Arm Pain Causes

Arm Pain Doesn't Always Start In An Arm

Arm pain causes sometimes include problems that don't actually originate in one of your arms--a pulled muscle, tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis, or a repetitive stress injury that causes pain in the arm. Even though you may feel pain in an arm, the problem may, in fact, come from somewhere else: your neck or your chest, for instance. In fact, arm pain and chest pain are often signs of a heart problem. Therefore, arm pain should be taken seriously until you know what is causing it.

Often, pain that's not caused by a heart problem, a fracture, or nerve damage will respond well to self treatment once your doctor has made a diagnosis.

Common arm pain causes include:

Brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves stretching from spine all the way the hand. Pain results if these nerves are injured or damaged.

Broken bones. Often the result of accidents, falls, or athletic competition.

Muscle strains and joint sprains.

Repetitive stress injuries, often resulting in

• Carpal tunnel syndrome This is a painful condition resulting from the compression of an important nerve in the wrist.
• Intersection syndrome. This is painful condition of the forearm and wrist. It affects people who do repeated wrist actions,
• Tendinitis Inflammation or irritation of the tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle.
• Bursitis This results from an inflammation of the bursa, which are the fluid-filled sacs that help tendons and bone move smoothly.

Kienbock disease. This often occurs after an injury, featuring as stiffness, pain and swelling.

Postherpetic neuralgia. This is a complication of shingles; pain that remains after healing of lesions or rash, usually after a three month period.

Thoracic outlet syndrome. This results from compression of nerves and/or blood vessels due to an inadequate passageway through an area between the base of the neck and the armpit. This area is known as the thoracic outlet.

Diagnosis of arm pain causes

Once again, most arm pain doesn't present an emergency, but you should take quick action, even by going to an emergency room, in the following circumstances:

• sudden arm and shoulder pain occurs, accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, pressure, or squeezing in your chest. A heart attack may be in progress.
• similarly, get help quickly if you feel pain in your arm, shoulder or back during or following exercise or exertion, which goes away when you rest.

 Get medical attention fast when you

• experience sudden severe pain that may have been caused by an injury, especially if you heard a cracking or snapping sound at the time,
• notice sudden, extensive swelling in your arm,
• have trouble moving or turning your arm.

 See a doctor if

• your arm pain continues for a week or so and doesn't seem to be getting any better,
• you notice unusual redness or swelling,
• you have a brachial plexus injury that fails to improve in 3-4 weeks.

Treating arm pain

Often, arm pain can be treated at home once your doctor has diagnosed the problem.

For pain involving the joints, ice packs usually help relieve pain and swelling.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend that you immobilize your arm with a sling or, in the case of a fracture, a cast.

Even serious arm injuries can be helped initially with home treatment. If you think that you have a broken arm or wrist, apply ice packs to the affected area and use a sling to help hold your arm still until you can get medical care.

In many instances, the best medicine is rest so you can give your body a chance to heal itself.