Sometimes you will experience a tingling sensation followed by numbness in right arm after you accidentally bump your elbow on a hard surface or edge. What happened was that the nerve in the ulna was hit causing the numbness you felt on your arm. This feeling will disappear quickly. Also, there are times that when you sleep and apply pressure to your arms for quite a time, you will also experience numbness. There is nothing to be concerned about with these kinds of numbness. However, if you experience numbness in right arm for no reason at all, without bumping your elbow or applying pressure to the arm, and the tingling sensation does not go away, this may indicate a serious condition.
Possible Causes of Numbness in Right Arm
Numbness in right arm has many possible causes.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If the tendons and ligaments of your wrist become enlarged this shows you have carpal tunnel syndrome. This is due to the compressed nerves in the carpal tunnel of your wrist. The cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome cannot be exactly determined but medical experts suggest that arthritis, diabetes, obesity and worn out of wrist could be the factors.
• Kidney disease
Numbness in right arm may also be caused by chronic kidney disease. This disease, if not examined and treated properly can cause renal failure. Read about the kidney pain location
• Neuropathy
A rare genetic disorder, Neuropathy is a peripheral nerve dysfunction and ataxia that also causes numbness in right arm. In ataxia, there are some abnormal cells which affect the nervous system causing certain problems to muscles and numbness on the right arm.
• Cervical Disk Syndrome
Numbness on the right arm can also be attributed to cervical disk syndrome where the nerve roots of the spinal cord that are part of the neck become compressed. MRI or CT scan can be used to diagnose this syndrome.
• Other causes
Another possible cause is eating contaminated shellfish which poisons the body and creates numbness to the right arm. Other disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Reynaud’s syndrome, diabetes, ganglion, cysts, migraine, and spinal cord injury also cause numbness to the right arm. But the most alarming of all is when you experience having pain, this is called angina, which is directly associated with the heart. Pain begins at the chest and spreads to the arms. You may also suffer difficulty in breathing, dizziness and numbness in the right arm.
Treatment for Numbness in Right Arm
Whenever you experience numbness on your right arm, you should not take it for granted. The best thing to do is to consult a doctor as soon as possible, especially if the numbness in your right arm happens frequently and at prolonged periods. If you delay consultation with a medical professional, the condition could become severe and could be fatal. The doctor can immediately examine your condition and will recommend that you undergo X-ray, CT scan, MRI or physical examination. This is to determine what treatment option would be applied according to the disease that caused the numbness in the right arm. Medications can be prescribed to relieve pain and tingling sensation. Drugs such as anti-depressants can get rid of numbness. The doctor is the best person to deal with your right arm’s numbness and he can give you the correct medication for your treatment. Above all, you should have sufficient rest and avoid stressful activities for you to recover from the numbness in right arm.
