Accepted Answer

This is most commonly caused by the following conditions:

Cervical disc lesion: This may be associated with pain in the neck and weakness of the arm.

Peripheral neuropathy: common conditions causing this are diabetes, Vit. B deficiency, etc.

Vascular insufficiency: Atherosclerosis of arteries, spasm, etc, may cause vascular insufficiency.

Carpal Tunnel syndrome: Compression of the median nerve at the wrist can be the cause when there is numbness and tingling mainly of the thumb and index finger, but not the little finger. Link

Ulnar nerve injury: When the numbness is mainly in the medial aspect of the hand, that is, the little and ring fingers. Link


Pain around the shoulder going down the arm, numbness of the arm and/or tingling or itchiness are all symptoms of a disc lesion. Cervical lesions are less likely since you have a history of only three days..

Peripheral neuropathies are most commonly caused by diabetes mellitus, but there are many other diseases as well and it needs to be well investigated to find out the cause. Topomax and Gabapentin are in fact prescribed for peripheral neuropathy also, and hence this is not so likely.

Vascular insufficiency is another common cause, but is more common in those above 60 and in smokers.

Considering your symptoms and the medications you are on, carpal tunnel syndrome is most likely for you.

You should consult your health provider or a neurologist if possible and get yourself checked up to identify the cause in your case. You may need a CT or MRI of the brain and spinal column and tests for muscle conductivity and nerve velocity, etc.





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Expert:	Dr. P. Jyoti
Pos. Feedback:	99.7 %
Accepts:	1552
Answered:	9/13/2009

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Experienced in a wide range of clinical settings including emergency Medicine