A 42-year-old member asked:
Can a torn rotator cuff cause hand numbness when sleeping?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

Dr. Jennifer Tuckeranswered
21 years experience
No: These are 2 different diagnoses. Tingling in the hand at night comes a nerve impingement. A torn rotator cuff can cause shouldered pain and limited mobility of the shoulder.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Andrew Bronsteinanswered
Hand Surgery 38 years experience
Yes, although rare: Numbness after a torn rotator cuff would most likely result from a change in sleeping posture. Often after the injury, patients pre- and postoperatively tend to sleep with the injured shoulder up when they sleep on their side. Sleeping on one's side, often with hands tucked under the pillow or wrists flexed is a very common cause or exacerbating factor in median neuritis or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 46-year-old member asked:
Can sleeping hard cause hand numbness during sleep?
2 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in

Dr. Edward Smithanswered
Neurology 56 years experience
Yes: Sleeping hard means being so deeply asleep that the person is unresponsive to stimuli which would ordinarily cause some postural adjustment or actual awakening. If a wrist is markedly bent or the elbows markedly flexed or the shoulder abducted, this could happen.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed Dec 04, 2021
Last updated Jun 7, 2017
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