Pain in the upper extremities can be either directly related to situations in the arm itself, or a manifestation of pathology existing elsewhere that can cause the symptoms to be felt in the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers.
Shoulder Impingement Syndrome
One of the more common conditions that can produce arm pain is one known as shoulder impingement syndrome. One need not be a professional body builder or athlete to suffer from this condition, as it affects thousands of homemakers, workers and a fair portion of the elderly population.
The term "syndrome" refers to a collection of symptoms together. In the case of shoulder impingement syndrome, several things can occur at the same time to produce pain: bursitis, rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis and physical impingement of soft tissue from bone spur formation on the underside of the acromion, the bony roof of the shoulder joint.
As these individual conditions persist and worsen, pain can be felt in the shoulder as well as radiating into the upper half of the arm, mainly due to the large size and distribution of the shoulder bursa sac which extends downward from the shoulder into the upper arm to just above the elbow.
Pain can be constant, or happen during specific arm movements, which is useful information in the diagnostic examination process.
Cervical Disc Disease
Symptoms of arm pain can be secondary to degenerative conditions within the cervical spine, such as a bulging or herniated disc or degenerative arthritis with spurs pressing on nerves. Because of the close proximity of the neck and shoulder, it can sometimes be a daunting task to distinguish one cause from the other.
Depending on the location in the neck that has disc problems, different portions of the arm can be symptomatic, ranging from shoulder pain to arm, hand and finger pain and numbness.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, or compression of the median nerve at the wrist, can surprisingly display symptoms as far up the arm as the shoulder. Of course, these are primarily radiant symptoms, because the primary pathology remains in the wrist. The patient will often feel a vague aching resistant to attempts at improvement with local treatments such as massage, ice or heat.
No less surprising is the rather astounding reduction, if not cessation, of arm symptoms once the carpal tunnel syndrome has been adequately dealt with, and pressure upon the median nerve, released.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow, otherwise known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition in which the tendinous attachment of one of the wrist extensor muscles, the extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis, becomes inflamed due to repetitive stresses and micro tears.
This condition can begin as a subtle ache, and gradually develops into a debilitating problem. Frequent complaints of pain radiating into the hand and fingers, as well as upward toward the shoulder, are not uncommon.
