HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

Bruise On Arm Where Wife Was Sleeping, Had Numbness. Sensitive To Touch. Should I Be Worried?

default
Posted on Thu, 13 Sep 2012
Question: hello. Three nights ago, i woke up to find that my wife asleep on my inner bicep of my right arm. I quickly noticed that my arm from my elbow to my fingertips felt dead. There was no redness or discoloration, but i couldnt move my arm or my fingers. I actually had to use my left hand to pick up and move my right arm. I've never felt numbness to that degree before. After about 2 minutes, i regained the feeling back in my arm and could move it again. Since then my arm feels fine, but there is a severe looking bruise the size of an orange about where her head was laying. The bruise looks very dark, almost black and is sensitive to the touch. Should i be worried and make a doctors appointment or should i maybe go to the ER? OR do you think its nothing to worry about. Oh yea, one more thing, I had drank about 4 beers before i went to bed.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (2 hours later)
Hi,

Thanks for the query.

I have gone through the details submitted with diligence and the picture sent was useful too.

In all possibilities what happened the other night was 'numbness and weakness' induced by compression of neurovascular structures in the arm - in simple terms, a pinched nerve.

Consistent pressure on the nerve especially on the arm can result in transient neurological symptoms like the ones you had.
The same pressure can cause capillary (small blood vessels under the skin) damage resulting in bruise/bleed underneath the skin - subcutaneous hematoma.

Since you recovered from the transient weakness and there are no similar histories in your past, I am not very concerned with it, certainly not to warrant a visit to ER. However I would like to have your liver panel and coagulation profile assessed to rule out bleeding disorder. You can fix an appointment with your internist (general and family physician) at your convenience and get the aforementioned test done.

Hope I was able to address your concern. Let me know if you have other enquiries.
If all your queries are answered, please close this discussion.

Regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Prasad J

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2005

Answered : 3697 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
Bruise On Arm Where Wife Was Sleeping, Had Numbness. Sensitive To Touch. Should I Be Worried?

Hi,

Thanks for the query.

I have gone through the details submitted with diligence and the picture sent was useful too.

In all possibilities what happened the other night was 'numbness and weakness' induced by compression of neurovascular structures in the arm - in simple terms, a pinched nerve.

Consistent pressure on the nerve especially on the arm can result in transient neurological symptoms like the ones you had.
The same pressure can cause capillary (small blood vessels under the skin) damage resulting in bruise/bleed underneath the skin - subcutaneous hematoma.

Since you recovered from the transient weakness and there are no similar histories in your past, I am not very concerned with it, certainly not to warrant a visit to ER. However I would like to have your liver panel and coagulation profile assessed to rule out bleeding disorder. You can fix an appointment with your internist (general and family physician) at your convenience and get the aforementioned test done.

Hope I was able to address your concern. Let me know if you have other enquiries.
If all your queries are answered, please close this discussion.

Regards