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Arm Pain, Numbness & Tingling

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

This is characterized by tingling and numbness in one or both arms or hands. It usually involves the entire hand and arm. The symptoms initially come on first thing in the morning. After they have been present for a while they start coming on whenever the involved arm is raised for a period of time, like with holding a phone up against your ear, or driving with your hand on top of

wrist

the wheel. This is caused by pressure on nerves and blood vessels in the upper back and shoulder. The pressure comes from muscle spasm and joint dysfunction in the upper back, neck and shoulder. This is a very common condition that we treat at Axis Health and the results are dramatic. Often people who suffer from this have been hopelessly medicated for years with progressive worsening of symptoms. This often resolves very rapidly with a combination of multidisciplinary treatments including massage, chiropractic, and therapeutic exercise.

 

Pinched Cervical Nerve Root

This condition is usually caused by a disc bulge, a bone spur, or degenerative changes in an older neck. it is characterized by constant aching pain in the lower neck or upper back, often just inside the shoulder blade. The pain flows into the arm where it will produce a general ache in the upper arm and a strip of numbness, pain, or tingling that goes through the forearm and into the hand, usually involving only one or two fingers (commonly the forth and fifth). This is one of the more complex conditions that we treat, and can progress to becoming a surgical problem if not taken care of. We can help divert this problem, and with early treatment prevent its reocurrence.

 

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This is caused by pressure on the median nerve which leaves the back side of the lower neck, traveling through the upper back, shoulder, armpit, front of the elbow and forearm, and eventually the front of the wrist. The carpal tunnel is the area in front of the wrist, and as the name implies, it is common for pressure on the nerve in this area to cause this condition. In reality, the nerve is often crushed in more than one area, creating a cumulative affect. The symptoms of pain, numbness and tingling usually just occur in the hand, not the arm. The median nerve serves the entire palm of the hand, not including the fifth finger (it only serves the little finger side of the fourth finger). It serves the fingernail beds of the thumb, index and middle fingers. It does not serve the back of the hand. This syndrome is often successfully treated with protective wrist braces, stretching, and correction of joint and muscle problems in the upper back and neck that lead to early compression of the nerve prior to the carpal tunnel.

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