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Having Pain In Wrist During Exhaling. What Could Be Causing This?

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Posted on Sat, 24 Nov 2012
Question: Pain in left wrist/lower forearm area (palm side) on occasion at the end of an exhale of a XXXXXXX breath (only on XXXXXXX breathes). It is not radiating down the arm. No other pain or pressure. Pain is very short (seconds) in duration. No health issues. 45 yr old woman. I am overweight. What could the causes be?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (3 hours later)
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Such symptoms can be caused by nerve compression on the level of carpal tunnel or spine. If the compression is on the level of carpal tunnel it causes carpal tunnel syndrome. For this condition characteristic is intermittent numbness of the thumb, index, long and radial half of the ring finger. You can perform simple test to rule this one out: flex your wrist gently as far as possible and wait for about 60 seconds. If this will cause the numbness, you have diagnosis. To confirm it electromyography is necessary.
It is also possible that such symptoms are caused by ions shortage (calcium, magnesium, potassium), stretched muscle or stretched tendon (if there was any trauma).
It is advisable to have ions blood level checked first.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (54 minutes later)
Why would breathing have an impact as to whether there is any pain there. It only comes with XXXXXXX breaths when exhaling. No concerns about cardiac? If not, that is great. I did the test you suggested and no numbness. As for the ions, can that be related to breathing?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (2 hours later)
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Ions shortage can affect all muscles and nerves in the human body. Moreover, when the ribs are moving during breathing, the spine nerves can get irritated as the ribs and the nerves are in the close neighborhood.
Heart problems can cause left shoulder pain or numbness, however not without the chest pain, shortness of breath etc. Moreover such pain usually radiates from the heart area to the jaw, left scapula and left shoulder. Very rare it can affect the wrist.
I suggest you to start Magnesium and Calcium supplementation and try on-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprophen. If it will help, the problem lies in muscles or nerves.
If it will not help, you should have some diagnostics like spine MRI, chest X-ray.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Grzegorz Stanko

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 5795 Questions

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Having Pain In Wrist During Exhaling. What Could Be Causing This?

Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Such symptoms can be caused by nerve compression on the level of carpal tunnel or spine. If the compression is on the level of carpal tunnel it causes carpal tunnel syndrome. For this condition characteristic is intermittent numbness of the thumb, index, long and radial half of the ring finger. You can perform simple test to rule this one out: flex your wrist gently as far as possible and wait for about 60 seconds. If this will cause the numbness, you have diagnosis. To confirm it electromyography is necessary.
It is also possible that such symptoms are caused by ions shortage (calcium, magnesium, potassium), stretched muscle or stretched tendon (if there was any trauma).
It is advisable to have ions blood level checked first.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.