As Chiropractors, Osteopaths and sports therapists, the ProBack team are responsible for more than just back pain but for the mechanical components of the whole body; how they align and interact is key to understanding how any pain evolves including pain in the arms.
We see many patients whose arm pain is a direct result of nerve compression within the upper back or neck; similar to the well-known entrapment in the lower back known as sciatica, neck radiculopathy (trapped nerves) most commonly involve shooting pain down the arm often extending into the wrist and fingers, however sometimes the pain occurs just in the elbow or wrist without additional symptoms.
Quite rightly, pain in the left arm is a cause for concern, whilst there are a multitude of simple biomechanical explanations for pain in the left arm, it is also the referral pattern for heart, therefore angina and heart attacks must be ruled out. Heart Pain tends to be sudden onset but ranges from mild to severe, it has a specific pattern involving the upper left chest, anterior shoulder, then down the inner bicep and into the little finger. It is often accompanied by other symptoms such as being short of breath, sweating or nausea. If in doubt, then it is advised to contact emergency services.
Unlike the left arm, when pain is felt in the right arm its far less of a concern as the heart does not refer to this side. Pain in the right arm therefore is far less sinister and can be from a multitude of biomechanical injuries as described below.
Alternative causes for pain in the arm or wrist can be brought on by many different things, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Often specific injuries can be related from a certain individual action or a direct injury with an obvious cause such as a work or sports injury.
Yet there may be a more complicated problems related to a bio-mechanical issues as a result of stresses and strains on the system, it is impossible to underestimate the role of the neck and the nerves supplying the arm in this scenario; as they coordinate the firing or movement patterns or the arm an irritation at the top of the neck can lead to a muscular instability and eventual injury further down the extremity.
To find out an exact diagnosis; a full examination and sometimes x-rays will be needed. Here are just some of the possible locations or causes of pain in the arms:
If you have an injury in the arm, you might experience:
Once the root cause of the arm pain has been found, the best course of treatment and length of treatment can be planned.
As with most aches and pains often it is a combination of our unique therapies (in the UK) that ProBack practitioners can rely on to unlock even the most complicated issues.
A full examination at a ProBack Clinic will find the cause of your pain. In most cases, the arm pain is the result of injuries, developed over time by repetitive straining activities, or referred from somewhere else in the body, like the neck.
Shockwave’s percussive motion helps break down scar tissue and increase blood flow in the area of treatment. This encourages healing and allows increased movement of muscles and joints helping to reduce pain.
Laser can be a useful tool in helping to kick-start the healing process in an injured area. Using light therapy, the K Laser increases the activity of cells, resulting in the regeneration of blood vessels in the injured area, which can improve the body’s natural healing abilities. In cases where slow healing can be an obstacle, laser therapy can be particularly helpful.
It can be confusing to think a treatment for the spine could possibly help with arm pain. Pain in the arm could happen as a result of a disc problem in the neck, for instance degeneration or dehydrated discs. In these cases, relieving the arm pain can only be achieved by improving the condition of the neck. Spinal decompression uses a gentle amount of a patient’s body weight to perform a gentle stretch. This helps relieve pressure and allow for nutrients and fluid to re-enter and pumped through the disc space.
SYMPTOMS
Back Pain
TREATMENT
Radial Shockwave Therapy
K-Laser Therapy
Vladimir’s story started with knee pain. He had experienced this for a number of years alongside an underlying back problem. After surgeries and multiple injections to his knee with no relief, his back pain only got worse. This forced Vladimir to stop working and spiral into depression.
Flat 4, Evelyn Mansions,
Carlisle Place, Westminster,
London, SW1P 1NH
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