could a dull ache and tight shakiness in arm be infectious?
I have had, for three weeks, an achy, tight, shaky feeling that starts in my upper right arm and moves down to about my elbow, then subsides, off and on all day for about three weeks.
I'm thinking stuff like MS, pinched nerve, etc...but have no loss of function. It does "feel" like a nerve pain at times, other times more of a muscle or joint ache. It comes and goes all day and tends to feel a bit better at night. Gets worse when I type or drive.
Three weeks ago, I was getting out of the shower and scraped the back of my upper right arm - the scrape itself barely even bled and is healing, but is it possible there is some internal infection from that scrape? There is no visible redness or swelling outside, although it seems "warmer" to the touch than my other shoulder - could be imaginary I dunno...
Also have some other symptoms but they don't fit with the arm (leg tightness and an RLS-like feeling) but the arm seems to be independent of that, maybe, maybe not...but I thought "could it be infection?"
Re: could a dull ache and tight shakiness in arm be infectious?
Hey there,
Doesn't sound too infectious in the absence of other signs more associated with infection. There are certain toxins from bacteria such as Clostridium tetani which can cause nerve symptoms that are not actually due to the infection; rather, toxin-mediated damage, but the clinical situation is not right (C. tetani does not live in showers) and unless you were homeschooled, you were likely vaccinated against tetanus anyway.
Have you been working out a lot? Anything requring prolonged muscle contraction?
Re: could a dull ache and tight shakiness in arm be infectious?
Quote:
Originally Posted by harka
Hey there,
Doesn't sound too infectious in the absence of other signs more associated with infection. There are certain toxins from bacteria such as Clostridium tetani which can cause nerve symptoms that are not actually due to the infection; rather, toxin-mediated damage, but the clinical situation is not right (C. tetani does not live in showers) and unless you were homeschooled, you were likely vaccinated against tetanus anyway.
Have you been working out a lot? Anything requring prolonged muscle contraction?
No working out, but possible stress - my wife and I live in a condo with HORRIBLE parking - it's a 400 foot walk up a few stairs from our parking lot - and when moving furniture and heavy equipment in the house (something I do often as we're remodeling) I have a habit of hoisting it up on my right shoulder - sometimes the left but usually the right. Been doing this for a couple years. I also have poor posture...that probably doesn't help.
I'm a 32 yo male BTW. I have a 1 year old son who I often carry on my right arm, he weighs 20 lbs, in and of itself not strenuous but could aggravate an existing issue.
However, they say lifting your arm up over your head makes it worse if it's a shoulder issue and better if it's a pinched nerve - and it really is about the same, although when it's at its worst it does seem to get slightly worse when I raise my arm.
Re: could a dull ache and tight shakiness in arm be infectious?
Hey there,
Sounds like you do a lot of lifting and using that right arm, so that may just be the cause.
Re: your last comment about lifting your arm up over your head: those types of patterns are helpful in the clinical setting, but aren't always reliable. You can have a "pinched nerve" in certain areas where lifting your arm over your head will actually make it better. Those tests are helpful tools to guide you, but are definitely not perfect.
Re: could a dull ache and tight shakiness in arm be infectious?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mari526
Did you have a rotator cuff injury in the past? There could be some impingement issues causing the pain and weakness.
If it's aggravated at work, you may want to report it as a work related injury so, you can have it evaluated by a worker's comp ortho doc.
Can't say it's work related really.
No known injury, but I'm horribly out of shape and exert myself at times when needed.
IT moves around - sometimes it's at the shoulder, and sometimes it migrates down the arm as an almost burning type feeling. This whole time I never lose any of my dexterity.
Re: could a dull ache and tight shakiness in arm be infectious?
My husband has something called "Thoratic Outlet Syndrome" (I think I spelled it right) that it took forever to pinpoint. He complained of shoulder pain too with it. It's where a bundle of nerves and arteries are being mushed by something - causing some nerve pain, and swelling redness only when he uses that arm a lot or if he elevates both arms above his head for awhile - the drops them - you can see one is reddish or purple in color. It's tight because the blood flow OUT of the arm is restricted. You might want to look up Thoratic Outlet Syndrome and see if that sounds like it could be it. I don't know too much about it - other than it makes him cranky, it hurts and can be caused by several things. In him - it was a lymph node that likes to get aggitated when he performs certain job functions that require repetitive motion in his shoulder. But it can also be from having an extra rib or from a mass.
