Limb Weakness
Free Symptom Checker
with Physician-supervised AI
Reviewed By:
Bret Mobley, MD, MS (Neuropathology)
Dr. Mobley graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, completing a masters degree in neuroscience between his second and third years of medical school. He trained as a resident in pathology at Stanford University Hospital before joining the faculty of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville Tennessee in 2010. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018 and to Neuropathology Division Director in 2020.
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Content updated on Feb 6, 2025
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Weak
Feeling weak after a panic attack
Collapsed when laughing or feeling strongly emotional
Unable to move both legs
Sudden weakness on one side of the body that disappeared
Muscle weakness in the cold
Paralysis on one side
I can't move my arms
My arm and leg on one side is harder to move than the other
Muscles weakness
Difficult to move my legs
Sudden muscle weakness triggered by emotions or laughing
How Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min Limb Weakness quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- The middle finger of the right foot is not strong
- The little finger of the right foot does not move
- The middle finger of the right hand is not strong
- The little finger of the right hand is not strong
- The little finger of the right foot is not strong
- Sudden weakness on one side of the body that lasted for a while
- Muscle weakness after breathing too many times in a short time
- Can't move my limbs well but the right side is harder to move
- Getting cold causes me to lose strength quickly
- Paralysis of one side of the body
- Difficult to move my arms
- Can't move my hands or legs properly after breathing too fast
- Can't move my limbs well but the left side is harder to move
- Lose strength in half of the body suddenly for a while only
- No strength when the surrounding gets cold
See full list
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout the Symptom
Decreased muscle strength, where you try your best to move a limb but a normal muscle contraction doesn't occur. Muscle weakness is typically due to nerve issues or problems within the muscles.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Weakness in arms or legs
Possible Causes
Generally, Limb weakness can be related to:
- Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of diseases causing progressive weakness and muscle wasting. It is caused by mutated genes that normally allow healthy muscles to form. Different types of MD can appear at different ages, ranging from childhood to adulthood, and also present different levels of severity and clinical manifestations.
- Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare condition in which the immune system damages the spinal cord and the optic nerves.
- Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) or chronic relapsing polyneuropathy happens when the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths (protective fatty coverings) around the nerves. The exact triggers are unclear but could be systemic conditions like liver disease, diabetes, infections, cancer, immune system disorders, etc.
- Subcortical Hemorrhage
- Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy
- Neuralgic Amyotrophy
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Limb weakness may be related to these serious diseases:
- Spinal Cord Abscess
A buildup of pus around the spinal cord can compress nerves and cause symptoms. This sometimes occurs when bacteria from nearby wounds invade, or when bacteria multiply in distant areas and travel through the bloodstream to the spinal cord's surface.
- Pontine Infarction / Hemorrhage
- Cervical Cord Injury
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Do you have weakness in your arms or legs?
- When did you first notice the weakness in your arms or legs?
- How long does a single episode of weakness in your arms or legs typically last?
- Which of the following best describes how the weakness in your arms or legs appeared?
- How is your weakness in your arms or legs now?
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Reviewed By:
Bret Mobley, MD, MS (Neuropathology)
Dr. Mobley graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, completing a masters degree in neuroscience between his second and third years of medical school. He trained as a resident in pathology at Stanford University Hospital before joining the faculty of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville Tennessee in 2010. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018 and to Neuropathology Division Director in 2020.
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizUbie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
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Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1