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Tingling and shooting pains in right arm

swfcdan
swfcdan Community member Posts: 2 Listener
Hi, this weekend I started feeling aching in my right wrist area. I thought I might have sprained it, I was having difficulty starting a lawnmower so pulling the cord repetitvely might have caused it! Anyway a few days I have strange tingling sensations in my right arm if I move it in certain positions. It feels like pins and needles and I also feel a little numbness in my forearm/wrist area, but also I get sharp pains shoot down my arm occasionally e.g. I went to post office today and held the door for someone and got a shooting pain down my arm which was very uncomfortable. It only lasted a few seconds so it must depend on the position my right arm is in and how much force I'm applying. 

Anyway so I decided I need to go to get it looked at after that. Went to a hospital minor injuries unit as my Doctors now only does future appointments (which seems stupid). The woman there did some tests flexing my arms and I only felt some tingling sensations, no pain, but it wasn't like I was lifting anything to put strain on my arms. She said I was ok and just take ibuprophen if I need it and if it gets worse or doesnt improve then see GP in case its something like carpal tunnel syndrome. 

It wasn't very helpful as the tingling and sharp pains haven't gone away, and I'm hesitant whether I should try and do most things like normal and accept the tingling or whether I should let my arm fully rest for a while (as much as possible)- and being right handed its making things much harder. I've never had anything like this before and so just want some assurance that these injuries can heal fully and how long they might take (as it feels like it might not be quick healing). It might be repetitive strain injury as I work on computers most of the time so do a lot of typing and my forearm feels a bit strained just typing now, so I'm not sure whether I should just take a few days off work or just carry on through it.

Sorry for the long post, am just a bit concerned about it so looking for advice/reassurance. Thanks :)

Comments

  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Community member Posts: 7,942 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @swfcdan
    Sorry to hear you're experiencing these sensations. Unfortunately we are not medical professionals. I think it is best to book an appointment with your GP for your own peace of mind. Please let us know if we can help any further :)
    Disability Gamechanger - 2019
  • SunshineLou
    SunshineLou Community member Posts: 79 Pioneering
    Hello @swfcdan I agree with @Ami2301, definitely see your GP. From my own personal experience tingling and numbness relates to nerve damage or possibly a Neurological problem.
    I’ve had repetitive strain injury in the past and didn’t have any of those exact symptoms.
    See someone ASAP. Better to be safe than sorry!
  • swfcdan
    swfcdan Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    Thanks for the advice guys. I am much better now. 

    I got a GP's appointment a couple of days after posting that and they said it was tendonitis causing a trapped nerve and no nerve damage (as I would've been in even more pain apparently!). 

    It took 2 weeks resting and having to use my left hand to do everything (felt very odd!) and regularly icing it when my hand was swelling up and on d strength ibuprophen 3 times a day. Gradually the nerve pains, numbness/hypersensitivity feeling have gone away as my wrist tendons healed, and over the past week I've been able to do basic wrist/arm exercises again as a very helpful physio I was referred to suggested.

    It's a huge relief as the nerve pains were something I'd never experienced before, and I could only think I'd damaged a nerve which I know would be very serious! So I was panicking a lot which made everything worse, but thankfully it was a trapped nerve that has almost healed now :)

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