Muscle? Nerve? Confused!
 

I have huge stiffness in my right arm near the elbow. Almost to where I have to manually extend the arm in the morning. I have hugely stiff knees where I feel I totter on my legs (recent knee replacements).... I get burning and tingling in my toes and they are numb ~ worst at night before sleep. I hurt everywhere ~ I began to drop things because I'm not strong in that right arm -- hip flexor area sore like a muscle sorness....... Neck and shoulders sore -- MRI showed severe stenosis in 3 places.

Neuro appt. soon is my last hope. Ortho surgeon says it's nothing he did, neck surgeon says it's nothing - and certainly nothing he can fix, my primary care is completely stumped, my rheumatologist says I'm with Ehler Danlos type 3 (hypermobility).

I went from painful knees and functional -- to knee replacements end of 08 -- and now am completely useless it seems. Arms, legs, feet, knees, elbows, neck, .......

What disease encompasses muscle pain and joint pain and great amounts of stiffness? Does PN cause muscle issues? I see neuro on Monday -- while you always hope they find nothing -- it would almost be worse if they find nothing.

I walk like a 90 year old.....after at least 15 minutes of walking I can ease into a naturalish gait, but my arms/elbow hurt and that night I pay for that walk in my whole body.

Any comments are truly welcome!

It could be arthritis.

I forgot, but I'm pretty sure that its rheumatoid arthritis that starts really stiff, and with use it gets a little better.

RA is an autoimmune disease.

OA is not. (osteoarthritis, which affects the elderly)

And yes, PN can affect the muscles. The needle EMG would point that out.
The NCS is the part that says if you have nerve involvement.
(its a 2 fold test) *nerve and muscle*

Here is a site explaining the difference. Click on:

http://osteoarthritis.about.com/od/o...01/a/OA_RA.htm

Osteoarthritis is also known as the wear and tear disease. Aging is one factor but it can happen earlier.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease and it is commonly known as the crippling disease. I'm not sure that it starts out being really stiff or not. I know it does make the hands, feet, etc. deformed.

Stenosis means narrowing and it can and does cause much pain. There is a link to it in my previous post.

You may have more then just one thing going on? I do know that I have severe pain but at times my muscles ache. I have PN and RSD and I am not sure if the ache is because I am doing more or I lay heavy on other parts of my body to protect the most painful though I am trying to work on that. Have you been tested for other things like auto immine,fibromyalgia,bloodwork for vitamin problems? I hope you get some answers and direction and relief soon

I know you probably have had test after test after test. Have they tested for your Vit B12 level. A deficiency in B12 can really mess a body up, and surgery will make it even worse.