Pain and weekness in arms

For quit a long time I was waking up with sharp neck/back pain. I determined that my mattress was just worn out/too soft. I purchased a firm mattress and OUCH! I began experimenting with pillows for neck and under legs. No help. I tried a 4" memory foam topper, then a 2" topper. Still in pain and getting worse.


About two months ago I purchased a memory foam mattress, very soft but I thought supportive too, yet the pain increase was horrible. Now my arms, from bicep to elbow and elbow to wrist are weak all day, feels like muscle fatigue.

My wrists shake uncontrollably, I get spasms in the bicep near elbow and about mid way up. The area of my shoulders where it meets the breast bone have dull to sharp pain.

So, now I go back and forth between the firm and the memory foam trying to diagnose what is going on. The memory definetly is worse. My neck and back are in severe pain as well as the arms.

Then I go out and by a very expensive gel infused mattress on a very expensive adjustable base thinking I need the support of soft firmness and by raising the foot/head position just right I should be good to go. It's been almost a month of experimenting with positions and my neck/back are slightly better, whatever pain/stiffness is there works out some and I could function but my arms are almost useless all day.

Are my shoulders being pushed forward too much? Is something being pinched? Is it blood flow? (head sometimes feels pressure, legs weak, upon first getting up.) Is it muscle fatigue from pushing self up/out of the bed that has built up and is not recovering? Help would be great, I am about at the end of my rope.





Hello RR,
End of the rope is sometimes a good place to reach. Because it means that you must go and do something you should have done months ago: get professional advice.

Reading between the lines, I suspect the bed, hard or soft, inexpensive or very pricey, has very little to do with it.

That tremor in your hands and spasms in the biceps MUST be assessed. Soon.

If you don't regularly consult a chiropractor (you make no mention) then frankly I'd start with your doctor. And don't just accept pills. What's need is a diagnosis, not medication. If your doctor can't make the diagnosis, ask to see a neurologist.

I hope this contributes.

Dr B


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May 31, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Arm pain
by: Anonymous

The weakness and pain in my arms from sleeping on a tempurpedic is unbearable. I am not crazy, this bed is the problem. I don't feel like I will ever be the same. I feel like I'm permanently injured. Horrible experience.





There's no one size fits all. If a bed doesn't suit you change it before it does damage; one usually knows within a week or two.

Dr B


Feb 07, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Forget your memory foam mattress
by: Anonymous

I had the same problem with memory foam mattress for 5 months. I went to Ika and bought a regular mattress for $200, and next day, my problem solved, no pain. Mainly I think that I couldn't turn my body when I was in sleep, and lack of blood circulation cause the pain.





Thank you for your contribution; moral of the story is don't wait five months if you don't like the new mattress. Anyway, glad you are happy with the new one.

Dr B


Jan 20, 2014
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Where's my old bed?
by: Anonymous

Interestingly, I have had the SAME problems. While, yes-it seems one could certainly look to the medical side (chiropractic side) why is it that when one googles the words memory foam and elbow pain, there are a zillion testimonials stating exactly as this person has, and I myself am experiencing? My husband has a terrible back, and seeks regular chiropractic help both for preventative work as well as crisis work. I myself have never had sleep issues or back pain, soreness, stiffness, etc. Our mattress was 25 or more years old, and naturally it was time for a new one. We decided on a mattress that was more supportive (without springs), so it was firmer than our soft smooshy "broken in" one..but YOWZAS! Immediate pain for me. Within 72 hours, I had lost all upper body strength. I wake up with extreme elbow pain and stiffness all over. I too have purchased 2 different toppers (memory and gel), and over the course of 90 days (I gave each new item time to make the change), I am still suffering. It is not a coincidence that so many people switch to memory foam/firm/gel toppers and experience the exact same symptoms? When I say no upper body strengths, I mean (I am a farm girl and can throw a bale of hay into a loft :) I cant even lift my briefcase successfully for work! I have no idea how to fix this bed problem...I have done the research, have read streams and streams of threads, have tried just about everything. I am 35 years old, and feel like an old lady. Its the bed...not my body...argh! signed-going crazy along side you :)





Hello Anon,
Hopefully you haven't discarded old faithful, because you need her back!

I'm not one of those who believes that because a bed is 25 years old that it must go to the dump.

One of the difficulties is that one size definitely doesn't fit all. The old mattress may be your husband's problem, but the bed is perfect for you.

How does he react to the new bed?

If he doesn't like it either, then take it back to the shop, and try another. And if necessary another. After all, if you're going to keep it another 25 years, it better be right.

Meantime, any other beds in the house? Try moving to one of them.

Let us know how you get on. I know there'll be others interested.

Dr B

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