sudden weakness in arms

Wow...I do feel better after reading this site (misery loves company I guess).  I am a 49 year old woman and I have been getting these "rushes" I call them, for about 3 years off and on.  Again, like other posters, there IS no pattern for me.  I could be standing still, shopping, sitting at my desk at work.  Doesn't seem to matter.  I too tried to describe the symptoms to my doctor (feeling of knowing it's coming, then slight pain in the upper back, and then down the arms - they feel weak when it's happening - like all the blood is being drained out of them).  She had no idea what I was trying to describe.  I even thought it could be my bra straps digging into my shoulders (I'm a D cup - my Mother had breast reduction in her 50's) that was causing the weakness.  Needless to say...I am going to watch this site and hope someone gets properly diagnosed and shares their advice.

Happened to me for a long time. Last episode as you describe over 6 months ago.

Experienced same feeling to a lesser degree in mornings after I was up for a while. Measured blood pressure and got low readings 90/50. 85/48. Doc couldn't figure it out. blood work, EKG all ok.

I work out and am an avid cyclist for 40 years (3000+ miles/year), 62 yr. old male. I also experienced severe cramps in legs.

Found this site and these posts and many described the same or similar symptoms.

Many posts suggested dehydration, low potassium. low magnesium levels. Started drinking electrolyte (gatorade and such) and started taking potassium/magnesium supplement. Symptoms pretty much gone. don't know if its placebo effect or not. Nothing I read described adverse affects from potassium or magnesium supplements, so I figured what the heck. Nothing else has worked

FOUR MONTHS LATER
4 months into potassium and magnesium supplements (250 mg). No light feeling in arms, either in the mornings or the unexpected, no blood in the arms and weird feeling along the back of the neck, sit down for three minutes until it passes feelings that come and go with no rhyme or reason. Not saying the supplements are the answer, but they seem to help me so far.

So glad to hear I'm not alone in this.  It has been happening on and off for the last year.  Doctor has no clue .  She ran tests for TMI'S, butnothing showed up.  These leave me feeling "drained" for the rest of the day.Founded out I am anemic but that is all.  My daughter is a nurse andwants me to be checked for "hypothyroidism".  Please post if anyone out there has an answer.

 

The first time I had an 'episode' the ache came on in one arm as I was coming downstairs in the morning. It was a terrible ache that took my breath away but my arm managed to feel heavy as lead and useless at the same time - I sat down and was paralysed with the pain. I felt a bit wibbly wobbly (technical medical term ;-)) afterwards but put it down to shock. Further episodes were in both arms - after getting up after laying on the sofa and while sitting at the computer. Not quite as painful but arms absolutely useless! It's so hard to describe this pain. It's not sharp and it's not the cramping pain I used to get in my legs in bed at night. It's more like a very severe period pain but in the arms! (try explaining THAT to a male doctor). With the last one, a residual ache remained in the upper arms for an hour or so. I can go months between these - even a year! I try to manage it - I sit down as soon as I feel it coming on. Just in case it's the potassium I checked my intake and it was nothing like the RDA. So I'm really watching my diet now. We'll see.

 

I also have both of these things, the ocular migraines, and the sudden arm weakness. I am on a statin for high choloesterol and am wondering if the arm weakness could be a side effect of the medication.  I am going to stop the medication and see if the arm weakness goes away.  I do think both things happen when I am under stresss.

Im on meds for high blood pressure but only the last 3 years and I have been getting occular migraines for about 8 so Im not sure they are related. Not sure about the weakness and blood rushing feeling in the arms as I only get it from time to time.....Im still on my meds as I take one tablet a day and I havent had the feeling in the arms for over a month now ! So go figure ! ! ! I am still confused about what actually causes these sudden arm weakness but for now, I havent had one in ages so will just wait and see if it comes again and record what and when it happens.

I have the ocular migraines, about 4 times a year, myself. I work for an Optometrist and he believes mine are caused by intermittent occlusion of the blood vessels within the eye, so a vascular reason. I often have a headache afterward, but not always. I usually know when one is coming on and have learned that if I take a pain reliever, I use Aleve, eat a piece of chocolate and drink something with caffeine, that the symptoms disappear quicker and it reduces the headache, if I have one. But, I am not a doctor so consult your Optometrist or Opthalmologist to be sure.

About 6 months ago as I was seated eating lunch both arms became very weak and i felt extremely weird.  This lasted about a minute or so. 

Today I was seated and both arms did the same thing but it was more intense.  Then my chest, not my heart but perhaps skin and muscles felt a mild pain.  This lasted maybe 2 minutes.  Again I had a general weird feeling.  After 10 minutes or so I got a headache.

I have been unable to find anything online that makes any sense.

Any helpful information would be appreciated

 

Has anyone found an answer for these symptoms? I am experiencing te same thing for several months now.  2 doctors say it is skeletal  and just kind of blow it off as not serious. Yesterday I went to chiropractor and he told me to got o an MD.  Scary

Fall of 2012 I had a few episodes of sudden strength loss in both arms, for just a minture and then back to normal.  I didn't real that I was also experiencing an irregular heart beat (which felt like a beat, pause and then a very heavy beat.  I preety much ignored the heart beat issue and only told my doctor about the arm weakness issue.  My doctor sent me quickly to get a treadmill stress test.  They didn't say anything to me, but brough in a doctor to look at the test and talk to me.  Long story short.....within an hour of finishing the stress test, I had a heart stent in my heart.   They moved that fast.  The heart blockag was in a place they call the 'widow maker'.  I'm very, very lucky.

I am on a statin medication and take Niacin as well. There is a reason......high cholesterol. High cholesterol causes blockages. I felt the arm weakness, told my doctor and she sent me for a stress test. Test showed abnormal in an area of the heart they call the 'widow maker'. Within an hour of having the test, they had put in a stent in my heart. I didn't think to tell anyone that on occasion my heart kind of 'skipped a beat' and then pumped read hard.......well, duh.....that was the blockage and the blood trying to get through. I would not go off your medication. Ask for a stress test, just to rule heart stuff out.

I have had two episodes recently where my arms would suddenly feel heavy and and sense that no blood was flowing to either arm. Lasts thirty seconds or so. Slight feelings of discomfort with the complete numbness and weakness of the arms from the shoulders down to the fingers. I used to have frequent occular migranes as described by Guest. I don't have any occular migraines since the opthamologist prescribed an 81 mg aspirin daily. (baby aspirin) Bleed a little more from cuts but it sure stopped the vision problems.

Just had a sudden, severe case of heaviness in the arms, About an hour ago, I went out to pull some weeds from my garden. I felt o.k. at the time but as soon as I sat down, my arms felt like they would fall of from the shoulders. I took a Motrin and shortly after my arms began to quiver. I have a history of cervical spondylosis and seizures. The shaking has calmed but my arms now ache. I have had the arm heaviness/pain before but I don't know about the shaking along with it. Seems like now days, I only end up in pain when I try to make the plants look better. They look better but I feel worse..........;(

I have had the feeling of sudden pressure and pain on both arms for over a year. It does not happen all the time. Some months nothing happens. Recently it came back, maybe twice a week. I notice that it happens when I rest my arms on a shopping cart. I do have spinal neck problems which I ignore. But the pain in my arms feels like someone hits me with a hammer or squeezes my arms. I need to stop what I am doing and just wait for the pain to go away. Thanks for the info on pneumatic hammer syndrome. I will look it up.

First, I feel a slight lactic acid in my rear shoulders, and then I feel weak in my front shoulders and then my arms. Both arms equally. When it's in full effect, my arms just drop down and my hands are useless. My fingers are slightly switching. And then when it subsides, my hands are still useless, until minutes later.

It's been happening for me since 2007. At first I thought this was occurring when under huge amounts of stress. But then I realized these "attacks" would happen when in the strangest situations. But for me, I realized it never happens when I'm laying down. So I started experimenting when felt these attacks just start to come on. And I think I found the solution. I think it has to do with your posture or pinched nerve. I have a rounded upper back / rounded shoulders type of a posture. And it seems, that when I feel these attacks come on, I immediately straighten my posture and put my shoulders back and chest out, and head back. Not head tilted, but but chin pushed back to the neck. Like you're at attention. And i swear, the attack subsides. So I think it has something to do with nerves in the upper back. I avoided three of these attacks so far by doing this. 

Of course, I'm not a doctor. Just trying to help others. Try to experience with your upper back posture when you feel the attack coming on. Let me know if it works.

Wayne