pocket. I have switched to "wearing" it in the front if I have to have it on me. This gives me a level platform to be seated with.

This thread just reinforces the stereotype that Porsche owners are a bunch of old farts. Cranky, Winey, Old farts. Oops, gotta go. It's after 4:30 and my wife hasn't made my dinner Sac Town...come on down to AZ. You obviously need a drier climate, plus, our weather is perfect for your Cab.

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Well that might be a tad better than being referred to as the PIP, Pric* in a Porsche - as one of our clients so fondly refers to us - and her truly Old fart husband, drives a 930 Turbo. hmmm. Around these parts I am noticing all the more that there is a bit of snob behind the wheel. I try my darndest to get a wave from fellow Porsche owners and the best so far was a slight nod of the head. Best was the dude in a Boxster who I guess thought he was "racing" my C4S. We ended up alongside each other at a stop and he wouldn't even look my way, just stared straight ahead with his driving gloved hands clenching the wheel at a perfect 10 and 2. So when traffic started to move I hung back, figured what the hey, maybe he'd lighten up if he felt he beat a C4S.