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“Does anyone know anything about feeling an electric shock sensation?” one MyLupusTeam member asked. “This started a few days ago. It feels so strange, like I’m literally being shocked — my forehead, back, and side of my face.”
If you’ve felt an electric shock sensation while living with lupus, you’re not alone. This autoimmune disorder causes inflammation when your immune system mistakenly attacks and damages your own cells. An electric shock sensation could be linked to those inflammatory effects on your nervous system.
In this article, we’ll walk through five possible causes of electric shock sensations in the body. You’ll also find tips on when you should call your doctor.
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Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage in the arms or legs. Lupus can damage these nerves through several processes. One involves immune-related nerve injury and inflammation of the blood vessels that supply the nerves.
This condition can cause a wide range of sensations, including tingling, numbness, crawling, pins and needles, temperature changes, and electric shock feelings.
Peripheral neuropathy leads to various symptoms. When it affects motor nerves, which carry signals from the brain and spinal cord to the skeletal muscles, it can cause mobility problems.
It can also affect sensory nerves, which transmit information from the body’s sensory organs to the brain and spinal cord. This may result in loss of feeling, numbness, tingling, and electric shocks. Neuropathy can be a mix of these symptoms in one area or appear in multiple body areas.
Peripheral neuropathy is relatively common in people with lupus. Symptoms like electric shock sensations or related issues can seriously affect quality of life.
Some people notice that common lupus triggers, such as sunlight and heat, make this sensation worse. “When I’ve been in the sun, I get pinching, poking, like pins and needles from the inside all over,” one MyLupusTeam member wrote.
If this symptom happens during lupus flare-ups, it may be related to your lupus, but keep in mind that constant damage to the nerves may lead to permanent changes, and symptoms can also appear outside of flares. However, other conditions and injuries can also cause an electric shock sensation.
A pinched nerve occurs when pressure is applied to a nerve from the tissues that surround it. It may be pinched by a bone, swollen muscles, or inflammation in joints or tendons from an injury.
Pinched nerves can happen in people with and without lupus. They may cause a wide range of sensations, depending on the body part affected. These include pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness. If your electric shock feeling always occurs in the same location or begins after an injury, it might be caused by a pinched nerve.
If your doctor says you have a pinched nerve, they may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids to manage swelling and pain.
NSAIDs can affect kidney function and may be inappropriate for people with lupus nephritis or other kidney problems. Always check with your healthcare provider before using them.
Corticosteroids strong enough to treat serious nerve inflammation are prescription medications. Never start this treatment without medical guidance.
Other hormonal conditions can also play a role. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones, leading to fatigue and weight gain. This condition and diabetes can both cause peripheral neuropathy and may raise the risk of certain nerve-compression problems.
Additionally, having too much growth hormone can lead to a condition called acromegaly. This causes unusual growth of bones and tissues, especially in the hands, feet, and face.
People living with lupus may also experience other chronic conditions. One is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is another autoimmune disease known to cause peripheral neuropathy.
Along with many other symptoms, peripheral neuropathy from RA could start as or be accompanied by electric shock sensations. RA is diagnosed with a physical examination followed by blood tests and imaging. RA can be managed with disease-modifying drugs and lifestyle changes.
There can also be a rare coexistence of elements from lupus and RA, called rhupus, and these patients can also present neuropathy from inflammation.
People living with lupus and certain other conditions may feel short sensations of an intense electric shock down the neck, spine, trunk, and limbs called Lhermitte’s sign.
Lhermitte’s sign can occur with any condition that affects the cervical spinal cord, including:
Electric shock-like sensations are sometimes linked with an infectious disease called shingles. “I had shingles back in September, and it felt like that,” one member said.
Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that also causes chickenpox. It causes pain and tingling on one side of your body (usually the face or trunk). It also causes an itchy rash on the same side.
People who have had chickenpox or shingles before are at risk of reactivating the dormant virus, especially when the immune system is suppressed. That is why after receiving certain biologic or immunosuppressive treatments for lupus and other rheumatologic conditions, it’s important to watch for shingles infection.
Some people develop persistent nerve pain after shingles, called postherpetic neuralgia. This can continue for months and sometimes years after the rash clears.
One MyLupusTeam member said they saw their doctor because the electric shock sensations “started occurring multiple times a day.” This member explained that they underwent an MRI so their healthcare provider could find the cause.
New electric shock sensations aren’t usually an emergency. But sometimes they can signal something urgent. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Get emergency medical care right away if new electric shock sensations happen along with any of the following:
These symptoms can signal a stroke, a spinal cord problem, or another emergency that needs immediate treatment.
If you’re having electric shock sensations caused by peripheral neuropathy or another lupus complication, talk to your rheumatologist. They can diagnose and create a treatment plan to address all your symptoms and prevent flares.
Contacting your rheumatologist early will help them determine if the sensations are related to lupus, an infection, or other conditions. Lupus treatment often involves immunosuppressive drugs to calm the immune system. Treatment for infection or other causes would be different.
If your healthcare provider thinks these sensations may be a sign of another condition, they may refer you to a specialist. See a doctor if your electric shock sensations meet any of the following criteria:
It’s essential to seek medical help for electric shock sensations to improve your overall well-being and quality of life.
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I have the same symptoms mostly around my spine but also in my arms and legs. I was in the same shape as you were after the EMG. Like you, I just had to suffer through it because the doc didn’t take… read more
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