Why Am I Having Lack Of Movement With A Large Bump In My Upper Arm?

Posted on Tue, 7 Jan 2014

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

Tue, 7 Jan 2014 Answered on

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : HI, I have a large bump in my upper arm. The bump is soft to touch and is not discolored in any way. There are two tiny red marks that might suggest an insect sting, but they are very small. The big thing is that I cannot raise my harm over my head, and most movements hurt my arm a lot. This has hurt for awhile, but I just noticed the bump and the lack of movement has gotten much worse today.

Answered by Dr. Dr. P. T. Patil (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: This could be soft tissue tumour (Lipoma). Detailed Answer: Hello Thanks for your query,based on the facts that you have posted it appears that you have a benign soft tissue tumour over arm which could be mostly Lipoma however this can be confirmed only on clinical examination. I shall be happy if you can post me few more details to help me in making comments on your problem. 1) Since how long did you have this bump ? 2) Is is freely movable ? Please consult qualified General Surgeon for clinical examination and to confirm the diagnosis. If confirmed you need to get it excised under anaesthesia. As regards pain in shoulder it is likely to be due to trivial injury to shoulder that you sustained very recently and can be cured by taking pain killers and anti inflammatory drug like Diclofenac twice daily. Hope I have answered your query ,please feel free to ask if you have more questions ,I shall be happy to help you Thanks and Regards. Dr.Patil.

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

Follow up: Dr. Dr. P. T. Patil (22 minutes later)

Dear Dr. XXXXXXX If I have lipoma could it appear as recently as over the last few days. Right now it is a wide area perhaps 2" X 3" inches. The pain is not in my shoulder, it is in my arm. It is almost impossible to raise my arm higher than my head, so this feels like something more to do with muscle than soft tissue? Also, I feel a sense of toxcity in my system like I feel when I have a spider bite. It is possible also that this could be what is happening? Thank you, in advance for your support. Bruce

Answered by Dr. Dr. P. T. Patil (6 hours later)

Brief Answer: It can be confirmed only by clinical examination Detailed Answer: Hello Thanks for follow up.The spider bite will not give rise to a swelling of such a size. The nature of the tumour can be confirmed only on clinical examination by a qualified Surgeon. As regards pain in arm please take anti inflammatory medicine and pain killers for a week suggested in my reply earlier. Thanks and Regards. Dr.Patil.

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