tingling aching arm

by Wanda
(Bernice, LA, USA)

Tingling aching arm

This is my third week of the pain. First it was around my shoulder blade and if you rubbed around it, I would holler out in pain. The doctor gave me the pregnazone pac (5,4,3,2,1)and my shoulder did get some better.

All along my arm has been aching but over the last week, the pain of the aching is pretty bad. (if I were a child, I would be crying) The tingling will start and get so bad that it feels like my arm will explode and then it will ache.

Can only sleep on my back at night and move my arm a hundred times till my sleeping pill kicks in so I can sleep. Moving it trying to find a comfortable position.

The first week the pain around my shoulder blade was like and icepick sticking in my back and it was throbbing and aching. The back part is better and I can move my head to the right again. The pain definitely gets worse when I lay down.

As I am writing this my arm just had the tingling to almost exploding and now to a raging toothache hurt. Went to doctor the first week and have now seen a chiropractor for a week. The arm hurting is getting worse but the back shoulder blade pain is better. This pain is pretty bad. The aching is on the top right part of my forearm. Sometimes, it is under my arm right above the elbow. Sometimes, the whole arm is hurting.

Last night in bed, there was a throbbing on my forearm closer to the elbow on the inside part of my arm. I haven't had an x-ray yet because you can't x-ray nerves so I was told that wouldn't help.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Wanda,
You are experiencing one of the most painful conditions we face at the Chiropractic Coalface. So, don't feel you're being a baby, it hurts and usually hurts a lot. The night pain is a common feature, sometimes your hand under your head might help.

The rhomboid muscle in the shoulder blade region is supplied by a nerve from the lower neck so deep upper back pain is a common feature.

What's interesting though is that the pain is crossing several nerve roots. Which makes me wonder about a thoracic outlet syndrome in which a whole bundle of nerves, and the artery to the arm are pinched. The key sign: in a regular pinched nerve root raising the arm above the head will usually relieve the pain. The so-called Shoulder Abduction Relief sign. However in a TOS raising the arm as in hanging the washing will usually increase the symptoms as both the artery and the nerves are affected.

A cervical rib is another consideration, only detected on X-ray.

I'm afraid I disagree with the advice concerning X-rays. It's true you can't see the nerve root, but what you can see is if there is nerve root encroachment into the foramen by degenerative change of the Uncovertebral Joint Luschka, use this search funtion to find more info: Search this site … Also you can see old disc injury, whether there is a cervical rib... and much other stuff. But an MRI would be better still. But expensive.

Sometimes swinging your arm as in a windmill helps. Absolutely avoid carrying heavy objects in that arm. The definitive test is called the Upper Limb Tension Test which you can test at home. Use that Search function to find it.

Sorry, but you have a very painful, difficult condition. Both chiropractors and medical doctors find it difficult. The right diagnosis is at the heart of success and that means a proper, thorough examination of all these issues. Is your arm going lame, weak? The triceps is the most commonly affected. Try doing press ups. Does the arm tire much more quickly?

Get back to me with answers.

Dr B


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