Originally Posted by echoes long ago

is the pain and weakness in your shoulder and arm on one side only?
I would look into the cervical herniations some more, get another opinion. Also have you looked into TOS, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome? Are you a swimmer, weight lifter or very athletic?

Originally Posted by zkrp01

I was dx w/ Amyotrophy and I will give encouragement that in a high number of cases, there is an acute phase. Yes I got weaker as I had muscle wasting in the quads, gluteus maximus and siliac muscles. The exasperation for me was that PT, while did no harm, did not improve strength. My strength is returning slowly. More in tune with nerve regen than PT. Try not to worry about things that have not happened yet. Hopefully you are in an acute-phase that will accelerate the timetable. Make sure your b-12 is over 400, excersize to tolerance, get sleep, if you search for Mitochondrial health and do what you know to do, tests will give you a better idea what you are dealing with. I stayed in a panic for many months so I know how answers are important. Patience is always the shortest when the need is the greatest. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Originally Posted by twitchwitch

Thank you - I will look into the other threads about treatments.

Were you ever diagnosed with clinical weakness from a doctor? I have, with my shoulder.

My EMG was abnormal in my arm. Showed the things that I posted above. The doctor ruled out ALS only because of the sensory and pain issues, my age and the location of weakness (shoulder), but I am so uneasy about this. What were the reason ALS was ruled out for you? Did you have abnormal EMGs?

Originally Posted by echoes long ago

What are thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms and signs?


Symptoms include neck, shoulder, and arm pain, numbness in the fingers, or impaired circulation and flushed sensations to the extremities (causing discoloration). The involved upper extremity can feel weak. Often symptoms are reproduced or worsened when the arm is positioned above the shoulder or extended. Patients can have a wide spectrum of symptoms from mild and intermittent to severe and constant. Pains can extend to the fingers and hands, causing weakness.

Originally Posted by Ragtop262

For me, ALS was ruled out due to clean EMG, lack of significant clinical weakness, and lack of progression over a period of several months. MS was ruled out due to clean brain and neck MRI's and normal results on somatosensory evoked potentials testing. It was certainly a relief to find out that I did not have have these very serious diseases.

Now, if only I could get a definitive diagnosis of what is wrong with me.......

Originally Posted by twitchwitch

Did they tell you that pain rules out ALS/MND (did/do you have pain)? .

Originally Posted by mrsD

Do you have any discoloration in the arm or fingers?

My understanding of some TOS is that it can result from a blood clot in a vein in the shoulder area. When that happens, nerves may be impacted with poor circulation, etc.

So some evaluations involve evaluating the blood vessels in the area. You might think about this aspect too, since you don't lift weights (move furniture or luggage), have an injury, swim too much, or throw balls etc.(sports)

Females on birth control pills can have odd blood clots in strange places, especially if they have a genetic error in the family to favor these. Some get the clots in legs, others, in deep pelvic veins, and some get them in the brain and elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Ragtop262

Note that I'm obviously not a doctor, so this is just what I learned from various sites: At that time, I had no pain, so it wasn't a factor for me. However, everything I researched at that time said that MND generally does not cause significant pain (or numbness, paresthesias, etc). So, while not definitive from a diagnostic standpoint - the presence of pain or other sensory symptoms tends to point away from MND. (That seems to match up with what your doctor told you.)