Arm Pain

There are many causes of arm pain. Many people with jobs that involve repetitive motion, such as mechanics, assembly line workers, musicians, athletes, clerical workers who use the keyboard for extended periods, and data entry personnel, experience frequent arm pain. Injury and too much stress can be causes, too. Experts agree that evaluating and addressing the cause of pain is a better approach than superficially eliminating symptoms.

The brain directs the muscles of the arm to function via the nerves exiting the spinal cord at the level of the cervical/thoracic spine. The nerves and blood vessels that supply the shoulders, arms, and hands start in the neck and upper back and pass as a bundle between the bones of the neck and upper back and ribs and collarbones near the cervical spine. Pressure on these nerves and blood vessels create symptoms. These symptoms can include lack of normal motion, pain, inflammation, cramping, stiffness, weakness, numbness, tingling or swelling in the arm.

Chiropractors work to correct the cause of the nerve interference by reducing or eliminating any subluxated cervical/thoracic vertebrae and/or upper extremity joints. When the nerve pressure has been reduced the function of that nerve may resume normal function and often times symptomatic relief will have been achieved.