Causes of radiating arm pain

Have you ever experienced pain which seemed to radiate from your neck or shoulder into your arm? Did you feel that your arm had become weaker and you had more difficulty in performing your daily tasks?

Perhaps you may have irritated the nerves in your neck region as a result of poor posture or inappropriate movements in the neck.

Changes in your neck bones may result in irritations or compressions in the nerves in your neck region. The nerves from your neck pass into your arm and enable you to feel or experience a touch or pain.

The nerves also transmit signals to the muscles in your arm so that you can move easily in your daily activities. 

Radiating pain in the arm may be as a result of irritations or compression in the neck region by bone outgrowths on the neck bones or due to the protrusion of the soft cushion in between the neck bones.

This compression alters how the nerves usually work hence you may experience weakness and numbness in the arm with pain. These symptoms may indicate Cervical Radiculopathy.

Cervical Radiculopathy may be used to describe a condition in which there is an injury or damage to the nerves that emerge from the neck bones. Symptoms may be present in one arm or both arms.

Neck bones

Your neck bones begin at the base of your head and consist of seven small bones with a set of nerves from the spinal cord emerging from them. The nerves control the sensations that you feel and the movement associated with the muscles of the arms, shoulders, upper back and hands.

Risk factors/causes

There are various risk factors or causes associated with this condition. Inappropriate bending of the neck forwards or backwards or sideways places undue pressure on the neck bones.

The soft cushion in between the spine bones acts as shock absorbers and reduces the stress exerted within the spine each day. Inappropriate bending of the neck squeezes the soft cushion in a manner which may cause it to bulge outwards pressing on the nerves.

The pressure placed on the bones may also cause tears in the soft cushion and this may further push out and press on the nearby nerves in the neck region.

Another cause of the condition is bony outgrowth from the spinal bones which compress the nerves around the neck bones before they pass into the arm.

This usually occurs in older individuals due to the wear and tear of the neck bones as the individual grows older.

The irritation on the nerves results in symptoms in the affected arm.

Symptoms

Some individuals may complain of neck pain at the base of the head. You may also experience pain around the shoulders and in the fingers. You may also experience tingling sensation and numbness in the hands with weakness in the affected arm.  There may also be a limitation or restriction of movement in the neck as a result of  the pain.        

Diagnosis

In order to make a diagnosis, you may have to undergo a few examinations or tests. 

You may be required to perform specific movements with your arm or neck.  Your neck muscles may also be checked to determine whether they are tense or stiff.

X-rays may be conducted to ascertain the condition of your neck bones and find out whether there are bone outgrowths on the neck bone.

The X-rays will also indicate whether there are changes in the neck bones including narrowing of the spaces in the neck bones.

An MRI may also be conducted to show any abnormality involving the neck bones and surrounding structures.