What Causes Arms Ache, Weakness Between Shoulders And Elbows In A Diabetic?

Posted on Sun, 17 May 2015

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

Sun, 17 May 2015 Answered on

Mon, 8 Jun 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My arms ache, and are weak, between the the shoulders and elbows. This started about 6 months ago when my husband and I were doing a lot of remodeling. I noticed it after a lot of painting of the ceilings and walls of our living room, kitchen and dining room areas. I don't know what to do to make it better. (I'm 67 years old, have diabetes controlled with pills and am trying to lose weight. I need to lose about 35-40 lbs.) It bothers me most at night when trying to sleep or in the day when need to lift, open things, getting dressed; mainly pulling up pants and putting on bra. How can I get rid of this pain. Thank you for any advice you can give. My e-mail address is: YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Prof. Kunal Saha (11 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Electrolyte imbalance needs to be ruled out. Hot compress should help.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone carefully through the details. The weakness could be due to electrolyte imbalance which is pretty common at your age. I would suggest you to take plenty of juicy fruits like citrus fruits. They contain potassium and should be helpful. If that does not help, you should see a doctor and get yourself investigated.

Overall, applying hot compress would provide you relief from the pain.

Regards
Dr. Kunal Saha

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T