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

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 than an arm that can move freely and feel. As a caregiver, it is important you handle the arm which was affected by the stroke with care and encourage the survivor to do the same. Here are some things to keep in mind when handling the arm affected by the stroke (this is not a comprehensive list but instead some of the main things to look out for): - Avoid moving the arm quickly. Many 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 it may be weak or completely paralyzed, it does not mean 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 of the most important times to make sure you are being cautious of this is during bathing, bed mobility and upper body dressing. - 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 great 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. Pain is common post stroke throughout the arm but it should not be considered ‘NORMAL’. Make sure to speak with a physician if pain is present anywhere in the affected arm in order to find out the cause and learn of any possible solutions and pain management techniques!