A burner or a stinger is a stretch injury to the nerves coming out of the cervical spine. This injury often results from a traumatic event where the athlete’s neck is forcefully hyperextended or forced away from the opposite arm. Football players are most often affected by these injuries.

Signs and symptoms

Players often feel a burning pain that goes into the shoulder, down the arm, and into the hand and finger. They may also notice numbness, tingling, and even weakness in the arm, hand, and fingers.

Diagnosis and treatment of a burner or stinger

These injuries usually resolve with rest and time. It can take a few minutes to go away, or it can take hours or days in rarer cases. A football player who suffers what he thinks is a stinger or burner should talk to the athletic trainer or team doctor to get it checked out. As I explain in this video, if symptoms persist, it can be important to see a neurologist or neurosurgeon to learn the extent of the injury.

Also read:
Burner or stinger: Explanation of these nerve injuries
Snapping wrist – Snapping ECU tendons

Recommended Products and Resources
Click here to go to Dr. David Geier’s Amazon Influencer store!
Due to a large number of questions I have received over the years asking about products for health, injuries, performance, and other areas of sports, exercise, work and life, I have created an Amazon Influencer page. While this information and these products are not intended to treat any specific injury or illness you have, they are products I use personally, have used or have tried, or I have recommended to others. THE SITE MAY OFFER HEALTH, FITNESS, NUTRITIONAL AND OTHER SUCH INFORMATION, BUT SUCH INFORMATION IS DESIGNED FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE CONTENT DOES NOT AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONVEY MEDICAL ADVICE AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, NOR DOES IT REPLACE, PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT. THE SITE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACTIONS OR INACTION ON A USER’S PART BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT IS PRESENTED ON THE SITE. Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.