Possible Causes of Arm Pain

Arm pain can have a range of causes, from small injuries to pinched nerves. Most cases resolve independently but talk with a healthcare professional if the pain is ongoing or accompanied by other symptoms.

What is Arm Pain?

Arm pain, mainly radiating pain into the shoulder or down the arm, often originates from a problem in your neck (cervical spine). Other causes of arm pain vary from joint injuries to compressed or stretched nerve tissue or even heart attack (radiating left arm pain). Arm pain may begin slowly and progress over time or have a sudden onset.

Causes of arm pain

Causes of arm pain and the accompanying symptoms can range from mild to severe. Possible causes of arm pain include:

Pinched nerves

Pinched nerves happen when a nerve has too much pressure on it due to surrounding:

• bones
• muscle
• cartilage
• tendons

Other symptoms can include:

• tingling
• numbness
• sharp pain
• muscle weakness

Sprains

Sprains are stretching or tearing of ligaments or tendons. They’re common injuries. A mild sprain can be treated at home, but more severe strains may require surgery. Common symptoms can include swelling, bruising, limited joint mobility, and an unstable joint.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon. It commonly occurs in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists and can vary from mild to severe. Other symptoms include mild swelling, tenderness, and dull, aching pain.

Rotator cuff injury

These often occur in people who perform overhead motions daily, like painters or baseball players. Symptoms include a dull ache in the shoulder and potential arm weakness.

Broken bones

Broken or fractured bones can cause immense, sharp pain in the arm. You may hear an audible snap when the bone breaks. Symptoms include:

• swelling
• bruising
• severe pain
• a visible deformity
• an inability to turn your palm

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disorder caused by inflammation that primarily affects the joints. Common symptoms include:

• warm, tender joints
• swelling of the joints
• stiffness in the joints
• fatigue

Angina

Angina is chest pain that occurs when your heart isn’t getting enough oxygen. It can cause pain in the arm and shoulder and pressure in your chest, neck, and back. Having angina often indicates an underlying heart problem. Other symptoms can include:

• chest pain
• nausea
• shortness of breath
• dizziness

Heart attack

Heart attacks occur when blood can’t reach the heart due to a blockage cutting off the heart’s oxygen supply. This can cause sections of the heart muscle to die if oxygen doesn’t return quickly. When experiencing a heart attack, you may have:

• pain in one or both arms
• shortness of breath
• pain elsewhere in your upper body
• nausea
• a cold sweat
• chest pain
• dizziness

Call 911 if you think you’re having a heart attack.

Symptoms

As the cause of arm pain varies greatly, the following list of symptoms represents a sampling of symptoms that any of several causes may generate.

• Feeling like an electric shock or burning sensation shooting down the arm
• Numbness in the arm or hand
• Weakness or inability to use arm, shoulder, writs, or grip muscles
• Complete inability to raise or move arm
• Pain
• Obvious swelling or redness around an affected joint
• Pain upon wrist rotation or movement
• All over achiness in arm
• Swelling of hand

Treatment

The following treatment options may be utilized in the treatment of various types of arm pain:

• Pharmacological Intervention NSAIDs, analgesics, nerve pain medications, and narcotic pain medications are all options in the treatment of Arm Pain.
• Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI) Primarily for arm pain due to disc problems, bone spurs, stenosis, nerve root irritation, or degenerative disc disease.
• Periarticular Joint Injection: An injection of a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory around or into a painful joint, such as the shoulder, elbow, or wrist, can quickly reduce pain and inflammation.
• Trigger Point Injection An injection of an anti-inflammatory medication into tight and irritated muscle tissue can relax and release painful knots in the rotator cuff muscles and elbow flexor or elbow extensor muscles.
• Spinal Cord Stimulator – Neuromodulation. For progressive cases of CRPS/RSD, where the arm or hands may be affected by severe pain, inflammation, skin texture, and color changes, a Spinal Cord Stimulator may be the last but best resort to improve symptoms immediately. Neuromodulation technology represents a new and progressive technology for treating this type of arm pain.