weakness of wrists and arm

[sam20070]

hi, about 2 years ago i had pins and needles down the right side of my hand, going down the outside of my little finger. that came and went and then my wrist got weak and  my muscles in my hand are weak it can be hard to pick up a 1litre bottle of water or a cup of coffee,small things i can do but it is not 24 hours a day it is immitant. my arms are sumtimes weak and i have slight nerve pain and slight tingles in my arm now and again  from my shoulder to my elbow on the inside of the arm, but this is recent. so when i do tai-bo after 5 minutes my arm is weak but its not really my joints but my muscles in my bicep. its prominent on my right side i am right handed but both are similar. so holding my arms up for to long is hard at times as it feels my muscles are weak, and my biceps feel tight when i strech out my arm together with that i feel slight nerve pinching feeling sumtimes. when i raise my arms i can feel the tension in my shoulders, i have shoulder pain on my let side on and off and slight ache now and again on my right with slight nerve pain down my bicep which is of late. i also get  hip pain on my left and sumtimes nerve pinching feeling in my left buttock when i do tai-bo.  my instincts about my wrists have always been that i have a trapped nerve some where because i do have back pain which i have had since i had an epidural 8 years ago. i do boxing, tai-bo, weights and cardio so i do have a athletic type body, it may be over worked i dont know.   i have had an MRI which i dont have the results for yet and this month i have electrolosis or electrobe test,  one of them, i do stress out about certain things so i no stress makes it worse. Any suggestions what it could be? and how i can help my self to relax my body.
thanks

[Lama Chahine, MD]

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 your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you exactly what your symptoms are from, but I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Regarding the symptoms on the right side of your hand that progressed to weakness, this may be related to a neuropathy. This is probably what you are referring to when you state a trapped nerve. Specifically, an ulnar neuropathy. The ulnar nerve forms at the armpit area and then passes down the arm through the elbow (it is the nerve that "zings" when you "hit your funny bone") and supplies innervation to the 4th and 5th digit and other muscles of the hand. If it is compressed or irritated in that area for any reason, it can cause your symptoms. The ulnar nerve may be damaged due to trauma, muscle hypertrophy, certain activities such as prolonged professional bicycle riding, If the median nerve is involved, as in carpal tunnel syndrome, weakness of the first 3 digits of the hand with numbness in those digits occurs. Carpal tunnel often occurs in typists and other similar occupations in which the wrist is positioned in a certain way for prolonged periods.

Another possibility is called a radiculopathy. Nerve fibers come off the spinal cord and exit through small holes in the spinal column to the nerves that go to our arms or legs. A radiculopathy is a dysfunction of these nerves as they exit the spinal cord. This could be due to arthritis, herniated discs, etc.

Another possibility if your symptoms fluctuate, meaning sometimes you feel very strong and then after a lot of exertion you get weak, could be a disorder called myasthenia gravis. This is an autoimmune disorder that can be checked for with simple blood tests and other tests and is treatable. The symptoms include weakness after exertion, double vision, eyelid drooping, and others.

Your leg symptoms could have similar explanations: neuropathy or radiculopathy.

An MRI of your spine will be able to provide some information, and if that does not reveal the cause of your symptoms, evaluation with an EMG/nerve conduction studies (I am not sure if this is what you mean by electrobe test) will certainly be helpful in further investigating your symptoms. Continued follow-up with a neurologist is recommended. In the meantime, the simple thing to do is avoid any repetitive activity that could be worsening your symptoms.

Thank you for using the forum I hope you find this information useful good luck