What Might Be Really Causing Your Arm Pain

It happens to all of us, at some point in our lives. We wake up in pain and we are not sure why it hurts. When the condition is arm pain, it can really be confusing and alarming, because sudden, sharp pain has traditionally been thought of as the hallmark for a far more serious condition: a heart attack. Many cannot remember whether that symptom is true when it is left arm pain or right arm pain and we rush off to the nearest emergency room. This can often lead to embarrassing situations when the patient finds out that it is something less life-threatening.

To keep you safe from panicked situations like the one outlined above, we will endeavor to explain the possible causes of arm pain, but we do ask that you remember one thing: any pain is nothing to be trifled with, whether you know the source or not. Any pain felt should be respected for what it is, and you should seek medical attention as soon as possible, no matter what.

Defining Arm Pain

There can be many different reasons behind sudden onset pain, almost as varied as the actual sensations felt by the person suffering from it. It can be minor or serious, and can vary from pain, sharp pain, numbness, tingling, shooting pain, electrical shocks all along it, sudden weakness or even a lack of control of that arm. And, it may not only be pain. It could possibly be chronic pain in the wrist that radiates up the arm or it could actually be shoulder pain that sends waves of muscle pain down the arm so intense that you think it is the arm and not the shoulder.

When you seek medical attention, it is imperative that you be as concise and accurate as possible when explaining what it is you are feeling to the attending physician. Your description will help to diagnose what is really going on, what tests should be run, and what treatment should be given. Only you know where it hurts, how much, as well as whether or not you are experiencing more than just "mystery pain".

Overuse, Aging Hormones and Allergies

Sudden pain located anywhere in the body should be cause for concern, and should be checked out by your doctor or chiropractor as soon as possible. Overdoing it during exercise will cause you to wake up with pain in places where you never had it before, and regular overuse of any muscle or joint can cause swelling internally that can place pressure on the nerves that run throughout, causing more problems down the line.

As we age, we will begin to feel twinges and aches all over, just like we do when we are coming down with the flu. Suddenly everything seems to hurt, and it can be quite puzzling to realize that you can no longer do things like you used to. Injuries, however slight, can also cause you to suddenly feel weakness and pain in adjacent areas, like shoulder pain, back pain and neck pain. The most annoying mystery of them all is realizing that the cause is a simple allergy or that spider bite that brings swelling and pain, but no super powers.

Pain can mean that you are out of alignment

A lot of people assume that you have done something traumatic to your body to require a chiropractic adjustment. That is simply not true, at least not for all cases. You can do repetitive tasks for hours a day, like at work, and eventually a disc or two will slip out of alignment. You will not notice the difference until you begin to feel pain or realize that you are walking differently, or unconsciously adopting a different stance.

You may wonder what that has to do with arm pain. Literally everything that has to do with your spine can have a cascading effect on the rest of your body. You could have a kink, crick or muscle strain in your neck which will cause you to hold your shoulders, back and arms in a stiffened position to avoid chronic pain. Get checked out, and see if a simple adjustment is right for you.