What relief is there for pain radiating down the arm?

What relief is there for pain radiating down the arm?

Many people suffer from pain when traveling or radiating their arm. This discomfort can range from a mild tingling or ache to an excruciating sharp or throbbing pain. For some, the onset is gradual over time. For others, the pain occurs suddenly due to an accident or overexertion. This article discusses arm pain, a recent scientific study that describes the condition and what can be done to relieve arm pain.

There are different types of conditions in which a person experiences pain in the arm. A very common category of arm pain is cervicobrachial radiculopathy (CR). “Cervico” refers to the spinal area of ​​the neck called the cervical spine. There are seven spinal bones called vertebrae that make up our cervical spine. “Brachial” is a term that means poor. “Radiculopathy” refers to pain that radiates or spreads. CR is pain that radiates down the arm and originates in the neck.

Typically, the cervical vertebrae become misaligned and pinch as they exit nerves that travel into the arm. Sometimes a cervical disc, a type of specialized cartilage that sits between the vertebrae, can bulge, protrude, or herniate against nerves, causing radiating pain.

A research study in theArchives of Medical Sciences, June 2018describes pain extending from the neck to the shoulder and arm. The study found that patients treated for six weeks with a form of treatment called mobilization by chiropractors improved both pain and function. The research team concluded: "Our results question the role of pharmacological versus manual therapy as potential treatments that can improve pain intensity and upper extremity functionality in patients with cervical radiculopathy."

The insights we can gain from this research show that there are treatments with pharmacological drugs and treatments with practical manual therapy. Medications typically tend to either reduce inflammation or provide analgesic approaches. Manual therapy typically explores methods to realign misaligned cervical vertebrae and reduce cervical disc protrusions.

Chiropractors are considered experts in manual therapy to relieve pain that radiates down the arm. A chiropractor examines the patient's cervical spine and usually obtains x-rays during the initial examination. Once the chiropractor determines where the misalignment and/or disc problem is located, gentle, safe chiropractic care can be performed to address the cause of the cervical radiculopathy.

Anyone seeking arm pain relief would certainly benefit from seeing a chiropractor for this terribly unpleasant condition.

Inspired by James Schofield