Unexplained muscle aches

cj iwakura

This has been going on for roughly a couple of weeks now. First I just had kind of a numb feeling in the fingers on both hands, and since then it's been traveling sporadically. Mostly it's in the upper arms(especially in the morning), and it's been all over since, from the left ankle to the jaws to occasionally the neck.

I've been to a doctor twice about it(and a second, no less), and they can't find anything wrong to explain it. Blood's fine, so's an EKG, etc.

It hasn't really been paining me per se, though it occasionally drains my will to go out since it seems to be heightened if I go anywhere. Any earthly explanations in mind?

I've heard any number of theories from vitamin deficiency to tension to simple anxiety. The doctor thinks it's just anxiety, but tells me I could go to a neurologist about it.

Slider

Pinched nerve?

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

Could be anxiety.

The fact that it's 1) moving and 2) in both arms would seem to rule out a lot of simplish causes.

Have you changed your routine at all or are you doing anything differently than normal? Pretty simple things can cause a lot of muscle fatigue if you're using muscles you aren't used to using.

cj iwakura

I was having some bad headaches a few months back, and it made me less interested in going out, so I think that might be connected. They've since gone away, and were replaced with this.

Also, new(long-distance) job.

And yeah, it's definitely been in both arms, simultaneously.

Popices

Are you on any medications? I'd be able to tell you if any of them had the potential to cause muscle weakness/fatigue.

If you are on a Statin for cholesterol and are feeling like this, it is the drug breaking your muscle down. I would suggest you go in for lab tests if this is the case.

EggyToast

In my experience, most "odd things" are related more to an activity than just happening. What are you doing that causes this to happen? Are you sitting in a chair? Standing? Walking? Driving? Does it happen when you stand up or sit down, or go from lying down to standing? Or is it when you wake up in the morning?

I get the impression it's from sitting in a computer chair all day, which means it's likely posture. I was amazed how many things were linked to poor posture when I was diagnosed with such, and underwent physical therapy (as well as workouts at home, and being more conscious about my posture). In my case (and most people's), the problem is from underdeveloped muscles, so your body sets itself up in weird ways, often causing odd pains and sensations.

If this happens all the time, take some ibuprofen to see if that helps at all. 2-3 pills, 4 times a day. Note that I'm not a doctor and it's not a prescription, but ibuprofen is generally an exceedingly safe medicine. Obviously don't take it if it might conflict with other medications you're using.

cj iwakura

It's mostly in the mornings, or when I drive/go somewhere.

I was on some (prescribed) Ativan briefly for the anxiety, and I stopped taking it since I didn't like the reactions. I was having the aches before that though.


I think they started around when I finished taking some antibiotics I was prescribed.

EggyToast

I mean, when I sit at my desk at work for a long period of time with little movement, my fingers (on both arms) tend to go a little numb. It goes away if I do something else for a short while (5 minutes) and won't return for the rest of the day, although since I don't like the sensation I tend to not just sit there for hours.

The pain I had that caused me to go to physical therapy was a sharp back pain that would wake me up in the morning (or, if it didn't wake me up, prevented me from going back to sleep once I woke up "normally."). It was quite painful and essentially made me dread going to sleep, because I knew I'd wake up in pain after about 5 hours of sleep and then try to find a position where I was in the least amount of pain so I could go back to sleep.

My doctor said it could be a few things but the most likely culprit was bad posture. Plus it was the easiest treatment and wouldn't require me to have a chronic condition (such as having to go to the chiropractor every 6 months, for example). I started it, and after a month the pain had reduced enough that I knew I was on the right track. I kept at it, doing some exercises and stretches at home, and did more exercise in general to help out my back muscles, and now I sleep pain free, which is why I bring it up.

It might not be your problem. I mean, I could guess that the antibiotics made you tired and that caused you to do something to your muscles that pinched a nerve, causing this odd symptom you have. Or it could be a blood pressure thing, which might mean you need more exercise. Or it could be an actual disease, which I of course wouldn't be able to diagnose. Since it doesn't appear to be "all the time" (my pain wasn't either, just most of the time), that's why I spent the time outlining my particular problem. Try taking 3 ibuprofen before going to bed (with some food, like some crackers or a fruit), and take three with breakfast or with a meal before you're planning on driving somewhere. Ibuprofen helps with muscle inflammation primarily and if you do have a muscle-related problem, it should help. If it does, then talk to your doctor about posture stuff, or look up posture exercises online (they're relatively straightforward).

Popices

Yeah, Ativan or an antibiotic would not cause muscle pain/weakness.

A brief note about Ibuprofen. Max dose at one point in time is 800mg, and max daily dose is 3200mg...ibuprofen also causes stomach upset and if used persistently without food it can cause stomach ulcers. Take it with food and see if that helps you out, if not I would agree with what Eggy has to say--it may be due to posture/a habit you have that you haven't made the connection to.

cj iwakura

Well, at least no one thinks it could be neurology related. I was kind of dreading the sort of bill that would incur.

Based on the symptoms, I'm inclined to think it's exercise and/or blood pressure related, since I lost my routine around when I had the headaches that lead to me going on the antibiotics. I was also told my blood pressure was roughly borderline.

What's been unnerving me the most lately are the throat aches, since the left side of my neck has a burning sensation(literally around where the pulse is taken). I also mentioned that to the doctor, and she said she couldn't determine anything based on her findings. Certain types of food seem to heighten the symptoms, so I think(and hope) it's dietary and/or exercise related.