Back pain issues

My mother has been struggling with spinal pain for several days now, specifically localized in the mid-back region, though the discomfort seems to radiate down her right arm toward the shoulder and even reaches her elbow. More concerningly, she has been experiencing numbness in three of her fingers—the thumb, middle finger, and index finger—for about a week, with the index finger being almost entirely devoid of sensation. Does anyone have any insight into what might be causing such a progression of symptoms?

Thank you!

Most likely, this is what’s bothering most people: degenerative spinal changes that end up compressing the dural sac and those nerve roots exiting the spinal cord. It leads to that constant pain and tingling in your extremities. They need to see a doctor and get an X-ray just to get a baseline look at what's happening with the spine. From there, the decision will be made on whether to jump straight into more advanced imaging—like a CT or MRI—or if they want to try physical therapy first. Given that she's already lost sensation in her finger, I suspect she’ll have to consult a neurologist or a neurosurgeon to determine if surgery is actually on the table.