Can you hurt or cause pain to an arm that can’t move?

Yes! Even though a survivor may have lost movement or even sensation in their arm they are still at risk for developing pain and injury to it. In fact, because an arm may be unable to move or feel it is actually at greater risk for pain and injury. As a caregiver, it is important you handle the affected/weaker arm with care and encourage the survivor to do the same.

Here are some things to keep in mind when handling the affected/weaker arm (this is not a comprehensive list. Instead, these are some of the main things to look out for): - Avoid moving the arm quickly. Joints in the arm are held together mainly by muscles and ligaments. If these are weak or paralyzed there is very little protection going on at the joint! - Avoid moving the arm into extreme positions. What does this mean? Just because the arm CAN move in specific directions because of weakness, it does not mean that it SHOULD move in these directions. If there is no movement or very little movement in the arm there is greater risk to cause pain at joints such as the thumb, the wrist and even the shoulder! - Some situations to make sure you are being cautious of this is during bathing, moving around in bed and helping with getting clothes on and off. - Avoid moving or lifting the arm by the fingers, thumb, hand or wrist. Instead, hold the arm by the middle of the forearm for the greatest amount of support and the safest.

A general rule of thumb would be, if it hurts to move your own arm, hand or wrist a specific way (given you have no injuries) it will most likely hurt the survivor’s arm that is now impacted by the stroke. Arm pain is common post-stroke but it should not be considered ‘NORMAL’. Make sure to speak with a physician or neurologist if pain is present anywhere in the affected arm in order to find out the cause.