Saturday, June 2, 2012

How Can I Relieve My Arm Pain?

If you're experiencing arm pain, your life is probably being altered quite a bit. We use our arms all day, every day. This is especially true for people who do any kind of manual labor or work on computers at their job. Arm pain can hinder you in so many ways, even if you're a stay-at-home mother taking care of small children. This is why it's so important to get a pain in the arm correctly diagnosed and treated early on.
Arm Pain From Nerve Problems
When arm pain is related to a nerve problem, you'll typically find relief when the arm is elevated. This is because it takes the tension off the nerve plexus in the neck. If the pain has come on suddenly after you've injured yourself, you can also try some home remedies such as alternating heat and ice for a few hours. Some people also find that taking an anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen, can help in the short term.
Can a Pain in the Arm Caused By A Spinal Misalignment?
A spinal alignment must also be evaluated to check for misalignment which may be pressing on nerves in the neck. This can be done by an experienced chiropractor or pain specialist. There are many techniques that both chiropractor's and physical therapists have to alleviate arm pain.
If you experience any numbness or tingling, you should also report those issues to your doctor. There may be certain tests that need to be done to ensure that you don't have any kind of a neurological issue going on. You may have also suffered nerve damage which can cause other conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Testing for Arm Pain
When pain specialists evaluate you for your arm pain, they may do a series of different kinds of tests including x-rays. They will also test you for strength in your arm and compare it to the arm that doesn't experience pain. Pain specialists will sometimes do electro diagnostic studies which allow for non-surgical evaluation of muscles and nerve root disease.
Electro diagnostic studies are often done to assess the condition of the nerves in the spine, face and extremities. This would include the hands and feet. These studies are done as a part of a complete workup when someone experiences pain, weakness, tingling or numbness.
Even though it would seem logical that arm pain would originate from the arm itself, this isn't normally the case. Many times arm pain is related to a nerve problem in the neck or spine. The key is working with an experienced pain specialist who can do the proper testing to find the exact source of your pain. Then, they can come up with a complete treatment program that will address the core issue.

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