Ask Dr. LJ (srsly)

[prog]

So something went b'doink in a non-TMI region of my body. Coincidentally, I have a physical coming up in a couple of weeks. I am looking for confirmation that it's OK to wait for that, or if I should run-not-walk to the doctor's office to escalate this.

Since Saturday afternoon -- so, for three days now, without letup -- my right forearm has felt somewhat numb and rather painful, from elbow to fingertips. The pain recedes for several hours whenever I eat ibuprofen, but the numbness stays: an unpleasant tingle, especially on all the affected area's skin. It feels especially weird on the inner surfaces of my fingers.

The pain arrived in a sudden rush while I worked on Saturday, and has remained since. But I otherwise feel great, and my arm is fully functional, with no muscular weakness or anything. So: thoughts? Meh wait it out (with a doc appointment after two weeks), or holy shit, jmac, pick up the phone now?

Comments

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

When you see the dr., see if you can get a referral to a physical therapist or to someone who is likely better at diagnosing muscle/nerve/skeletal things than J. Random Internist, MD. Because like the other commenters, this sounds to me like an RSI thing, or like some other pinched/angry nerve thing. Possibly a trigger point thing (which is a really obnoxiosly tight muscle knot).

"It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" is a good book, in the meantime.

If it were me, I'd probably try to get a sooner appointment with someone who could do something therapeutic (massage therp, PT, chiro, whatever); angry muscles get more difficult to appease the longer you leave them angry.