Brachioradial Pruritus driving me crazy

Hi jm
Glad you’re doing well.
If you do have Brachioradial pruritus. My understanding is that it’s not a skin issue so creams don’t help. It happens in the neck where a vertebrae disc touches the brachial (arm) nerve. That sends a message to the brain that the arm is itchy (or in some cases in pain).
The stretching exercise allows the disc to pull back from touching the nerve. So it deals with the cause of the itching not the symptom.

Hi. I suffer with this condition and have for many years but I just didn't know what the itching was coming from. It has gotten worse as I've gotten older. In 2019, I had the first major flare up and my arms were red and scabby from all the itching. This came after a summer where I had done a lot of activity which strained my neck (but I didn't know this could happen.) I started seeing a new chiropractor because I had recently moved. This chiro had never seen someone with this condition but he told me it was from cervical radiculopathy, even before seeing an X-ray or MRI. The only thing that helped me was to roll ice cubes over my arms. There was no information online about this condition. The severe itching slowly subsided and went away after seeing that Chiro, PT and doing acupuncture regularly with an occasional massage. Now, I get a flare-up if I do too much activity or am very stressed. The only solution I have is to roll ice over my arms. My PT has not been treating these flare-ups with the same plan he had in 2019. The Chiro seems leary of adjusting my neck much, after seeing my MRIs. I am wanting to find a more permanent treatment that will stave off the itching even through stressful times and activity. I recently read online of a treatment called prilotherapy, involving injections of glucose which causes the area to make its own repairs internally. It's not covered by insurance. I don't now if could afford it but it's not available in my area anyway. The treatment is available in Fla. I live in NJ. If anyone knows of any treatments that might help me, besides taking gabapentin for the rest of my life, (I've never tried it but I understand it can help,) I'd be grateful.

I forgot to mention: What I've learned is that the itching is not really itching, it is a pain which the brain perceives as itching. That's probably why scratching does not relieve it. I have also learned that there are 2 nerves that come out of the vertebrae. One is a myotome, the other is a dermatome. The myotome is responsible for movement where the dermatome is responsible for sensation. So, my dermatomes coming from cervical vertebrae are the nerve parts that are irritated. It is has nothing to do with my skin. (I've gone the route of dermatologists...they had no idea what it was from.)
Would the person who spoke of stretching helping his itching describe the type of stretching in more detail. I do stretches but if there is one out there that could be helping me more, I'd be so grateful to know of it. TY

I suffered for at least 15 years with the torment of BRP before finding a chiropractor specifically for the cervical spine. Nothing helped but ice all day and night. Lyrica did have a bit of success for about 2 weeks.
After about 6-8 chiropractic treatments, it completely disappeared and that was 3 years ago. It was my first experience with chiropractic care. I am 81.
Good luck to you. It is a torturous condition.

@thedinnymurph
Hi and ty for that comment. Do you happen to live in NJ? LOL

@enrica I’m from NJ. Currently living inPA.

My wife has had BRP for many years. Took some very knowlegeable Dermatologists to figure out the problem.
There is no known cure. She has tried eveything suggested. Finally she came up with the following herself. Capsazcin HP as a topical creme. Followed by EMBREL 50 a numbing cream. We get it on Amazon. When she told her Dermatologist he said "use it if it helps." It does not cure but it does give her a few hours of relief.

It starts off as a burning sensation then becomes an extremely itching bump for lack of another word.
Good luck,

Use ice packs. That freezes nerves in that area to stop itching.

@ilyne I used creams and freezing ointments too. Only last as long as the cream works. Then I got healing/control of the itching.
An accidental discovery happened when I was using an inversion table for traction. I have occasional sciatica from a lumbar disc issue decades ago. When I get some foot pain caused by the sciatica I use the table for some traction relief. Coincidentally I was also suffering with a bout of forearm itching when I got on the table. When I finished the 15 minute session. The foot pain was almost gone but so was the arm itching. I realized they were similar issues and within a couple of days developed a simple neck traction exercise. So I added it to a daily morning stretching routine and the itching has stayed away ever since. If I occasionally feel itching coming the traction exercise takes my itching away in minutes.

The exercise is simple: While standing, I take my shoulders and roll them back and hold them down. Then I lift my head off the shoulders using my neck muscles. I hold that position and count to 30 slowly. Then I do my usual stretch of touching my toes for the same 30 seconds. I return to my first stretch of shoulders back and down while lifting my head off my shoulders and holding for 30 more seconds. I repeat this series 3 times.
Since starting this stretch six years ago I've increase my stretch times to 60 seconds from 30 seconds.

The issue isn’t with the skin. It’s neurological. The spine in the neck is compressed, usually by poor posture over years. The compression of the vertebrae (bones) pinches the disc (gel between bones) that causes the disc to bulge out touching the brachial nerve. That touch sends an abnormal message to the brain that the brain interprets as itch (and for some pain as well).
By doing the stretch (which is technically traction) that decompresses the spine allowing the disc to pull back from the brachial nerve. Ending the itch.
The reason creams work is they stimulate the same brachial nerve, but down in the arms. Sensing a competing message to the brain of relief or numbness. But that only lasts for a while. The stretch deals with the root cause. And can be done easily anywhere any time.