Sports Stingers and Brachial Plexus Injuries: What Athletes Should Know
The Nerve, Muscle & Joint Health Newsletter
Understanding Your Condition
If you play contact sports and have ever felt a sudden burning or electric shock sensation shoot from your neck down into your arm after a hit or fall, you may have experienced what athletes and trainers call a “stinger” or “burner.” These are common names for a brachial plexus injury — and while they often resolve quickly, they deserve attention.
What Is the Brachial Plexus?
The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that originates in your neck and travels through your shoulder, down your arm, and into your hand. These nerves control movement and feeling in your entire upper limb. When your neck is forced to one side while your shoulder is pushed in the opposite direction — as can happen in a tackle, wrestling move, or collision — this nerve network can be stretched, compressed, or in more serious cases, torn.
Who Is at Risk?
Brachial plexus injuries are most common in athletes who participate in:
Football (especially linemen, linebackers, and special teams players)
Wrestling and martial arts
Rugby and hockey
Cycling (falls from bikes can cause significant impact)
Snow skiing and snowboarding
Signs and Symptoms to Watch For
Most stingers clear up within seconds to minutes, but that doesn’t mean the injury should be dismissed. Symptoms include:
A sudden burning, stinging, or electric shock sensation from the neck down the arm
Temporary weakness or heaviness in the arm or hand
Numbness or tingling that runs from the shoulder to the fingers
Difficulty lifting your arm or gripping objects
If symptoms last more than a few minutes, affect both arms, or keep coming back with repeated impacts, it’s time to see a specialist and consider nerve testing.
When Is Testing Needed?
Electrodiagnostic testing — specifically an EMG (electromyography) and nerve conduction study (NCS) — provides a detailed picture of exactly which nerves are involved and how severely they have been affected. This kind of testing is especially important if:
Your symptoms lasted longer than 15 minutes
You have had multiple stingers over the course of a season
Weakness in your arm or hand has not fully recovered
Your doctor wants to confirm whether it is safe to return to play
At Hands-On EMG, our specialists are experts in electrodiagnostic evaluation of nerve and muscle conditions. We can pinpoint the exact location and severity of your injury so your care team can make the right decisions for your recovery and safe return to sport.
Wellness Corner
Summer Sports Safety: Protecting Your Nerves While Staying Active
Summer is peak season for outdoor sports, recreational activities, and competitive events. Whether you’re at the beach, on the field, or in the gym, it’s also a time when injuries spike. Here are a few practical tips to keep your nervous system protected this season:
Warm up before contact activity.
Cold or unprepared muscles and joints increase your vulnerability to nerve injury during high-impact play.
Use proper technique.
Many brachial plexus injuries are caused by poor tackling or falling mechanics. A sports coach or physical therapist can help you refine your form.
Don’t push through nerve symptoms.
If you feel burning, tingling, or weakness in your arm after an impact, come off the field. Continuing to play with an active nerve injury can worsen the damage.
Stay hydrated.
Dehydration affects nerve conduction and muscle function. In the summer heat, your nervous system needs adequate fluids to operate at its best.
Rest and recover.
Nerves heal slowly. Give your body the time it needs between high-intensity sessions, especially if you’ve had a prior injury.
Spotlight on Excellence
Did You Know?
Studies suggest that up to 65% of college football players experience at least one brachial plexus stinger during their career. Most episodes resolve on their own — but repeated injuries can cause lasting nerve damage. If you or someone you know keeps experiencing these symptoms, an EMG and nerve conduction study can identify whether the nerves have sustained structural injury and guide a safe path back to sport.
Know Someone Who Needs Help?
If you or someone you know is experiencing numbness, tingling, pain, weakness, or other nerve, muscle, or joint-related symptoms, Hands-On EMG Testing may be able to help provide answers.
With several locations across Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Long Island, we make it easier for patients to access advanced diagnostic testing close to home. Our team provides EMG/NCS and musculoskeletal ultrasound testing to help identify the cause of symptoms and support the right next steps in care.
Ask your physician or provider to refer you, or use our online referral form here.
Feel free to share this newsletter with friends and family members who may benefit from expert diagnostic testing and clearer answers about their symptoms.
