Arm pain is any type of pain that occurs in the arm. It can be sharp pain, shooting pain, or throbbing pain. Arm pain can be moderate to severe in intensity.

What causes arm pain?

There are a variety of things that can cause arm pain to occur. Most of the time arm pain is the result of an injury. It’s possible to injure your arm without even knowing it happened, which often explains “mystery” arm pain. Some more serious things that could be causing arm pain are carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, and tendonitis. If the pain is in the left arm and there are other symptoms such as light headedness, shortness of breath, sweating or nausea it is possible a heart attack is occurring, in which case immediate medical attention will be needed.

Should I see a doctor for arm pain?

Most of the time arm pain from a minor accident will go away on it’s own without treatment, but if the pain does persist you may need medical attention. If you haven’t had an accident and are experiencing arm pain with no other symptoms, don’t worry unless it doesn’t go away after a few days or seems to get worse and worse. A doctor should definitely be seen right away if you are having arm pain and are also having heart attack symptoms. Sometimes it’s best to trust your instincts. If your instincts are telling you that you need to see a doctor for your arm pain, even if it’s not severe, you should go. Something could be wrong that requires treatment from a doctor.

How is arm pain treated?

Arm injuries can be initially treated at home with ice packs and compression bandages. Sometimes elevation of the arm will also help to reduce swelling and pain. Over the counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen are also very useful in treating arm pain. A doctor will treat more serious types of arm injuries with prescription medication. If a sprain or broken bone has occurred, a doctor will prescribe pain medication and set the injury. A cast may be necessary if a bone is broken to keep the injury from worsening.

What causes neck and shoulder pain?

Neck pain can occur from many reasons, such as bad posture, muscle strain, tumors, and joint and bone disorders. The causes for shoulder pain include, overtension, pinched nerves, and tendonitis. It is also known that a heart attack can cause pain in both the shoulder and neck.

What are some ways to prevent shoulder and neck pain?

Some ways to prevent shoulder and neck pain is to not putting too much pressure on the muscles. When a job requires doing any heavy lifting or straining, get more than one person to help. When not working, do some neck and shoulder rolls ever so often. Take yoga and pilates classes. Yoga and pilates both help in keeping the body flexible. Also, always wear a seatbelt to prevent major injuries to the neck and shoulders that could occur in a car accident.

How will a doctor diagnose neck and shoulder pain?

The doctor will use one or more of the following ways to check what type of neck and shoulder problems the patient has. Some ways a doctor can diagnose neck and shoulder problems are with X-rays, MRIs, and EMGs.

How is neck and shoulder pain treated?

Neck and shoulder pain can be treated temporary with oral medications, which can be purchased over-the-counter, such as Aleve and Tylenol. Heat and ice packs are also effective in temporary treating pain in the neck and shoulder. A cortiosteriod injection may be needed if the pain is severe. Also, for some severe cases of neck and shoulder pain, a doctor may recommend surgery. This is only required if the nerve root or the spinal cord are affected.

When to go to the doctor if neck and shoulder pain are unbearable?

When pain in the shoulder and neck become unbearable, it is time to go to see a doctor. The problem can become worse, if not treated. It is important fix the problem early before it gets worse.

The next form of rotator cuff injury is a chronic tear. A chronic tear is develop over time. It is a pain that graduates from moderate to severe over time. A chronic tear is associated with impingement syndrome, and it mostly effects people over the age of 40. If you are suffering with a chronic tear in your rotator cuff, your movement will be very limited based on the severity of the pain. The symptoms include pain that becomes worst at night and affects your sleep. Chronic tear pain will make your arm feel very weak, as if you are unable to move it. You will need to seek medical attention immediately if you are unable to work due to the pain in your shoulder, if you are in pain for more than 3 days. Seek help if you are unable to reach above your head to grab things. Go to the emergency room if you are unable to move your arm at all. A rotator cuff injury is very painful and it takes time to heal. Do not play and sports of lift any heavy object until you are complete healed. Before you visit the doctor, you can relive some of the pain by applying ice to your shoulder.

First, it is important to rest your shoulder for a few days. This includes refraining from doing any workouts or physical activities. During this time, start taking 2 ibuprofen or naproxen pills every 4-6 hours. These medications are Cox-2 inhibitors which controls swelling and pain by limiting the effects of Cox-2 enzymes on prostraglandins (body chemicals). Furthermore, within the first 48 to 72 hours, you need to use ice on your shoulder. Ice is most effective if used at 20-minute intervals every 3 to 4 hours. You need to apply ice directly against the source of the pain in your shoulder. Ice limits blood flow to the shoulder joint through vasocontriction, a narrowing of the blood vessels in that area. This temporarily reduces inflammation and swelling. Once both swelling and inflammation are under control, you can use a heating pad or soak your shoulder in warm water to increase blood flow to the shoulder joint. Blood carries nutrients (i.e. vitamin C) and oxygen to the shoulder which are necessary for healing.

Massage can also be used to treat swelling pain in your shoulder. Massage can relax nerves and muscles in your shoulder as well as increase blood flow. In addition to massage, certain stretching and resistance exercises can also expedite the healing process of your shoulder. One exercise you can do is grab the back of your elbow and pull your shoulder toward your chest. Hold that position for 15-30 seconds, then relax. You can also bend over and loosely hang the arm of your affected shoulder downward. Start circling your arm around in a clockwise motion for a minute or two, then go clockwise. You can also clasp your hands behind your back and stretch your rotator cuff tendon. Ultimately, healing shoulder pain will take some time. Stick to all of the aforementioned treatments consistently.

Early on, start taking 2 ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) pills every 4-6 hours for wrist inflammation and pain. Take either anti-inflammatory medication until your wrist pain is gone. Furthermore, if your wrist pain is muscular in nature, your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant or even give you a cortisone shot for severe pain. About the time you start using heat on your wrist, massage your wrist for about 5 minutes a few times per day. Massage also increases blood flow to the wrist. It also helps relax the nerves which are the culprit for both local and referral pain (that which radiates to other areas of the body).

After the inflammation and swelling have been substanitally reduced, peform some basic stretching exercises for your wrist. Stretching exercises such as bending your wrist in different directions and holding the movement for 15-30 seconds can increase flexibility in your wrist. Strength-building exercises like squeezing a tennis ball can add greater stability to your wrist and relieve pressure from tendons and muscles (flexor and extensor muscles which feed into the wrist from the forearm). Stick to all of these procedures and you will be surprised how quickly you can recover from annoying wrist pain.