Arm pain is a relatively common complaint that can severely restrict the person’s everyday life. Because the complaints often occur during simple activities, so brushing your teeth or getting dressed can quickly become a pain.
Table of Contents
- Arm pain: definition and symptoms
- Causes of arm pain in the upper arm
- Left arm pain can be a warning sign of a heart attack
- Pain in the forearm
- Diagnosis of aching arms
- Treatment for arm pain
- Naturopathy for arm pain
Various diseases and injuries to the bones, joints, muscles and tendons, such as sore muscles, bruises, fractures, rheumatism or osteoporosis, can trigger the pain in the arm . Basically, pain in the arm should always be clarified by a doctor, because it can also indicate a gradual wear and tear of the joints (arthrosis) or even a heart attack . The treatment depends on the cause and can therefore be very different. For example, an ointment bandage can often help with sports injuries or pain caused by overwork (“tennis elbow”), but bottleneck syndromes and complicated fractures in most cases require surgery.
Arm pain and the various causes. Image: SENTELLO – fotolia
Arm pain: definition and symptoms
Arm pain usually includes all the pain that occurs in the upper limbs. The arm consists of the humerus, ulna, radius (radius) and the elbow joint, plus numerous muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and blood vessels. The ulna and spoke are articulated on the elbow and wrist. The humerus is connected to the forearm via the elbow joint and to the shoulder girdle or trunk via the shoulder joint.
The pain in the arms can occur suddenly (acute) or can be chronic and can be perceived as pulling, biting, dull, oppressive or stabbing, for example. Depending on the cause, inflammatory swelling or overheating at the affected area as well as restricted mobility, emotional disturbances (tingling, walking with ants, etc.) or symptoms of paralysis are possible.
Causes of arm pain in the upper arm
Upper arm pain occurs in the area between the shoulder joint and elbow, but radiating shoulder or elbow pain can also be perceived as such. The symptoms often occur in connection with neck pain and tension, a stiff neck can also be accompanied by pulling pain in the upper arm.
Arm pain
If the arm hurts, targeted movements can help with arm pain.
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The cause is often injuries caused by external violence (trauma injuries) such as bruises, bruises, torn muscle fibers, strains or broken bones that result from an accident, fall or hard impact. In this case, the pain is usually perceived as stinging, burning or boring, in addition there is often a clearly recognizable, reddish swelling in the affected area and a hematoma (“bruise”), which, depending on the severity of the injury, extends to large parts of the upper arm can spread.
Pain and restricted movement in the upper arm can be caused by impairments of the muscles, surrounding connective tissue structures, blood vessels and nerves. These are often due to overload and arise as a result of years of continuous, always identical movements, which in combination with unfavorable strength and posture requirements damage the tissue. Especially people who work on the PC for hours every day are often affected by the so-called “mouse arm” (medical: Repetitive Strain Injury, in short: RSI), and working on the assembly line, for example, also carries an increased risk. In addition to the pain, the tissue damage often results in restricted movement, loss of strength in the affected arm, numbness and sensations or repeated falling asleep in the hands .
Muscle-related pain can result from heavy loads during strength or martial arts, and a longer immobilization of the arm (eg in plaster) can cause discomfort in the upper area of the arm. If the pain radiates over a large area, a nerve may be trapped . This is a compression (compression) of the nerve fibers, which often only occurs with certain movements, which means that those affected only have arm pain, for example . In rare cases, however, there may be permanent compression, as a result of which the affected person experiences permanent pain even when at rest.
The pain in the upper part of the arm can also be caused by a benign tumor of the cells of the adipose tissue (medically “lipoma”). In most cases, lipomas lie directly under the skin and are therefore visible or palpable from the outside as a small knob. Less often, a benign soft tissue tumor can also lie deeper and grow, for example, in the muscles, which means that it often remains undetected at first. Nevertheless, lipomas usually remain harmless, only in very rare cases does a malignant tumor develop from them.
Other possible causes include rheumatic diseases, osteoarthritis or tendinitis (tendovaginitis). Osteoporosis, bursitis, skin diseases (e.g. psoriasis ), circulatory disorders , a blood clot or the so-called ” carpal tunnel syndrome ” can also be the trigger for the symptoms.
Left arm pain can be a warning sign of a heart attack
In addition to the functional causes, organic diseases can also be responsible. Especially in older people, sudden sudden severe pain in the (left) arm should always be considered a heart attack . Because the patient is not extremely bad with every infarction, sometimes even minor complaints occur. However, alarm signals are in any case severe chest pain that lasts longer than five minutes and can radiate into the left arm or both arms, neck, jaw, shoulder or upper abdomen, as well as massive chest tightness, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting . There are also a number of other important warning signs such as facial pallor , cold sweat,Dizziness , weakness and restlessness . Since a heart attack is an absolute medical emergency, do not hesitate if you suspect it, but always call the emergency doctor immediately.
Pain in the forearm
The pain occurs in the forearmthere are many different causes, such as bone and joint problems, muscular problems, nerve irritation or circulatory disorders. Often there is an overload of the muscles, tendons and ligaments, which is usually caused by incorrect posture (for example when doing housework, sleeping), faulty sports techniques or ergonomically unfavorable workplaces. Professions such as hairdressers or bakers are also associated with an increased risk of overload-related arm pain, since the wrists and forearms are repeatedly exposed to uniform mechanical loads. A common consequence is painful inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis) or tendon sheaths (tendovaginitis),Mouse arm ”or less often develop a“ golf elbow ”.
Another possible cause is nerve compression or a pinched nerve. This can affect, among other things, the Ulnaris nerve, one of the most important nerves of the arm, which allows, for example, the flexing of fingers and wrists. The ulnar nerve runs on the inside of the elbow through the so-called “cubital tunnel” (lat. Cubitus = elbow), a narrow channel that lies between a bone groove (sulcus nervi ulnaris), a collateral ligament and a rough tendon plate (aponeurosis). If there is an additional constriction in this narrow tunnel, the nerve becomes irritated and there are considerable complaints such as arm pain, functional impairments and sensation disorders of the hand. This so-called “cubital tunnel syndrome” is mostly caused by direct damage such as a fracture,
Severe pain in the forearm also occurs with bruises or fractures, which often result from an accident or fall. A forearm fracture, in which in most cases the spoke (radius) breaks, is often preceded by a fall on the outstretched hand. Because at this moment a large part of the body weight acts on the forearm bones, which however cannot withstand the stress and eventually break. This affects children particularly often, but even in older people, the reduced bone stability in the event of a fall causes the spoke to break more quickly. Osteoporosis (bone loss), which combines weak bones and an increased tendency to fall, also increases the risk of fractures and the associated pain.
Also rheumatic diseases, (contaminated) wounds or injuries in the area of the hands, neck and shoulders, a herniated disc in the neck area or a carpal tunnel syndromecome into consideration as the cause. Likewise, body aches often occur in the context of infections such as a cold or flu. So-called “cervical spondylosis” is also conceivable. This is an arthrosis of the vertebral joints on the cervical spine, which often causes a stiff neck and pain in this area at the beginning. Depending on the form and location of the signs of wear, these can radiate into the back of the head, shoulder area, face, arms and hands. Those affected often experience slight numbness or tingling in the arms at the same time, dizziness, balance disorders and weakness are also possible.
Diagnosis of aching arms
In the case of pain in the arm, those affected should be very attentive and always consult a doctor as a precaution, especially in the case of suddenly pronounced, long-lasting or recurring complaints. Harmless pain in the arm, such as often occurs after carrying heavy loads or unusual movements (when renovating, doing handicrafts, etc.), on the other hand, disappears on its own in most cases as soon as you have given the arm some protection.
The doctor often already receives important information about the cause of the arm pain through a detailed medical history (previous illnesses, physical stress, etc.) and the clarification of the symptoms by scanning the affected areas. Questions like “Where exactly does it hurt?”, “How does the pain feel? Burning, boring or rather pulling? ”And“ In which situations does he appear? ”Help the doctor to get a comprehensive impression and should therefore be answered by the patient as specifically as possible. Imaging methods such as X-rays, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging are used to support or in case of doubt.
Diagnosis and therapy for arm pain. Image: contrastwerkstatt – fotolia
Treatment for arm pain
The treatment depends on the respective cause and can therefore include very different measures from case to case. Functional complaints such as muscle pain, tension or nerve compression can often be alleviated by medical massages in connection with physiotherapy exercises, in some cases acupuncture can offer another valuable addition. To treat the acute symptoms, anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac can also be used.
If the pain is due to a fracture, the arm is usually immobilized, for example in the case of unmoved, isolated elbow or spoke shaft fractures or forearm shaft fractures in children, first with a plaster splint and then with a closed plaster cast. Open, slowly healing or postponed fractures usually require surgery to straighten the bones and ensure long-term stabilization of the arm.
Even with tendonitis, it is particularly important to immobilize and protect the affected area, for which the use of bandages or support bandages is recommended. If swelling and redness appear in parallel, cooling pads are a good help, and if necessary, pain and anti-inflammatory creams or tablets can relieve the symptoms.
With bottleneck syndromes such as carpal tunnel syndrome, the symptoms at the beginning of the disease can often be alleviated with special wrist splints or anti-inflammatory cortisone. In the advanced stage as well as with persistent complaints, however, an operation is usually carried out in which the damaged structures are relieved.
If the doctor has diagnosed a so-called “tennis or mouse arm” or golf elbow, in addition to painkillers, non-surgical measures such as ointment bandages, cold and heat treatments, stretching exercises, massages or electromechanical stimulation are usually also used initially. A special bandage can also help, but operations are only necessary in very rare cases. If you suffer from arm pain as a result of constant overloading, incorrect posture, etc., you should also consider that for a long-term improvement, the triggering circumstances must be changed. This means, for example, a corresponding redesign of the workplace from an ergonomic point of view (correct setting of the screen height, palm rest, special mouse etc.) and a general avoidance of unfavorable,
Naturopathy for arm pain
A number of natural remedies and alternative treatment methods also offer help for arm pain. Herbal medicine, for example, has proven its worth, because arnica or combination products made from essential oils such as bergamot or lavender oil can help to alleviate severe pain. If the pain is due to an overworked, tense muscles, various homeopathic remedies have proven to help relax the muscles. If the symptoms get worse, for example, from exercise, Bryonia can help. Rhus toxicodendron, on the other hand, is particularly suitable for muscle pain that intensifies at night or at rest.
Kicking as part of a cold or the like In addition to a general feeling of sickness and exhaustion and body aches, taking Eupatorium perfoliatum can be useful. If the cause of the arm pain is a previous injury (eg contusion, strain, blow), natural medicine often recommends arnica and witch hazel, which are used both externally in the form of an ointment and internally as globules. If the muscle pain is felt in the whole arm and worsens when moving, the “bulbous buttercup” (Ranunculus bulbosus) has proven itself. On the other hand, if physical activity helps and the symptoms increase rather at rest, rhododendron can be the method of choice.
Schüssler salts as supportive therapy. Image: Gerhard Seybert – fotolia
In addition, Schüssler salts can be an effective support for pain in the arms. Here, among other things, the salt No. 1 (calcium fluoratum) comes into question, which is responsible for the elasticity of the tissue and can accordingly relieve tension and tension. If numbness or discomfort (tingling, walking with ants, furry, etc.) occurs in the arms parallel to the pain, salt No. 2 (Calcium Phosphoricum) may be indicated to relieve the nerves, tendons and muscle strains.
In the event of arm pain as a result of acute injuries such as a bruise, bruise or sprain, salt No. 3 (Ferrum Phosphoricum) can help, in the event of a break, Schüssler Salt No. 2 (Calcium phosphoricum) naturally supports the bone to grow together. If the arm hurts due to inflammation, Ferrum Phosphoricum has also proven itself in the initial stage, but in the further course, potassium chloratum (acute stage) and potassium sulfuricum (healing process) are more suitable.
If the arm pain is due to tension, massages or the so-called “progressive muscle relaxation” can also help. In addition, acupuncture is often used to relieve pain and inflammation in the case of overload diseases such as the tennis elbow or golf elbow . A prerequisite for sustained success in treatment is, however, that the pain-causing circumstances are changed at the same time, for example by initially not playing tennis or by redesigning the PC workstation according to ergonomic criteria.
