# My upper arms hurt when I sneeze

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upper-arms-hurt-when-i-sneeze/63587>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [April 28, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upper-arms-hurt-when-i-sneeze/63587 "2001-04-28T02:01:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AndyKeats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@AndyKeats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyKeats)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upper-arms-hurt-when-i-sneeze/63587/1 "2001-04-28T02:01:16Z")

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Re: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010427.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010427.html)

Sometimes when I sneeze (I don’t hold it in), my upper arms and shoulders hurt and feel … “weird” for several seconds. Could this be related to the blood-pressure-increase phenomenon? Is it something I should talk to a doctor about?

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upper-arms-hurt-when-i-sneeze/63587/2 "2001-04-30T13:48:01Z")

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I’m not a doctor, but if it’s something that concerns you, you should definitely speak to a physician. Are these very heavy sneezes?

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**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2001, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upper-arms-hurt-when-i-sneeze/63587/3 "2001-05-08T00:42:21Z")

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Sounds like you’re pinching or yanking a nerve somewhere. Are there any tingling or pins-and-needle sensations? Do your arm muscles twitch?

Really, though, you’re not going to get it fixed here. See a doctor.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upper-arms-hurt-when-i-sneeze/63587/4 "2001-05-09T16:01:38Z")

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I get something like this too; a feeling of pressure and pain in my forearms after sneezing (although only if it’s a violent and unexpected sneeze).

I think it’s probably a local pressure thing caused by the displacement of blood - the muscles around the upper thorax contract violently, squeezing it out.

I don’t know if it’s the arteries or if it may be back-pressure in the veins causing all those little valves in there to snap shut.