Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Possible Cause of Symptoms/Conditon?

My father (56) has been having weakness in both of his arms for the past several months. He is unable to raise his arms above his head without assistance, such as having another person raise his arms for him or by swinging his whole torso to generate momentum to raise his arms. He is also unable to hold out his hands in front of him for short periods of time. He states that some times he is able to move his arms further than normal while other times his arms would freeze up. What may be the possible causes for his condition?
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
207091 tn?1337709493
There could be a number of different causes, but he absolutely needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Has he seen one?

He could have a pinched nerve, or something more serious like ALS, or a number of other things. He needs to be seen by a doctor promptly, though.
Helpful - 0
4 Comments
We have taken him to several doctors with future appointments scheduled with more specialists, but so far none have been able to determine a cause or come up with a diagnosis and have ruled out some possibilities.
Have they done any testing yet - scans or anything?
We've done some scans and a lumbar puncture, but nothing came back with a possible cause or diagnosis
He's done a few X-rays, CT, and MRI scans as well as an EMG test
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community

Top Neurology Answerers
620923 tn?1452915648
Allentown, PA
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease