Arm Pain

Neck problem

Arm pain can be caused by a condition in your neck.  Nerves that leave the spinal cord travel down your arms.  Compression on these nerves in your neck can cause radiating arm pain.  The nerve compression can be caused by narrowing of the spinal canal or also by a ruptured disc pressing on the nerves in the neck.

Muscle Pain

The muscles and tissues of the arm can become inflamed and cause pain due to surrounding muscle spasm.

Elbow pain

Arm pain can be caused by conditions in your elbow.  These conditions include inflammation of the tissues or bursa of the elbow and irritation of nerves in the elbow area.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Arm pain can be caused by nerve damage, infection, or trauma resulting in a rewiring of the central nervous system and can lead to symptoms such as swelling, skin or finger nail changes, sensitivity to touch and severe pain.


The symptoms of Fibromyalgia include chronic widespread pain, including arm pain, associated with debilitating fatigue, difficulty sleeping, difficulty with bowel function and a variety of mood problems including cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Nerve Pain

There are many peripheral nerves in the arms that can cause pain if they become inflamed or compressed against bone or tight soft tissues.  The most common nerves are the ulnar nerve on the inside of your elbow or “funny bone”, the radial nerve on the outside of your elbow and forearm, and the median nerve in the middle of the forearm and wrist.