hi Val,

yes can certainly relate to pain in the upper arm ... when i was first diagnosed this was my worst pain shoulders upper arms down to wrists and like you couldn't get comfortable at night.

when i went for my first Consultation i had a Cortisone injection in both shoulders along with a steroid one in my bum and thankfully they both really helped.

the upper arm pain still hovers sometimes but nothing like at the beginning.

i would definately tell your Rheumy Nurse but i do think it's part and parcel of the RA.

Suzanne x

Hi Val, I've experienced the pain too. I think some of it is because we try to change the way we do things when joints are painful and the muscles work differently. I've also lost a lot of muscle tone in my arms so Ellie's suggestion sounds good for getting things moving.

Julie

Hi Val
sorry to hear you are having these pains. I have experienced simular pains myself over the last 3 years through my tendons being inflamed. I have had cortision injections in both shoulders in the past 12 months, and they do help, exercise also helps when you are not having a flair, as exercise is the body's natural healing process. apart from M.T.X. I also take 2 diclofenac tablets per day to help with the pain and help reduce inflamation. thier is a wall chart avilable from A.R.C. that shows you what exercise you can do if you have R.A. I'm sure your R.A. clinic will help you get a copy. I also go swimming twice a week for up to an hour at a time, I also go to a Pilates class once a week when not having a flair it costs £4.00p for an hour, and I consider it a great investment as the exercise my instructor (Jan) puts me through helps the pain to go away for longer and I also feel better in myself for doing it .
Hope this helps but remember it's not a short term fix but somthing you have to work on to get a long term result
Regards
Graham 7

Hello Val

Like all the post above I have had pain in my arms.

Years before I was diagnosed with RA I had what I call two sessions with my arms. The first time I thought I had done something to my arm and ended up in casualty, I nearly passed out with the pain. The second time I ended up at the out of ours GP's surgery, just trying to get some advice on pain relief. The doctor then thought I may of had RA. Each time it took several days before I was pain free, at it's worse I couldn't move my arm at all.

When the symptoms really reappeared two years ago and I had pain in various parts of my body, my arm was bad again, thankfully not to the degree that it was before. I now realise that it wasn't my arm but my shoulder and the pain was radiating down my arm. When I was diagnosed my consultant told me that my previous two spells of pain were linked to me now having RA. I sometimes think that I may of had RA for several years and apart from those really bad flare ups I always thought any discomfort that I was having was my age. I am not one to go running to the doctors with every ache or pain.

Paula x