Arms involvement

[Yevgenii]

Hello everyone! I would like to aks if anyone here having problems with their arms, hands or fingers? I know that doctors say that AMN affects only lower extermities, but Google say that it may also affect upper extermities in moderate way.

If there any one who faced symtoms in their arms?

In my case I have normal brain MRI, but sometimes I experience pins and needles in my little fingers, hands get numb when I sleep. Also, my fingers feel stiff when it's cold and as far as I know I have increased reflexes in my arms. Doctor say it's not AMN, but maybe carpal tunnel, arthritis and etc.

[TravisWharam]

I’m not sure why Google says only lower extremities. I have increased reflexes in my arms now as well. It’s nothing like my legs but reflex testing shows some increased reflexes. My neurologist has always checked my arms as well. The numbness, pins/needles have always been a problem in my arms as well.

[Yevgenii in reply to TravisWharam]

Do you have any lesions in you brain? If you do, did you always had them? Arms became affected when you disease affected brain?

[TravisWharam in reply to Yevgenii]

I have 2-3 small focal lesions that they claim are unrelated, but no I haven’t always had them. Arms have been progressively increased with time but unrelated to the lesions.

[Yevgenii in reply to TravisWharam]

Thank you for yor reply!

[Yevgenii in reply to TravisWharam]

What does you doctor say about prognosis of disease in your arms? Will be it severe as in legs?

[TravisWharam in reply to Yevgenii]

No, upper extremities are less involved. They progress at a much slower rate than the lower extremities.

[quilling]

I am an affected female. No brain involvement. 63 years old. Started with hand/arm about age 50. Struggled to write, dropping things especially light items. Hands asleep arms ache like legs especially in the night. Doctors do attribute to ALD

[mariagno]

I have loss of sensitivity in my fingers and get pins and feelings sometimes.

[jolocny Volunteer]

Hello! I haven’t been involved recently but this really got my attention!

Over the last year or 2 I’ve had increasingly more troubles with my upper extremities. Tingling but no pain except for the arthritis in my thumbs. One of my doctors has always checked for carpal tunnel and said I have the beginnings of that. But I’m having one heck of a time holding on to things, light and heavy both. I have shoulder problems after years of using canes, crutches and manual wheelchairs. My ortho won’t operate because I can’t go without using them to move throughout every day. No one has said to me that it is a symptom of ALD/AMN but I’d like to have them try!

Thank you for bringing this up!

[Aaron98 in reply to jolocny]

Hi JoAnn,

What sort of shoulder problems have you had? After 4.5 years of playing intense wheelchair basketball, my shoulders are beginning to rebel. I have a tear in my left supraspinatus tendon, and this rotator cuff injury is causing some significant problems to that entire arm. I'm just interested in your experience.

[monmon]

That’s exactly what happened to my mum. She was also told it wasn’t AMN related as AMN only affects the lower body. As if. That bit about AMN/ALD we’ve certainly learnt: that there’s still lot to learn. Yevgenii, I hope it won’t affect you too much 🍀

[Djp1989]

Get hand weakness and sometimes pins and needles but very rarely. Doctor said it was mild carpal tunnel based on EMG.

[spalding]

hi im a female from London I’ve had problems with my arms for 4 years I had nerve tests done on my arms as I couldn’t hold a pencil to write and got tingling and burning sensation in upper arms I have nerve damage to upper arms and they think mild carpal tunnel to wrists they seem to think it’s not related to AMN but after reading on different sites I think it is

[Cherie]

I have weakness in my hands which I have had for several years and my right hand can go extremely numb during the night with lots of pain, and also arm/shoulder pain. When I get up I can also have numb fingers on my right hand which can last for an hour. I have been told this is probably due to AMN and is called a positive Spurling sign. I also have arthritis in my thumbs , increased reflexes, and right C6/7 radiculopathy.

I hope you get some answers.

[Amnmac]

My hands were OK a year ago until I painted my flat soon after my hands started to bend at the knuckles and I'm in pain all the time amnmac

[artortega78]

It is peripheral neuropathy that comes from AMN. When I sleep, my hands get numb sometimes.

[Yevgenii in reply to artortega78]

Is this the only symptom in hands that you experience? How it progressed? Does anything help to improve it?

[artortega78 in reply to Yevgenii]

Sometimes, my arms do have some pain. I use like rubber to exercise my arms, do weightlifting, and do wall push-ups.

[StevenSims]

I’m suffering lately I’ve only got the lift my arm or stretch and my shoulder hurts, it started about a year ago with pain and weakness in my left arm it’s just my shoulder now, I’m going to try to lift some weights hopefully it will reduce my pain?

All the best

Steve

[Djp1989 in reply to StevenSims]

I regularly go to the gym and have a trainer. It will help!

[Karukera]

Hi Yevgenii,

I confirm you too that problems in my arms (especially the left one) appeared too. After medical examinations, carpal tunnel problem was diagnosed and according to what I read, it seems crearly linked to AMN. Problems can appear during driving and are just for the moment "annoying".

Nothing on MRI and electromyography indicates just a increase "delay" for the general statement.

For the moment, physicians don't consider this as a consequence of AMN, in France too ! But...

Have anyway a good day