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What Causes Swelling On The Arms Upon Lying Down?
Question: When I lie down to sleep or just on the couch, my hands swell. My left hand more than right, and the thumb and forefinger more than the other fingers. They swell until it starts hurting so bad that it wakes me. All I have to do for relief is hold them above my heart for a few minutes. When I do this I can feel the blood rushing out of my hands.
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for asking on HCM!
Your symptoms seem to be related to Thoracic outlet syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome can not be excluded either.
I recommend consulting with your attending physician for a physical exam and some tests to investigate for the possible causes:
- Cervical spine and upper thoracic spine X ray study
- a cervical spine CT scan may give much more information than a normal X ray
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical arteries, including subclavian arteries for possible compression
- a nerve conduction study of the upper limbs to examine the nerves in your arms
- some blood lab tests to exclude other possible causes like inflammation, etc (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for asking on HCM!
Your symptoms seem to be related to Thoracic outlet syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome can not be excluded either.
I recommend consulting with your attending physician for a physical exam and some tests to investigate for the possible causes:
- Cervical spine and upper thoracic spine X ray study
- a cervical spine CT scan may give much more information than a normal X ray
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical arteries, including subclavian arteries for possible compression
- a nerve conduction study of the upper limbs to examine the nerves in your arms
- some blood lab tests to exclude other possible causes like inflammation, etc (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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