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What Causes Weakness Legs And Arms?

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Posted on Sat, 13 Sep 2014
Question: I am feeling fatigue in arms and sometimes in back & legs at morning before waking up. Because of that I am taking longer sleep. Please suggest.
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Answered by Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
More information Needed

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXX, Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic.

Could you please give me moe information on the symptoms you are suffering from? What happens to your arms and legs? Do they hurt? DO you have trouble lifting heavy objects? Is there any limitation of movement?

How is your health otherwise? Do you suffer from any chronic diseases?

How much sleep do you get on a daily basis? What is your diet like on a daily basis?

Can you please tell me your height and weight?

I look forward to your replies. After that we can start looking into what is going on.

Vinay
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (12 hours later)
the symptoms you are suffering from? no pain- just weekness / fatigue in arms before waking up from bed.

What happens to your arms and legs? It is normal after I wake up. Sometimes cramps in calf muscles of leg.

Do they hurt? No.
DO you have trouble lifting heavy objects? No

Is there any limitation of movement? No

How is your health otherwise? Normal

Do you suffer from any chronic diseases? No

How much sleep do you get on a daily basis? 8 to 9 hours

What is your diet like on a daily basis? Proper Breakfast, lunch, snack in evening and Dinner.

Can you please tell me your height and weight? height 5 feet 10 inch, weight 82 kgs
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (3 days later)
Brief Answer:
You will need some blood work and an ECG

Detailed Answer:
Hello, The information you've given me was very useful. Thank you for following up. Weakness or cramping in your arms and legs as well as fatigue can be due to blood electrolyte imbalances and hormonal imbalances. They can also be caused by Anemia, poor blood flow in the limbs (known as Peripheral Vascular Disease) as well as Gout. Lastly, given your age and weight, we need to have heart disease ruled out, than can be done easily with a TMT (Tread Mill Test).


Given your age group, I doubt that you have Peripheral Vascular disorders, as it is more common in elderly smokers. Gout is also very uncommon in the young, but can be easily tested for anyway.

My guess, is that you are either suffering from an electrolyte problem (which may be caused by an underlying vitamin deficiency) or from a hormonal issue. The most common of which is Hypothyroidism. All of these issues can be screened for with blood work.

The TMT will be a test that takes a couple of hours. They will do an ECG on you while you are resting and then another one as they make you jog on a treadmill. This will make sure your heart can pump the needed oxygen to the rest of the body and is an excellent screen for heart disease.

So let me give you details of the blood tests i would like you to do and I will tell you what each is for.

Blood Work:

1) CBC (Comprehensive Blood Count)----- To check for Anemia
2) BMP (Basic Metabolic Panel)-------------To check for Electrolyte Imbalance
3) LFT (Liver Function Test) and Serum Uric Acid (UA)--- Screening test for Gout
4) BUN (blood Urea Nitrogen), Serum Creatinine----------Electrolyte and kidney Fn
5) T3, T4 and TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)--------Screening for Thyroid
6) Vitamin D and Serum Vit B12 Levels--------------------Screening for Vitamin Deficiency

And of course the TMT (TreadMill Test) is to be done to screen for heart disease. Once this testing is done, we can go through the result and hopefully define what the problem is, from there we will be able to address it.

I look forward to these results, Feel free to follow-up at your convenience.
Vinay
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

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

Neurologist, Surgical

Practicing since :2006

Answered : 544 Questions

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What Causes Weakness Legs And Arms?

Brief Answer: More information Needed Detailed Answer: Hello XXXXX, Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic. Could you please give me moe information on the symptoms you are suffering from? What happens to your arms and legs? Do they hurt? DO you have trouble lifting heavy objects? Is there any limitation of movement? How is your health otherwise? Do you suffer from any chronic diseases? How much sleep do you get on a daily basis? What is your diet like on a daily basis? Can you please tell me your height and weight? I look forward to your replies. After that we can start looking into what is going on. Vinay