weird feeling in my arm...

[confused]

You know the tingling feeling you get when a part of your body goes to sleep? Well for the last two weeks thats what I've felt all the way down my right arm, through my hand and into my thumb. Almost constantly.

it doesn't hurt, and isn't really thatbothersome (just slightly annoying).... but it's very disconcerting.

i dont know whether its nothing or bad circulation, or nerve damage or the beginnings of carpal tunnel or what...

Just wondered if anyone had ever experienced this.

[LauraA]

I did have something like that when I had carpel tunnel. (Had the surgery for it several years ago.) Have you googled it?

I will keep you in prayer.

[Convicted]

It could be the symptom of many ailments or nothing to worry about at all. I'd try to find as many possible ailments that would match the symptoms; and then take precaution accordingly. Better to take a more holistic approach in this case, since we don't know the specific cause of the tingling. I'll be praying for you.

I've experienced something slightly similar. I used to keep my left arm (the hand I used to use for the computer mouse all the time) in one stressful position for hours and hours everyday for about a year, if not a little longer. I stopped putting my arm in that position and noticed that the muscles/tendons (maybe even nerves and blood vessles) felt tense and stressed even when the arm/hand was at rest; and the circulation felt colder in that hand.

So now, I message and exercise my arm/wrist/hand a lot and refuse to put it in that position again. Instead I adjusted my surrounding computer environment and decided to practice being ambidextrous again! (I always have had a fascination with ambidexterity). I also try to ensure that I'm attaing the nutrition my arm needs. And since it took a while for my arm/wrist/hand to become as it is, I believe it will take a little while for it to heal. But it is healing since I've made these changes. Just last night the tendons near my elbow felt stressed (not painful or anything, just stressed) so I started messaging the tendon and felt that it had become really rigid due to the extra stress it had to endure over an extended period of time. Today my elbow feels a lot different-- the muscle and tendons aren't rigid anymore and don't feel stressed out.

[confused]

Well I went to the symptom checker on WebMd (fascinating, although the list of conditions for EVERY symptom rage from nothing to death. "Runny nose? Oh, you could have a cold, or you could be dying") and once animal bite had been ruled out (hahaha) i came up with a neck injury or nerve damage as my likely corrupt(s).
i did sleep wrong a while back, and my neck hurt horribly for weeks, but my arm/hand started well after that, so I don't know. Maybe related. Sounds good, but doesn't make sense for one to start only after the other ends.

It's probably a mixture of many things. I also "mouse" with that hand/arm, maybe I should try to switch, and see if I can be ambidextrous. (I have a fascination with it too, Convicted)

[confused]

ok just switched my mouse over to the left. whoa.

tis very weird.

[Prez2028]

You might try going to a Chiropractor. It's amazing how many issues can be back related. A few months ago My wrist hurt so bad that I almost thought I had a hairline fracture, but I couldn't ever remeber doing anything to it. I went to the Chiropractor and found out it was an imbalance in My back muscles. Just an Idea... I will be praying!

[Convicted]

The back & neck can definitely be related. But I'm not sure how eager I would be to get a chiropracter to fix it-- though they can certainly help readjust the alignment of the back. Sometimes they can also cause more harm to the back, especially if you were to go to them on a regular basis. I'm not saying don't go, but rather be careful with choosing who to go to, how often you go to them, and how much pressure they exert onto your bones and muscles; because spine is very delicate.

Also, make sure you have good posture all throughout the day, no matter what position you're in (sitting, standing, walking, etc). Only a few months ago my back hurt on my right side, just under the shoulder blade (at first I started to get worried about my gallbladder, since pain under the right shoulder blade can be a symptom-- but I never had localized pain in the actual gallbladder area). But once again, I was leaning on my right side a lot while I was at the computer. The muscles were also really hard. So I tried to keep my back as straight as possible, and had one of my relatives rub the muscle. Sure enough, the tension has completely left my back in that area.

My left shoulder (the "mouse" side) would also feel slightly tense, which also had to do with how I was sitting. That tension left as well.

Still working on my neck, though. It doesn't hurt at all or even feel that tense, but it does crack sometimes; particularly when I put it in a forward position-- the position I used to sit in when I was at the computer sometimes (but not always) and also a position I would use to read. I'm trying to keep it in a really straight position - not moving it forward very often. Sometimes the disk kind of feels out of place when I turn it (while it's in a forward position), but I've read that even if a disk is buldging it can heal by itself if you take steps it coax it along properly.


By the way, ambidexterity just takes a little while to get used to-- after a few days, weeks, months, of using your "opposite" side your brain will have already begun to create neuropathways in your brain to enhance your ability to utilize that part of your body. You just have to decide it you think it's "necessary" to use that side with more dexterity. Once you're motivated to use that side, and you continually follow through with it, you're body will soon become accustom to using it-- though it might take longer than you'd probably desire. It really does work; it just takes extra time. After all, how can we, rationally, expect our "opposite" side to work as precisely as the side we "normally" use? We've been giving the "normal" side all the attention for the past [insert how many years you've been favoring one side or your body over the other]. Now it's just a matter of time to play "ketchup." ;)

Since I started writing with my right hand ("opposite" hand) on a regular basis, I can write a lot better. Better than I could write with my "normal" hand in 6th grade! Even writing with your "opposite" hand just once a week will greatly improve its function. It's also cool to note the mechanical differences when you write with each hand.

[Angie Rose]

ouch you all... quit freaking me out with all these computer stories... i do almost all my school on a computer... praying for ya!:)

[Convicted]

^ You shouldn't have any problems if you : keep good posture, stretch your muscles frequently-- ensuring that they won't stay in position for an extended period of time; eat healthy, and if you feel the slightest signs of awkwardness, take immediate action to prevent any further harm.

Following the above guidelines, you shouldn't have any problems no matter how long you use the computer. It's also good to make sure you don't stress out your eyes. I like messaging my eyes sometimes; it feels cool. When you're using the computer or reading for long, non-stop periods of time, take a few seconds (20 seconds is all that's necessary) to look across the room and utilize your far-sighted vision.

[LauraA]

Are you feeling any better? Has the tingling stopped? ((Hugs!))

[CherryCokeGrl]

Praying for you. Hope your arm feels better soon!

[confused]

No, it hasn't stopped, it's definitely still there, but it does seem to be dissipating.

So maybe after 3 weeks, I might finally be [somewhat] normal again!! Yeah!