Suddenly Felt Loss Of Muscle Control In Arm. What Could Be Causing This?

Posted on Wed, 13 Feb 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 Answered on

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I had a sudden feeling in my left arm that I had no control over it. It felt drained of blood and as though I had littel or no muscular control. To stop it waving around I had to put it in my pocket. A few minutes later I was fine. A similar less severe and noticable event occurred yesterday, and some 6 month s back. Any hints?

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX,
Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic,
This episodes of loss of control of your left arm associated with loss of muscle control for a few minutes are due to transient paralysis episodes of that limb.
This is suggestive of transient ischemic attacks (TIA), means temporary loss of blood supply to a part of brain which controls your left arm.
As you are having atrial fibrillations(risk is due to clot and emboli formation), this may be a risk factor for getting transient ishemic attacks.
So I advise you to consult emergency department for further evaluation and management.
Hope I have answered your query and wish you good health.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar