Tunnel (carpal) syndrome: characteristic symptoms
Pain occurs, as already mentioned, due to compression of the median nerve, therefore the most common localization of the syndrome is the fingers (with the exception of the little finger, since its innervation is not carried out by the median nerve, but by the outgoing branches of the ulnar nerve), wrist, palmar surface of the hand .
The period characteristic for the manifestation of this disease, when the left wrist most often hurts, is the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
The nature of the discomfort is determined by the fact that the hands and wrists hurt, swell and become numb during pregnancy, and sometimes there may be trembling of the fingers.
Added to the above is vasoconstriction, increased sensitivity of the hands to cold, as well as pale skin. The disease most often manifests itself at night, but symptoms may also occur during the day.
If pain occurs in the little finger or on the back of the hand, then this indicates the presence of another disease, since these parts of the hand have different innervation.
Often the syndrome goes away after childbirth. The woman's normal, prenatal metabolism is restored. . However, if the disease remains, then you need to consult a hematologist (nephrologist, neurologist, cardiologist) so that he can prescribe drug therapy. Physiotherapy also helps to avoid frequent pain.
If the situation does not improve, then surgical treatment must be used.
What to do if your arms and legs hurt during pregnancy
First of all, you need to consult a doctor monitoring the pregnancy. The doctor will find out the true cause of pain in the arms and legs and prescribe therapy, including: - taking multivitamin complexes containing potassium, magnesium and calcium; — medical massage; - use of compression therapy.
has developed compression garments designed specifically for pregnant women. During pregnancy, elastic stockings and tights stimulate the flow of blood from the legs and support the vascular walls and valves of the veins, preventing the formation of edema and cramps in the legs.
To reduce swelling and relieve pain in chickens, you can use Intex preventive compression elbow pads. Elbow pads stimulate blood circulation in the tissues of the arms , reducing pain and cramps in the muscles of the shoulder and forearm in pregnant women.
Cause of pain
So, why do your hands hurt during pregnancy? As a rule, during this period the woman begins to gain weight, which is the physiological norm for this condition. However, after gaining weight, swelling may appear, indicating a violation of water-salt metabolism in the body. Here a woman may complain that her hand joints hurt during pregnancy. Along with impaired water-salt metabolism, there is a decrease in blood flow.
The innervation changes due to compression of the nerve. Due to the current situation, the nerve cannot conduct nerve impulses normally, and this, in turn, leads to a lack of impulses in the area of the wrist and hand.
Women who have problems with the kidneys, heart, as well as excess weight, rheumatic diseases, and fractures in the area of the hands are most often affected by the disease. Pregnant women also have reduced immunity, so most often their chronic diseases become worse.
The hands are the most painful, since everything has to be done with the hands. In addition to numbness and pain, sensations such as: hand tremors may occur in the hands; heaviness in the hands; feeling of weakness in the fingers; itching in the palms of the hands.
Many women, due to severe discomfort and pain, are forced to remove jewelry from their fingers and hands.
Why cramps in legs and arms during pregnancy
Muscle cramps during pregnancy occur due to increased load on the veins and due to a deficiency of anticonvulsant macroelements in the mother's body, which occurs during pregnancy.
Increased load on the veins is determined by : 1. Hormonal factor. During pregnancy, significant hormonal changes occur in a woman's body. In particular, the synthesis of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the uterus and the smooth muscles of the vascular walls of the veins, increases. As a result, the veins lose their tone and the distensibility of the vessels increases. 2. Physiological factor. During the entire pregnancy, a woman’s body weight increases by 7-15 kg, and the amount of fluid circulating in the blood increases by 30%. Under the influence of excess pressure, the veins begin to stretch, causing swelling and pulling sensations in the legs. Against the background of swelling in the muscles of pregnant women, cramps often occur. 3. Mechanical factor. In the third trimester, the pregnant uterus begins to compress the superficial veins that carry blood from the legs to the heart. This provokes stagnation of blood in the legs, which leads to increased swelling and worsening leg cramps.
Deficiency of anticonvulsant macroelements occurs in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, against the background of the rapid development of the child. A growing baby actively absorbs potassium, magnesium and calcium from the mother’s blood. If the lack of vitamins is not compensated for, the mother experiences cramps in her arms and legs .
How to get rid of the disease
If you are still overtaken by this disease, first you need to adjust your lifestyle and diet.
Taking into account the fact that a restructuring is taking place in a pregnant woman’s body, she needs so-called “building materials”. These include vitamins (especially vitamins K, B12, B6, C, E - they are all involved in hematopoiesis). Therefore, you should eat meat products (poultry), vegetables (peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers), fruits (oranges, lemons, apples, bananas, kiwi), berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), also legumes, dairy products. Flour products and foods rich in starch should be excluded from the diet.
After adjusting your diet, you need to get your physical activity in order. So, if you are busy with one thing, during which the woman does not move much, you need to periodically perform hand exercises: shake, make circular movements with your hands, clench and unclench your fingers several times, bringing them into a fist.
If possible, you should try to avoid unnecessary stress on your arms (lean less on your arms, use special splints during night sleep). Do not forget that some pain sensations are a sign of the presence of severe or chronic diseases, so you need to talk about these sensations to your doctor, who monitors you throughout your pregnancy. Compliance with all these rules will help you reduce painful sensations, or even get rid of them completely. And also spend your difficult, but very happy nine months in a good mood.
Why do pregnant women have joint pain?
Pregnant women gain weight every week, which puts more stress on their lower limbs. Muscles and joints react to stress with pain - this is a normal process if the sensations are tolerable. If joint pain becomes noticeable, it’s time to think about treatment.
Significant weight gain can produce the following results:
- Pressure on the knees leads to severe pain, and the knee joints themselves seem more loose. Significant discomfort is felt while walking.
- Stiffness increases in the feet, hips, knees and ankles.
- Signs of carpal tunnel syndrome appear: pain and tingling in the fingers.
If joint pain intensifies or tingling or numbness appears in the arms or legs, be sure to consult a gynecologist. Also tell your doctor about any swelling, such as in the face or hands.
You should contact your doctor immediately if you notice sudden swelling or a significant increase in swelling, especially in your legs.
In addition to normal physical changes during pregnancy, joint pain during this period may also be due to arthritis. Arthritis is a serious disease in which the joints become inflamed.
Causes of arm pain after the coronavirus vaccine
There are only three officially registered Covid-19 vaccines in Russia: Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. Like any vaccine, they cause side effects once they are injected into the body, including soreness in the arm.
Many people feel pain “inside” the arm, i.e. in the muscle layer, others feel pain in the skin in the area of the injection, and sometimes the injection can even cause numbness. This reaction is caused by a large dose of the drug injected directly into the muscle itself, which causes pain. After administration of the drug, time is needed for its distribution throughout the body and absorption. Buffer solutions in the drug try to keep it longer at the injection site and slow down its spread throughout the body. As a result, they remain concentrated in high concentrations at the injection site for some time. During this time, the cells of our body, which are responsible for immunity, “meet and get acquainted” with the vaccine. The presence of such pain at the injection site indicates that the human immune system is excited and is actively producing cells to suppress the virus.
If after vaccination you do not feel pain at the injection site, then do not worry, this does not affect the strengthening of the immune system. In other cases, pain, inflammation or bruising in the injection area is normal.
In addition, during vaccination, nerve endings may be affected, which causes pain. Also, the injection site may hurt if a technical error was made during vaccination.
In most patients, side symptoms disappear after a few days, and pain in the arm can last up to a week. If there is no improvement in your condition and well-being, you should immediately contact a specialist.
What causes heaviness in the legs during pregnancy?
In the first trimester of pregnancy, active synthesis of progesterone begins. The biological task of this hormone is to relax smooth muscle muscles : the hormone “ensures” that the uterus can stretch as the child develops.
Unfortunately, progesterone cannot act selectively. Simultaneously with the muscles of the uterus, progesterone relaxes the smooth muscles of the walls of the venous vessels. The veins lose their tone and begin to stretch. From the second to third trimester, progesterone synthesis increases 4 times compared to the first trimester. The effect of the hormone on the blood vessels increases, the walls of the veins weaken significantly and become very distensible.
Simultaneously with the increased synthesis of progesterone, the pregnant woman’s body weight increases by 7-15 kg, and the volume of fluid circulating in the blood increases by 30%. Because of this, the load on the vessels increases, and the pressure inside the veins increases. Under the influence of increased intravenous pressure, the walls of the vessels stretch, and the valves of the veins begin to allow some of the blood back into the superficial veins. Blood stagnates in the superficial veins of the legs. Because of this, heaviness in the legs appears and swelling occurs.
How to get rid of heavy legs during pregnancy
To avoid stagnation of blood in the legs , during pregnancy you should wear loose, low-heeled shoes, attend a medical massage, and, if necessary, take multivitamins containing calcium, potassium and magnesium prescribed by your doctor.
If this does not help, you should see a doctor monitoring your pregnancy so that he can give you a referral to a phlebologist - a doctor who specializes in vein health. Your doctor will examine your legs and help you choose the compression stockings needed to prevent heaviness in your legs .
The Russian company produces compression stockings and tights designed specifically for pregnant women. Elastic underwear "Intex" stimulates the flow of blood from the legs, prevents the development of edema and thus helps to avoid discomfort and heaviness in the legs.