Causes and Treatments for Arm Pain

Left and right arm pain can occur in the upper or lower arm. You may feel arm pain on the outside of your shoulder. Arm pain can also travel further down the arm toward the elbow. Most of the time, arm pain can be treated with rest and home care. Sometimes, however, arm pain can have more serious causes.

Arm pain accompanied by pressure in the chest can be a sign of a heart attack. Usually, heart attacks cause pain in the left arm, but right arm pain may also occur during a heart attack.

Common causes of arm pain include:

• Overuse injuries
• Trauma
• Nerve problems
• Heart conditions
  

This article explains the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of upper and lower arm pain.

Overuse Conditions

Overuse conditions are caused by repetitive use. Arm pain from overuse can be caused by:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is often caused by repetitive hand movements such as typing, though anatomical differences can also factor in. The pain is caused by an increase in pressure on nerves that run through the wrist.

Bursitis

Bursitis is the most common cause of arm and shoulder pain. It is when there is inflammation in the fluid-filled sac between the bones, muscles, and tendons.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is a type of shoulder impingement syndrome. In this condition, there is inflammation around a tendon (a cord of tissue that connects muscle to bone). Tendinitis in the arm usually happens in the shoulder.

Rotator Cuff Tears

Rotator cuff tears cause a deep, aching sensation over the outside of their arm. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint. Arm pain from a torn rotator cuff commonly comes on when lifting the arm overhead.

Arm pain at night from a rotator cuff tear can be bad enough to awaken you from sleep, especially if you’re sleeping in an awkward position. Pain from a rotator cuff is typically considered a shoulder joint problem. The pain people have with tendonitis, bursitis, or tears of the rotator cuff is often felt further down the arm.

Tennis Elbow

This condition is when the tendons on the outside of the elbow joint get irritated. Much of this arm pain is felt in the lower portion of the arm.

Trauma

Several traumatic conditions can cause pain in the left or right arm, including:

Fractures

If you have had a recent fall or other significant injury and have arm pain, your healthcare provider will want to check if you have a broken bone. Fractures can occur around the shoulder joint or the large bone of the upper arm (humerus).

Sprains

Sprains happen when the tough bands of tissue connecting your bones (called ligaments) are stretched or torn. A sprain can cause pain and swelling and interfere with the range of motion in your arm.

Dislocations

When you dislocate your shoulder or elbow or "pop it out of joint," it can cause a lot of arm pain. Shoulder dislocation and elbow dislocation happen when the joints get separated from their normal position.

Muscle Contusion

A muscle contusion is a deep bruise. It is a common sports injury that can lead to arm pain. This injury causes bruising, swelling, and sometimes the build-up of scar tissue in the muscle.

Brachial Plexus Injury

A brachial plexus injury affects the nerves in the shoulder. These nerves carry movement and sensory signals to the arm and hand. Symptoms can include pain in the arm or hand along with numbness and weakness. Brachial plexus injuries usually occur after an injury to the neck.

Arthritis

Arthritis is a common cause of pain. It can occur in any joint, including the joints of the arm and hand. Some of the different types of arthritis include:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It usually affects older people, though it can affect anyone. It is caused by the degeneration of joint tissues over time. People with this condition experience joint pain and stiffness.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition, which means the immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues in the joints. People with RA have symptoms that are similar to osteoarthritis, including pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. RA may also cause symptoms like fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune condition that occurs when the immune system becomes overactive. Symptoms include pain and swelling in the joints. Psoriatic arthritis usually occurs in people who have a skin condition called psoriasis.

Heart Conditions

Heart conditions can cause referred pain in the arm. This usually happens in the left arm, but right arm pain can also be a sign of a heart problem. Some of the conditions that can cause this type of pain include:

Heart Attack

Heart attack arm pain varies from person to person, but it can move from the shoulder and go down either arm or both arms. The pain may move to the chin or down the shoulder blades and across the upper back. The arm pain may or may not come with pressure in the chest that feels like a weight is on you.

Angina

Angina is a symptom of a heart condition called coronary artery disease. It happens when there is an insufficient flow of blood to the chest.

Angina is usually experienced as a sensation of pressure, tightness, or heaviness in the chest, but it can also cause pain in the arm, neck, back, or even the jaw.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Deep vein thrombosis describes a blood clot in a vein located deep in the body. It usually affects the legs, but it is also possible to experience DVT in your arm. When it occurs in the arm, it usually has a secondary cause such as trauma, surgery, or a catheter placement. Symptoms of DVT in the arm include arm pain and cramping, swelling and tenderness, and skin discoloration or visibly enlarged veins.

DVT can be dangerous because if the clot breaks away, it can travel to the lung and cause a pulmonary embolism, a serious condition that can interfere with blood flow to the lung.

Nerve Condtions

A condition of the nerves in the left or right arm can cause pain and other symptoms. Some of these conditions include:

Pinched Nerve

A pinched nerve in the cervical spine in the neck can cause arm pain. A herniated disc can press on nerves that branch off from the spinal cord, leading to pain, tingling, and numbness in the arm.

Herniated Disk

A herniated disk occurs when the fibers on the outside of the spinal disc become weak, and the softer material inside bulges out. The bulge can compress a nerve root or cause inflammation leading to symptoms like sharp pain in the arm or an electrical sensation.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Thoracic outlet syndrome can compress blood vessels or nerves in the shoulder region, leading to pain going down the arm.

Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy happens when the nerves that carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body become damaged. This can lead to symptoms like pain, weakness, and numbness in the affected limb.

Peripheral neuropathy can have various causes including diabetes, infections, autoimmune conditions, bone marrow disorders, and others.

Other Conditions

Some other conditions that can cause arm pain include:

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can cause pain throughout the body, including the arm. If you have fibromyalgia, you may also experience other symptoms like extreme fatigue, memory problems, digestive issues, and insomnia.

Gallbladder Disease 

Pain in the right shoulder or upper back is a common symptom of gallbladder disease, occurring in up to 37% of all cases. 

Diagnosis

Your healthcare provider will ask you about your arm pain and look at your arm. They may want to do special scans to look at other parts of your body, such as:

• X-ray
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Ultrasound

Other tests, such as laboratory studies or an EKG, can help your provider figure out why you have arm pain as well as come up with a treatment plan.

Home Treatments for Arm Pain

The treatment for arm pain depends on what’s causing it. 

For more common overuse causes of arm pain, some simple treatments include:

• Rest: Avoiding lifting, pushing, or pulling can be helpful. Wearing a sling can be supportive and also act as a reminder to rest your arm.
• Ice. Applying ice to your shoulder and arm can help reduce swelling and relieve pain.
• Compression: Wearing a snug bandage or a compression sleeve can help reduce swelling.
• Elevation: Elevate your injured arm so it is above the level of your heart. This helps fluid drain from the injury and can reduce pain and swelling.
• Anti-inflammatory medication: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective at reducing inflammation and decreasing arm pain. Even though you can get these medications over-the-counter (OTC), ask your provider if you should take them and how much you should take.

Medical Treatment for Arm Pain

If at-home measures are not relieving arm pain, you might need medical treatment including:

• Physical therapy: Working with a physical therapist can help to relieve arm pain from injuries and prevent them from happening again.
• Cortisone injections: A steroid injection is a powerful anti-inflammatory medication that goes right where you have pain. They are generally safe, and the side effects are usually minor. The relief from arm pain the shots offer may last up to a few weeks.
• Surgery: If all other treatments fail to provide relief from arm pain, you might need surgery to fix the problem. For example, surgery can effectively repair rotator cuff tears, reduce inflammation around the shoulder, and fix broken bones.

Prevention

It is not always possible to prevent arm pain, but a few strategies can help you prevent the injuries that can cause pain. If you do work that involves repetitive movements, for example, taking frequent breaks and maintaining good posture can help prevent an overuse injury.

When participating in sports or other activities that can put you at risk for injury, you can reduce your risk by stretching before and after the activity, developing a fitness plan that improves strength and flexibility, and wearing protective gear.

Summary

Many things can cause left or right arm pain, most often overuse injuries and traumatic injuries. Sometimes, more serious health problems located in another part of the body can cause arm pain. 

Rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication are common starting treatments for arm pain. Sometimes, you may need physical therapy, cortisone injections, or surgery to fix the cause of your arm pain. 

If you have an abrupt onset of arm pain without a known injury, be sure to get it checked out by your healthcare provider right away.