Arm Pain

I am having bad pain and burning in both my arms mostly from the elbow extending to the hand.  I'm also noticing some swelling in the inner elbow.  I've taken Nuprin for the pain and Myoflex cream at night to try and get sleep but nothing seems to help. I just quit my job which required me to push and pull trays from a machine.  I did this for 12 hours a day.  I went to the doctor on the job and they did blood test and ruled out arthritis.  I must mention that I had surgery several years ago to remove a "crushed" disk in my neck.  The entire disk was removed and the neurosurgeon I had left the space empty because he said I would get the strength back quicker without a replacement disk in place. My question is "could this pain be related to the previous surgery or is there something else wrong?

[CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS]

Dear Anita:

I am sorry to hear about your arm numbness. I think that I would see a neurologist to make sure that this isn't your neck.  Since you have had surgery in the cervical neck, the answer is yes it is possible.  However, there would also likely be some findings in the legs and I am not hearing this in your posting.  The location of inner elbows to the hands makes me think of a ulner palsy.  This would be more likely if you are of slight body habitus, as your ulnar nerve would be more exposed.  However, being bilateral is a bit unusual.  If it is your ulnar nerves, then you should get a good recovery with varying your lifestyle (the way you put pressure on your elbows).  The unlikely nature of having both arms involved would make me recommend seeing a neurologist. Infection (i.e. lyme) can also produce bilateral neuropathies.

Sorry, with these symptoms you really need a good neurological exam and review of the MRI of your neck after surgery to make a good diagnosis.

Sincerely,

CCF Neuro MD