Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Within The Past Year I Have Been Waking Up To
Question: Within the past year I have been waking up to painful tingling/throbbing in my left arm. It's from my elbow down however, after getting up out of bed the tingling subsides shortly after. This morning was the most painful yet, it woke me up & was accompanied by swelling most noticeable in my hand. The swelling went away after about half an hour of being up. I also had slight tingling felt throughout the day. I'm currently laying down in bed & already starting to feel some uncomfortable tingling whereas before it was always upon waking up.
Brief Answer:
The symptoms might be related to pressure on the nerve, recommendations given
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome at "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and here is my advice:
Because you have the tingling sensation related to being laying down and you improve after a while after you get out of bed, very likely this is related to pressure on the nerve that runes down the arm. The pressure can happen in the neck vertebra most of the times or rarely in the arm area.
I would advice you to have an x-ray of the neck in 2 different projections (from the front and from the side) to check if there is any indication of pressure on the nerve routs that come out there. Prior to the x-ray examination the doctor has to examine the neck and the arms as well.
Most of the time, this is not serious and the treatment consists of physiotherapy which helps release the nerve and improve the symptoms. Sometimes keeping the affected arm hanging at the side of the bed might help prevent it from happening and may also relieve the symptoms (you may choose to do this instead of getting out of bed).
I hope this answers your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General & Family Physician
The symptoms might be related to pressure on the nerve, recommendations given
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome at "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and here is my advice:
Because you have the tingling sensation related to being laying down and you improve after a while after you get out of bed, very likely this is related to pressure on the nerve that runes down the arm. The pressure can happen in the neck vertebra most of the times or rarely in the arm area.
I would advice you to have an x-ray of the neck in 2 different projections (from the front and from the side) to check if there is any indication of pressure on the nerve routs that come out there. Prior to the x-ray examination the doctor has to examine the neck and the arms as well.
Most of the time, this is not serious and the treatment consists of physiotherapy which helps release the nerve and improve the symptoms. Sometimes keeping the affected arm hanging at the side of the bed might help prevent it from happening and may also relieve the symptoms (you may choose to do this instead of getting out of bed).
I hope this answers your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General & Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
