I am a 26 yr old woman and my right arm hurts so bad during the night that I wake up crying. It feels like it's numb, but it hurts realllllly bad. Also, like today, sometimes it will ache all day-like sharp pains go through it every now and then all day. The pain is from my shoulder all the way down right below my elbow. Please help.
2006-07-20 12:32:45 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
Just to give a few more details, it doesn't feel like muscle pain, it feels more like pain that's down to the bone. It's been going on for about 3 or 4 months and I had NO injuries to my arm at all-not even pulling on anything. I just want to get this narrowed down because I don't really know how to explain the pain to the dr and where I live, it's hard to get a thorough exam unless you kind of know what to tell the doctor to check for. Thank you in advance for all of your answers.
2006-07-20 15:11:26 · update #1
Ok, I went to the doc this morning and he said exactly what most of your answer are. Either to do with a nerve or to do with circulation. He held my arm up for a minute and it started going numb and he said my pulse dropped down and was very vague. You guys are good!! Anyway, he scheduled an MRI for next week. Thanks everyone for all of the answers; it helped me to explain to the doc a little better.
2006-07-21 07:23:06 · update #2
As always taking a full history and doing a physical exam is the only way to truly diagnose a problem.
Your symptoms do sound neurologic...that is having to do with a nerve or nerves. Fortunately nerves are in predictable "dermatomes" (distributions of what nerves are involved with what areas) that can help to give clues as to what nerve(s) may be involved. Interestingly nerves that are being irritated can be bothersome both upstream and downstream from the problem. For instance carpel tunnel problems sometimes cause pain up the elbow, shoulder, and neck. Likewise a thoracic outlet syndrome can cause problems downstream to the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers. As a result to guess where the problem is exact that...a guess. This, I am afraid is something that will require a more thorough evaluation to arrive at a correct answer.
Good Luck.
Addendum - both of the problems (CTS and TOS) that I mentioned above would not require any sort of specific injury or possibly one so subtle that you didn't even give it a second thought when it occurred - there are a half dozen others that come to mind that are like that too. Just tell your physician that you have arm pain and he/she will guide you through the rest of the pertinent questions from there. Believe me we get patients who are a whole lot less articulate than you and figure out how to arrive at what is bothering them.
2006-07-20 12:47:32 · answer #1 · answered by c_schumacker 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same pains. It turned out to be degenerative arthritis in the shoulder pinching nerves. Got a new shoulder eight years ago and it resolved the issue. I have no regrets.
2006-07-20 19:43:51 · answer #2 · answered by normy in garden city 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a Dr. but I have some experience-you could very well have a pinched nerve-but I would see a dr to have this verified
2006-07-20 19:37:46 · answer #3 · answered by Thunderbird72 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Likely rotator-ligament tears,pinching nerve,minor - dislocations or tissue injury
2006-07-20 19:39:38 · answer #4 · answered by shaikhmohdmusa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm not a doctor, but is sounds like a pinched nerve. you should see a doctor for a complete check up.
2006-07-20 19:36:35 · answer #5 · answered by sassymaccat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋