A SPECIAL WORD ABOUT SYMPTOMS AFFECTING YOUR ARMS AND LEGS
Whether you’re having a problem with your arms or your legs, it’s extremely important with any of the Body Signals in this chapter that you determine if the symptom appears equally on both sides of the body or affects only one side. When you’re examining your symptoms, you should always notice the changes in size, temperature, color, and feeling that you’re experiencing. As with any Body
Signal, your input can help your doctor arrive at the proper diagnosis and treatment.
The arms are not as prone to vascular diseases as the legs are. The most important question to ask is whether the problem is limited to a specific joint or occurring throughout the whole atm. For instance, numbness of the arm in one small area points to a different problem—the possibility of a compressed nerve, for example—than numbness of the entire arm, which is a sign of a stroke. It is essential to tell your doctor whether the problem is limited to one area or affects the entire limb.
The legs serve as the major support system for the body. As I’ve mentioned, a gradual decrease in muscle mass is normal with aging, but this decrease will not affect your ability to walk, except that you may need to slow down a little. However, the effects of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, arthritis, and neurological problems all seem to have a common denominator in that they gradually lead to an inability to use the legs. Therefore, one way to take care of your legs is to take care of your overall health, especially if you are prone to some of these illnesses.
As with the arms, in order to determine a diagnosis, you and your doctor need to know if the Body Signal is showing up in both legs or only one. You should also take care to notice any other changes in your mobility—for instance, if you suddenly find it more difficult to rise up out of a chair easily or it becomes more difficult to walk.
If one of your Body Signals is a swelling in the legs, there are three important things to consider First, does the swelling appear in only one leg or in both? Second, when you push on the swollen area with your thumb, does an indentation remain when you remove your thumb? And third, has the swelling appeared suddenly, or has it been around for a long time?
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