A stinger injury is a common, temporary nerve injury often associated with contact sports such as football and wrestling. This condition results from trauma to the nerves that supply feeling and movement to the arm and hand. The name comes from the sudden, sharp, shocking pain that travels down the arm, feeling like an electric shock. Most stinger injuries are mild and resolve quickly.
How the Injury Occurs and What It Feels Like
The injury is caused by trauma to the brachial plexus, the bundle of nerves originating from the spinal cord in the neck and extending into the arm. A stinger results from these nerves being either stretched or compressed near the neck and shoulder. The most frequent mechanism involves the head and neck being forcefully pushed to one side while the shoulder is simultaneously driven down. This motion overstretches the nerves, causing a traction injury to the brachial plexus.
A second common mechanism is a direct blow to the area just above the collarbone, which can compress or pinch the nerves. Both mechanisms disrupt the nerve’s ability to transmit signals, leading to the characteristic symptoms. The immediate sensation is a burning, stinging pain that radiates from the neck or shoulder down into the arm and hand. This is often accompanied by numbness, tingling, and a temporary weakness, sometimes described as having a “dead arm.”
A defining feature of a stinger is that symptoms are almost always unilateral, affecting only one arm. The weakness is typically felt in the shoulder and bicep muscles. Symptoms usually resolve within seconds or minutes, though some residual weakness or stiffness can occasionally linger for hours or even a few days.
Immediate Care and When to Seek Medical Attention
When a stinger occurs, the athlete must be immediately removed from play and evaluated by a medical professional or athletic trainer. The first priority is to stabilize and assess the neck and spine to rule out a more severe injury. The professional will check the range of motion in the neck, assess strength, and test sensation and reflexes. An athlete should never be allowed to return to activity if any weakness, numbness, or neck pain persists.
It is important to differentiate a transient stinger from a potentially catastrophic spinal cord injury. If the athlete reports symptoms affecting both arms or any symptoms in the legs, this suggests possible damage to the spinal cord and requires immediate immobilization. Any persistent weakness, severe neck pain, or inability to move the neck normally also warrants immediate emergency medical transport.
Imaging, such as X-rays or an MRI scan, is generally not needed for a simple, quickly resolving stinger. However, if symptoms last longer than a few days, or if there is concern about an underlying issue, a physician may order imaging to rule out fractures or structural damage to the spine.
Recovery Timelines and Returning to Activity
Most stinger injuries are mild, and symptoms resolve within a few minutes or hours. In these cases, the athlete may be cleared to return to play in the same game. Clearance requires full, pain-free range of motion in the neck and full, symmetrical strength in both arms. Less common, more severe stingers can involve greater nerve irritation, causing symptoms to last for days or even a few weeks.
Full strength and normal sensation must be confirmed by a medical professional before an athlete is cleared to return to contact activity. Returning too soon risks worsening the injury or leading to a chronic issue. Athletes who experience recurrent stingers require a specialized medical evaluation, which may include advanced imaging to check for underlying conditions like spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, can increase the risk of nerve compression with repeated trauma.
Preventative measures are important, including neck strengthening exercises to build supporting musculature around the cervical spine. Proper fitting of protective equipment, such as shoulder pads or neck rolls, can also help limit the extreme neck and shoulder movements that cause the injury. Ultimately, medical clearance is mandatory for a safe return to play, ensuring the athlete is asymptomatic and neurologically stable.