Does anyone else get burning pains?

[Maya23]

I've had a tingling burning pain in my left arm around my elbow and down my forearm for the past 3 months and it just hasn't gone away. It often feels like an the sensation of an injury -like the skin has been scraped off and the muscle has been cut and is trying to heal- but I've had no injury there. Just wondered whether anyone else has anything similar and might know what it is? Is it inflammation in the muscle? It's often worse when I'm tired and I get muscle weakness at the same time.

[Looby]

Hi Dryad - I've had a similar sensation in my left leg for about 6 months (it comes and goes, and is worse when I've been lying in one position for too long...) My chiropracter thinks it is nerve compression from the base of the spine - causing the sciatic nerve to over-activate, which the brain interprets as pain.

In your case, It could also be RSI (nothing to do with Lupus, and fairly common). That's Repetitive Strain Injury - caused by over using a part of your body with similar actions - like typing at a keyboard, for example. Or, washing by hand, or knitting, etc. In the "old days" they used to call this "Tennis Elbow".

(Do you wake up with a clenched fist on that arm...?)

Try a cold compress around your elbow (frozen peas wrapped in a T-towel will do) while you are sitting relaxing - and rest the arm whenever you can. I used to work in a Sports Injury Clinic - and this is a general advice for this kind of pain. Hope this helps!

[Kentish_Man]

Hi Dryad,

I get tingling in my hands, arms, legs, ankles and feet. I also get terrible burning pains down my right thigh which has also lost sensation to touch. I am not sure which or all of my conditions are responsible for this. Maybe it is the Lupus/Vasculitis that is responsible aided and abetted by the Hughes & Raynauds. Cannot get a definitive answer from anyone.

Hope that helps

[bethsuejane]

Hi. I began my lupus journey a year ago with similar symptoms and what the GP said was 'tennis elbow'. A fortnight later I had what I term as 'psuedo bruising' all down both arms and on my thighs.

Eventually diagnosed with Lupus but I have had joint pains, weariness, hot flushes, tingling and generally feeling rotten for years. Also had auto-immune thyroid disease for 14yrs. All this has blighted my life so in some ways I am glad to have the diagnosis! The pains in my thighs, feet, hands, ears, scalp during a flare feel like hot needles being slowly pushed in and pulled out!

Am now on Quinoric, had it for a month and began to feel better, went onto Plaquenil and had terrific attacks of ferocious itching after 2 days. back to the Quinoric and am still having itching attacks despite taking Cetrizine every morning and Clorphenamine every night. Docs all say not lupus related and not due to tabs! Huh!

I have courses of Prenisolone during flares and feel like a different person!

All the best with your journey along the Lupus pathway. Some answers will never happen!

[Maya23]

UPDATE: Finally 4 years later I got a new diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. The burning and tingling spread to both arms and both legs and this led to having an MRI - which confirmed no physical cause for the pain and ruled out lupus or vasculitis as a cause. My ANA is negative at the moment and the ESR is low despite the pain. So my consultant says the lupus is currently inactive. Didn't know that could happen!