# Painfully Sensitive Skin on my Arm, Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132 "2003-08-19T04:27:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grasshopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@Grasshopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grasshopper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/1 "2003-08-19T04:27:11Z")
This developed just today. On the underside of my right arm near the elbow, a patch of skin has been painfully sensitive all day. It hurts a little when I just touch it and quite a bit more if I rub it at all, even lightly. Also, once in awhile it’ll give a throbbing pain for half a minute, then subside. I can’t think of anything that would have triggered an allergic reaction, and I haven’t been near poison ivy or anything. Background info - I’m a 21 year old female (okay, I’ve been 21 for all of half an hour). Help, what’s causing this? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/2 "2003-08-19T04:33:13Z")
Wen you rub it, does it trigger any sensation in your lower arm or hand? If so you have probably whacked the nerve where it runs between the skin and bone near the elbow. It should settle down in a few days if you don’t whack it again. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/3 "2003-08-19T04:46:35Z")
I get those on a regular basis, and on my legs too. They bug the crap out of me for a while, and then they just…go away. This should (I hope) be the case for you as well. I agree that it is the nerves, because nothing ever shows on the skin. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/4 "2003-08-19T07:17:02Z")
Have you had a stiff/aching neck and/or a sore throat and/or been ‘under the weather’/stressed lately? It could be any one of a number of things, but localised instances of painfully sensitive skin always meant I was about to suffer an episode of shingles - probably isn’t in your case though, but I thought I’d mention it anyway to cheer you up. ---
**Author:** ![Grasshopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@Grasshopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grasshopper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/5 "2003-08-20T04:28:02Z")
Ooh, the whacked-a-nerve explanation sounds right. I did experience some tingling down my arm and in my hand. I had hauled out the big red medical book and was scaring myself with all the possibilities (and wondering when my last tetanus shot was). Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/6 "2003-08-20T04:29:22Z")
Let us know whether it settles down or not. ---
**Author:** ![Peach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@Peach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/7 "2003-08-20T04:54:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*Have you had a stiff/aching neck and/or a sore throat and/or been ‘under the weather’/stressed lately? > > It could be any one of a number of things, but localised instances of painfully sensitive skin always meant I was about to suffer an episode of shingles - probably isn’t in your case though, but I thought I’d mention it anyway to cheer you up. \*\* tell me, what’s shingles? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painfully-sensitive-skin-on-my-arm-why/196132/8 "2003-08-20T05:28:43Z")
> **[Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America's most-trusted online dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/)** > > The dictionary by Merriam-Webster is America's most trusted online dictionary for English word definitions, meanings, and pronunciation. #wordsmatter An acute viral inflammation of the sensory ganglia of spinal and cranial nerves that is associated with a vesicular eruption and neuralgic pains and is caused by reactivation of the herpes virus causing chicken pox – called also herpes zoster