Pain in arms and leg

Hi,

I have been experiencing some weird kinda of a pain in my right arm from the last couple of months. At first i thought it's may be because i do all the house chore activities and i have to sometimes pick my daughter who is almost 2 years old now. I have been taking "Aleve" or you may call it "Naproxen Sodium" and it gets better for a day or two and then it comes back again. I figured out that may be it is because of the access use of computers, like using laptop or computers with the right arm movement as from the last 2 weeks or so i have had some weird kind of sensations in my right hand as well. Please help me with this, i want to live a healthy life...

Also i have been experiencing a pain in my leg from the last 3 n a half years i guess... i did show myself to an Orthopedic and he told me to do some exercises and also mentioned that it's because i used to have a back pain and now as i don't have that any more and the same problem have moved to my leg. The pain gets worse at nights and it get's kinda numb so when i actually hit that area with my hands i feel better and don't feel the pain by hitting as on any normal leg one would feel.

I am really sorry for writing this long problem but if any of you can help... or suggest something, will be highly thankful.

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

One cause of hand numbness is called carpal tunnel syndrome. It usually presents with sensory changes of the palm at the thumb, index and middle fingers, and the ring finger on the side near the middle finger. I am not sure if you have these other features or not, but I will elaborate on carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a compression/entrapment syndrome of the median nerve at the wrist. It usually results from excessive use of hands and occupational “microtrauma”.  Other causes include hypothyroidism, amylodosis, and arthritis to name a few. It may also arise during pregnancy and resolve after delivery of the child. The sensory changes usually are worse at night. Patients may complain of having to shake their hand to wake it up. Over time, you may develop atrophy of muscles of the thumb supplied by the median nerve.

I would suggest you discuss your symptoms with your primary physician. If you have symptoms consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome, you would benefit from seeing a neurologist who would likely perform a specific neurological examination focused on the median nerve and may elect to perform an EMG/NCS to evaluate the motor and sensory components of the median nerve as it crosses the wrist.

Treatment options include surgical release of the carpal ligament at the wrist. However, less invasive procedure such as splinting of the wrist, which can be purchased at local drug stores, should be tried first. Medications are usually directed at the underlying cause and include NSAIDs such as ibuprofen.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.