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ARM PAIN

BRACHIAL NEURALGIA

(Keywords: arm pain, chiropractic help, acromioclavicular joint, rotator cuff syndrome, home traction unit, neck pain anatomy, chiropractic subluxation)

Arm pain is a very general term, but underlying many of the conditions of the arm is an irritated, or frankly pinched nerve in the neck.

Brachial neuralgia ("arm-nerve-pain") is the medical name for a pinched nerve in the neck. In its acute phase it is probably one of the most painful conditions faced in the chiropractic clinic. The pain is relentless and it is difficult to find a position which relieves the pain. It is often especially bad at night.

A characteristic sign is the so-called Shoulder abduction relief sign ... Raising your arm above your head brings a measure of relief, as it takes the stretch off the nerve. Conversely, carrying a bag of groceries will increase the stretch on the tethered or irritated nerve, aggravating the pain.

SOME NECK PAIN ANATOMY WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THINGS

Neck pain is a common reason people visit their chiropractor. Typically it doesn't start from a single injury, though it may – a car accident, a fall from a horse etc. Instead, the problem usually develops over time from the stress and strain of daily activities, which includes the traumas that almost everyone experiences. Sports injuries, blows to the head, neck and shoulder (as in boxing and rugby often causing an Acromioclavicular Joint syndrome), whiplashes and so on. Whiplash Chiropractic ... Read more …

NECK PAIN ANATOMY

The cervical spine is formed by seven vertebrae, to which we should add the upper two or three thoracic vertebrae, as they are often involved in neck and arm pain. The joints are stabilised by the "facet joints". Through a small "foramen" the nerve root escapes, on its way to the arm. Neck pain anatomy ... …

Each vertebra is formed by a round block of bone, called the vertebral body, and a bony ring which surrounds and protects the spinal cord.

As the spinal cord travels from the brain down through the spine, it sends out nerve branches between the bones. They are called nerve roots. The nerve roots form the nerves that go to the arms and hands, via a small bony tunnel called a foramen.

As the nerve emerges via the foramen it may become irritated and/or pinched by a slipped disc, swelling from the facet joints or arthritic changes within the foramen. More commonly, it has now been proved that fixated joints release noxious chemicals that stimulate so-called nociceptors, causing tingling and pain in the arm.

For more information about CHIROPRACTIC SUBLUXATION AND how subluxations cause arthritis in joints, click here: CHIROPRACTIC SUBLUXATION ...

Slipped Disk

An intervertebral disc is made up of two parts. The centre, called the nucleus pulposis, is like egg white. It provides most of the ability to absorb shock. The nucleus is held in place by the annulus, a series of strong rings of cartilage. If the gel in the nucleus tears through the annular fibres, then you have a slipped disk which may pinch the nerve and cause arm pain.

There are two facet joints between each pair of vertebrae, one on each side of the spine. The alignment of the facet joints of the cervical spine allows freedom of movement as you bend and turn your neck. They are the most common cause of neck pain. Should a piece of the capsule become entrapped, then you have the classical stiff neck that we in chiropractic help on a daily basis. Bread and butter. If allowed to become chronic, then irritating chemicals may be released which inflame the nerve causing tingling or pain in the arm.

What is a brachial neuralgia?

The arm is innervated by nerves that emerge from the lower neck. Their function is two-fold: To bring information to the brain from the arm (such as pain, should your fingers be burnt by hot oil for example), and secondly to send information to the muscles of the arm, enabling you to rapidly move your hand away from the source of pain (the boiling oil!)

These nerves emerge from the neck via the tiny neural foramen seen in the picture above, travelling through the armpit, via the elbow and to the forearm and fingers.

Irritation of these nerves is what causes most of the painful conditions of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers.

A frank pinching of the nerve root in the neck is what we call a brachial neuralgia. It may cause extreme arm pain, tingling, numbness and even weakness of the muscles, most usually the triceps. Less severe arm pain, and especially tingling may be caused by noxious chemicals released within a fixated joint as the cartilage starts to degenerate. Read more about IMMOBILISATION ARTHRITIS ...

If you enjoy reading, and you want to find out more about chiropractic, then you will love chiropractor Bernard Preston's books. Anecdotes and yarns from his own Coalface, and out of his life, will keep you alternately happily chortling and scratching your head as he stretches you. "Don't you want to see those grandchildren grow up, and sit under the trees you once planted?" asks he.

Crazy about hobbies, Preston will tell you about his gliding, motor cycling, carpentry - but all related to better health and chiropractic.

Described by his editor as the James Herriot of Chiropractic, you will love these light and witty stories.

More about Bernard Preston Chiropractic books.

FROZEN SHOULDER AND ROTATOR CUFF SYNDROME

Because the shoulder muscles, the capsule, the ligaments and fascia are supplied by nerves from the neck, a chronic irritation of the nerve is usually the underlying causes of many shoulder syndromes, such as Frozen Shoulder Syndrome … (a capsular condition) and a Rotator Cuff Syndrome … which is a muscular condition. The hinge joint between your collar bone and the shoulder blade - the AcromioClavicular Joint - is central. For more information about how chiropractic helps the muscles, joints and nerves (the shoulder anatomy), click here: SHOULDER ANATOMY ...

For more information about Rotator Cuff strengthening exercises, click here: ROTATOR CUFF STRENGTHENING ...

Pain running down the arm is a serious condition. It's often EXTREMELY PAINFUL and is one of the conditions that will likely make your Chiropractor RUNNING LATE ...

TENNIS ELBOW

Moving down the arm, should the nerve supplying the extensor muscles of the wrist (they are found around the elbow), then you become prone to tennis elbow, and golfer's elbow too. For more information about how chirorpractic helps these conditions, click here: TENNIS ELBOW ...

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

There is much anecdotal evidence that carpal tunnel syndrome, but it remains to be scientifically proved. Because it usually falls into the so-called "double crush syndrom" we find CTS responds well to chiropractic. The nerve may be irritated in the neck, and in the forearm and the wrist. Charasterically you have tingling in the thumb, fore and middle fingers. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME ... Read more …

Included in this Carpal Tunnel Syndrome page you will find a short questionaire that will enable you to measure just how bad your CTS is, and whether the Chiropractic treatment was effective or not in the treatment of your hand and often arm pain that accompanies CTS.

THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME

A fairly common condition is the irritation of the nerves causing arm pain by a subluxated first rib in the neck. If it also affects the artery supplying the arm, then it is called a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome ...

Medicine likes to remove the offending rib surgically. A patient this week had the procedure some six months ago, and it made absolutely no difference to his arm pain, but I have seen no research showing how effective the surgery is. We adjust the subluxated rib, I think very successfully, though once again I have no stats for you. Certainly it is much simpler than the grisly operation which done through the armpit. For more information about Anaesthethic Alzheimers disease (memory loss after an anaesthetic) click here. ANAESTHETIC ALZHEIMERS ...

CHIROPRACTIC NECK PAIN TREATMENT.

Chiropractic NECK PAIN treatment ...

Your Chiropractor may use a variety of techniques to free up the tethered nerve root causing your arm pain. Most of them involve manipulations, what we call an adjustment. In the hands of an experienced practitioner it's a very safe procedure, only very, very occasionally causing serious problems. A lot safer than anti inflammatory drugs that kill thousands. Literally.

Treatment may also include stretching of the neck, treatment of the muscles of the neck and an array of physiotherapy devices.

What is surprising is that even in the most degenerative neck, with huge arthritic spurs surrounding the nerve root, adjustment of the vertebrae above and below the arthritis relieves the arm pain.

Rotating the arm like a windmill sometimes helps a brachial neuralgia, but will aggravate a rotator cuff syndrome. Sleeping with your hand under the head may relieve the pain of a pinched nerve in the neck.

Simple traction devices can be very useful in the treatment of a brachial neuralgia. Follow this link for an inexpensive and effective tractionEQUIPMENT/8.asp.

My mind is made up, so ...

... DON'T CONFUSE ME WITH THE FACTS!

A survey of a large number of studies concerning traction for arm pain came to the following conclusions:

BACKGROUND: Neck pain is a frequently reported complaint which can be disabling and costly to society. Mechanical traction is often used as an adjunct therapy in outpatient rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of mechanical traction for neck disorders.

MAIN RESULTS: Of the seven selected trials (called RCTs), only one had a low risk of bias.

It found no statistically significant difference between continuous traction and placebo traction in reducing pain or improving function for chronic neck disorders with radicular symptoms.

RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS:

The current literature does not support or refute the effectiveness of continuous or intermittent traction when compared to placebo traction, tablet or heat or other conservative treatments in patients with chronic neck disorders.
Large, well conducted RCTs are needed to first determine the efficacy of traction.

I have used this traction device for home use of arm pain with great effect, as an adjunct to chiropractic treatment. However, there is no hard evidence that it is effective when used on its own. There simply is only one good trial concerning traction used on its own and it neither proved it effective, nor refuted its effectiveness in the treatment of arm pain.

If you have two right hands (Dutch proverb) you might like to make this Home Traction Unit ... HOME TRACTION UNIT ...

FROM THE CHIROPRACTIC COALFACE

Mr S, a 43 year old Dutchman after my own heart. He's a motor cycling fanatatic. Only he has a problem. Two years ago he set off on a trip across Europe and within two hours had to return home: severe pain in the neck, radiating down the left arm. For over a year he was unable to ride his motor cycle. Literally. Within ten minute he would have severe neck and arm pain.

I won't pretend his case has been easy. His neck was technically difficult to adjust, but within six months, with the aid of his home traction unit he was motor cycling again. Last night he had dinner with us, and took me for a ride on his new BMW 100, ah sublime. Next week he leaves on 10 day ride through the former Soviet republics. Estonia, Latvia... Chiropractic PLUS his home traction unit pictured above have enabled him to return to his favourite pasttime. Motor cycling. Mine too. Traction may not help on its own, but as an add-on to chiropractic, I highly recommend for radiating arm pain from the neck.

SURGERY

Occasionally, this arm pain will not respond to conservative treatment. If the arm becomes weakened, and the nerve pain in the arm remains relentless, surgery may have to be considered.

It can be very successful, though it is a dangerous procedure with a relatively high rate of morbidity and complications. Sometimes there is no other option.

MUSICIANS HEALTH

Are you a musician and suffering from neck, shoulder and arm pain? From Learn Theory Music you can pick up some very useful tips about musicians health. MUSICIANS HEALTH ... >