Hi,
I, too, have been having pain and weakness in both arms for 2 months straight. I cannot do anything with my arms because it aggravates the pain. It feels like the muscles in my forearms are sore, and up into my left mid arm and chest area.
It is very painful and scary to have the arm problems. I am a medical transcriptionist, so it makes it very difficult to work.
Take care,
Terri
Hi there, it sounds like spasticity to me too. I had similar bicep tightness some general weakness in the bicep down to the palm of one hand.
When was deep tendon reflexes were done in a form of neuro exam I was told my arms and legs had "brisk" reflexes.
I did not think much of it until I had to take a lot of notes by hand for a solid week a couple of months later.
One bicep was rock hard at rest. I finally got into my neuro and got Baclofen. I do not take much at all and got massage therapy with myofascial release. It has taken almost 10 sessions so far but I have noticed a huge difference.
Did anyone test your reflexes? That would help exclude any potential spasticity. Apparently it isn't very common in the arms for MS but it can happen as I know from my own experience.
If nothing else, the reflex test could check another possible cause.
Good luck,
Corrie
Another possibilty could be neuropathy, or nerve pain.
I have this in my feet. There is nothing wrong with my feet, but without meds they hurt. It can feel like someone dropped a bowling ball on one or both. It can also feel like they are in a vise.
The "Everything's Fine" message that travel along nerve pathways from brain to pain control center get corrupted. Lesions along the way result in the pain center getiting "FIRE! FIRE!" messages.
I take a combination of Elavil and Lyrica, which takes the pain away. NSAID's won't work on nerve pain.
Kyle
Baclofen worked great for me - I took it until I got pregnant.
You might try Baclofen or Zanaflex or another muscle relaxer. Baclofen does not work for me but many MSer's are on it. Unfortunately there is no test for gray matter damage.
Alex
Always good to eliminate anything that may not be MS, so that it can be treated. However, it sounds like you're experiencing spasticity in your upper arm.
I had forearm spasticity in both my right and left arms after my diagnosis. The pain was a dull soreness that made the muscle weak. I would try to use the arm, but it would be so sore that I couldn't complete the movement. I can press on that muscle and get some relief, and stretch out the forearm to get a little more flexibility.
I think my problem originates in my spine - I have lesions at T6, T10, and the conus. I also have lesions in the neck but they're very old.
* correction - doesn't come close to my nerve
Alex,
WOW, and I'm so sorry about the cancer! Scary how something can go so long not even knowing ..
We have (I think?) ruled out a pinched nerve with Ortho ... they showed me my C-spine MRI, and I have a small bulge but they showed me how it doesn't even come close to my disc.
I am lucky for good insurance and a good health network, so if there are other fields or tests that you can suggest, please let me know. Thank you.
I have that but for me it is a neck disk and a pinched nerve not MS. I go to a pain clinic. I take Zanaflex several times a day.MS is mostly a gray matter disease, MRIs only see white matter so lesion location and symptoms do not always match up. I always got to my PCP first because not everything is MS. I have diaphragm spasms all the doctors thought MS but it was cancer. The doctors and I missed it for six years because we fell into the trap of thinking everything is MS.
Alex