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← Return to Brachioradial pruritus. (severe itching on forearms and neck, no rash).
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Brachioradial pruritus. (severe itching on forearms and neck, no rash).
Skin Health | Last Active: Jul 11 6:06am | Replies (685)Comment receiving replies
I've suffered many years with brachioradial pruritis (BRP) that began on my forearms and extended to other areas including my trunk & legs. I tried everything from ice packs to hot baths and every anti-itch medication imaginable to ease my itch, especially at night when I would scratch myself bloody to no avail. Four different Dermatologists examined me and prescribed topical applications that were ineffective. One method for relief that I had read about, but never tried, was cervical traction of the neck. I never expected it to be beneficial but I was desperate in need of relief so I ordered a pump-up cervical traction device on Amazon for $18 and started using it twice daily for 30 minutes of cervical extension. Within 24 hours I noticed the itching had decreased and within a week all symptoms of itching ceased. I stopped using the cervical traction device afer a month of itch free sleep. The itching returned after a couple days so I had to go back to using cervical traction and once again I got total relief. That was six months ago and now I do the cervical traction daily and itching has not reoccured. I also purchased a "hang to relax" teter prior to doing neck traction and it helped relieve the itch but I'm in my 80's and had problems hanging upside down 🙂
Replies to "I've suffered many years with brachioradial pruritis (BRP) that began on my forearms and extended to..."
Love your story! Because it’s a neurogenic problem, BRP can’t be relieved by potions and creams and it’s astonishing how many dermatologists don’t know that!
You got that right. It is not a skin disorder. It is a nerve thing. C5 and C6 in your neck.
@donnany, it has come up in these discussions that Barachioradial pruritus sometimes relates to nerves in the cervical area, but it may not always be "a nerve thing," according to this report from Emedicine (Medscape): https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1355312-overview.
Right!!! Ok, I find that lanacaine can soothe the skin, but prevent or stop it? No. After finally seeing a neurologist, getting MRI EMG etc got 3 epidurals to no avail, found Lyrica which worked! 200 mg a day keeps me somewhat sane so far!!
Yes, my primary care physician was interested in hearing all my personal approaches to alleviate BRP symtoms. Cervical traction doesn't provide immediate relief from the itching but I've noticed a progressive decrease in intensity as I continue to use it twice daily for at least 30 minutes. My doctor was also impressed that the DMSO/Aloe vera cream decreased the itching. I had used DMSO previously for it's relief of joint pain; it penetrates the skin barrier and provides immediate relief from deep subcutaneous pain or itching.
Thank you so much for this post! I have suffered with BRP for 10 years and only ice helps me. I'm going to order the cervical traction device today. I'm so grateful to find this forum, this condition really destroys your quality of life. I also have scratched til I bleed and have scars on both arms.
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Hi @sgmjohnny, welcome to the BRP discussion. I notice that you posted the exact same message 10 times. Not sure what happened there. I removed the other 9 instances. When you post a message to a discussion thread, all the participants receive a notification. As you can imagine, receiving 10 identical email messages can be annoying. Let's continue the conversation here.
Did you share your experience with the traction device with a health care professional? What was the response?