“Why do my arms feel numb after surgery?”
I underwent a surgery recently because of a shoulder dislocation that happened in an accident. I was administered anaesthesia for the entire upper body. After the surgery my other arm feels numb. Is it normal or is something wrong? Can I expect this to go away soon?
5 Answers
If you had a nerve block, yes. Could be a positioning issue though. Ask the doctor who administered your anesthesia
It is unclear but it sounds as though a regional anesthetic may have been given to allow the surgery to occur. As these block specific nerves it is possible that you would experience this in both arms. The numbness should wear off shortly after the procedure. If it does not resolve within a day or so, please contact your surgeon and anesthesiologist for further information.
It will go away but not soon, unless the numbness is due to something else.
Hi,
Sometimes people do experience numbness on the arm that is not operated on because that arm is used for frequent blood pressure measurements. This is a temporary sensation and goes away fairly soon after surgery
Dr Ketch
Sometimes people do experience numbness on the arm that is not operated on because that arm is used for frequent blood pressure measurements. This is a temporary sensation and goes away fairly soon after surgery
Dr Ketch
I'm not sure what you mean by anesthesia for the entire upper body. Sometimes a medication is injected in the neck area to paralyze the arm being operated on. Generally, numbness after surgery should go away in 1-3 days.
