Pain in the arm from the elbow to the hand can occur for many reasons. Muscles ache, severe swelling bothers you, muscle tone often increases, forming a defense reaction.
The reasons can be divided into those related to physical activity and those related to the development of various diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Statistically, the outer side of the right hand suffers more often than the left.
In most cases, timely and competent treatment gives a good result.
Causes of pain from elbow to hand
Why do your arms hurt from the elbow to the hand? The causes of pain of this kind are very diverse. In addition to pain, patients most often complain that the right or left arm is swollen and there is a pulling sensation in the muscles. In order to understand why pain syndrome develops and what to do to relieve it, you need to consult a doctor.
Overvoltage
Overstrain of the upper limb is most often caused by monotonous work, which involves constantly repeating stereotypical movements (for example, work on a conveyor belt). In this case, the median nerve is quite often compressed by bone and tendon formations in the wrist. In neurology, this disorder is called carpal tunnel syndrome. often manifests itself in musicians, artists, and also during frequent and prolonged work at the computer.
Sports loads
Frequent and intense training and stress on specific muscle groups lead to tendons becoming inflamed. This leads to permanent pain syndrome when making movements in the upper extremities. In this situation, it is advisable to temporarily refrain from physical activity of any intensity.
IMPORTANT! It is necessary to seek advice from a traumatologist or orthopedist. The prescription of physiotherapy, massage, exercise therapy, and sometimes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in tablets or ointments (indomethacin, nimesulide) demonstrates high effectiveness.
Diseases
Arthritis
Arthritis refers to inflammation of a joint that is triggered by a number of factors. Arthritis is unpleasant because it cannot be cured once and for all. At the same time, my arms ache from the elbow to the hand, the joints are pulled, they ache. The left upper limb is involved in the pathological process later than the right. In order to understand what to do with this disease, you should contact a rheumatologist.
Why is this happening? Causes of arthritis:
- Rheumatic disease
- History of trauma
- Infectious process
- Gout
- Diabetes
- Helminthiasis
- Syphilis
Characterized by incessant aching pain below the elbow and burning. Often the pain syndrome reaches such a level of intensity that a joint blockade develops (the inability to carry out active movements). Since arthritis is famous for its undulating course with remissions and relapses, pain occurs only during periods of exacerbation.
In the joint area there is swelling, hyperemia, and an increase in the temperature of the skin over the joint area. As arthritis progresses, the joint undergoes deformation and contracture develops. It is necessary to seek qualified help from a rheumatologist.
Arthrosis
Osteoarthritis is the slow degeneration of articular cartilage. As the pathology progresses, bones and soft tissues become involved in the process. The joint capsule thickens, which limits the range of motion. The process is asymmetrical; in right-handed people, the process is more often in the joint of the right hand.
Patients are bothered by aching pain in the joint, without clear localization. The pain syndrome is characterized by a high degree of intensity, mobility in the joint is limited over time. The pain tends to intensify with physical activity, and with physical inactivity it subsides. At a severe stage of the disease, the patient cannot sleep due to pain in the joint.
Characterized by limited range of motion and crepitus at the start of activation. The joint is increased in size due to swelling. Over time, the joint becomes deformed and osteophytes grow.
Tendinitis
Tendonitis refers to the inflammation of the tendons of the joints. More often this is the lot of professional athletes. With tendonitis, the joint becomes swollen and achy.
The causative factors are increased loads on the joint over a long period of time, injuries, and an infectious process.
The disease is characterized by severe pain in the affected area, pain increases with changes in weather and with physical activity. Movement in the joints with tendonitis is limited, the joints are sensitive to palpation.
There is local redness (usually the outer side) and swelling in the area of inflammation, the surface of the skin is hot. When performing movements, you can hear the joint creaking.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Tunnel syndrome refers to a neurological pathology due to compression of a nerve by the wrist. In this case, the pain spreads from the elbow to the hand. The syndrome received this name because the bones, muscles and tendons form a kind of canal in which the median nerve lies.
Despite the fact that the nerve is protected by musculoskeletal structures, if the canal is defective, it can be compressed. In case of severe tension of the ligamentous and tendon apparatus, tissue perfusion suffers, and there is a lack of nutrients. When this happens continuously, deformation of the canal develops, its walls become swollen, thickened, and loose. The canal becomes narrower, and the pressure on the nerve increases. As a result, the function of conducting nerve impulses decreases and the motor activity of the hand is disrupted.
Diseases of the spine and back
Osteochondrosis is understood as a degenerative lesion of the spine. In addition to the fact that the pain is localized in the back, the joints of the upper limbs are damaged.
The pain syndrome develops slowly. During the first relapses of the disease, pain is recorded with strong physical stress and is mild. As the pathology progresses, the pain worsens and becomes more pronounced. The sensations predominate at night due to muscle relaxation. Paresthesia is observed in areas of the skin (a feeling of “running goosebumps”).
Neurological disorders
Ulnar neuritis is an inflammation of the nerve. The ulnar nerve innervates the area of the body from the elbow to the wrist. In this case, the nervous regulation of movements in the elbow joint is disrupted, and the arm may go numb.
Severe pain, characterized by a high degree of intensity. It occurs abruptly, potentiating insomnia in the patient. The pain intensifies with movement and does not disappear at rest.
Hand mobility is largely limited. Sensitivity in the affected upper limb decreases, numbness is noted, up to partial loss. When the entire nerve becomes inflamed, limb paralysis may develop. The patient loses the ability to move the hand, feels pain during flexion-extension movements, which provokes the development of muscle atrophy. If you have the above symptoms, you should contact a neurologist.
Injuries
Bone fractures and dislocations in the joints of the elbow and wrist occur due to a fall on an outstretched arm in the vast majority of cases. Patients complain of severe, severe pain in the joints. When damaged joints are activated, the pain becomes unbearable.
There is swelling in the joint area. The limb may be rotated in an uncharacteristic direction. The sound of crepitation, a change in the configuration of the joint, atypical mobility, shortening or lengthening of the arm in comparison with a healthy one indicate a fracture. Spring resistance, constant pain, deformation indicate dislocation.
Other reasons
One of the causes of pain in the arm may be thrombosis of the veins of the upper limb. Due to thrombosis, venous stagnation develops. As a result, a pronounced local pain syndrome is formed.
Arterial insufficiency due to atherosclerosis of the arteries of the upper extremities can cause pain from the elbow to the hand. The plaque clogs or narrows the lumen of the vessel, and limb ischemia and pain develop.
Osteoporosis as a cause of arm pain develops in older people.
Bone density decreases with this pathology. This potentiates increased fragility and fragility of bones, frequent cracks and fractures, causing pain at the site of injury.
The main causes of the development of ulnar nerve neuritis:
- Compression of the nerve where it passes near the elbow. Most often this occurs in people who constantly rest their elbows on a table (office workers), a workbench, or a machine in a factory.
- Injuries. Damage to the nerve trunk can occur with fractures of the internal epicondyle at the bottom of the humerus.
- Some infections. For example, typhoid, typhus.
- Poisoning. The disease often occurs in people who chronically abuse alcohol.
- Endocrine diseases. Neuritis can develop against the background of diabetes mellitus and thyroid dysfunction.
- Hypothermia.
If you experience numbness or impaired movement in the muscles of your arm, do not engage in self-diagnosis or self-medication. The correct treatment is the one prescribed by a competent medical specialist after examination and examination.
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What to do? Treatment methods
Pain in the arm should be treated through unloading and traction therapy (bone traction).
Drug treatment involves the use of analgesics (ketorolac), amidopyrine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (voltaren, ibuprofen).
Physiotherapy procedures are effective, including UHF, magnetic therapy, mud therapy, and exercise therapy.
Surgical treatment is carried out in the form of joint denervation, decompression myotomy, fenestration of the iliotibial tract, intraosseous decompression, osteotomy, arthrodesis, and endoprosthetics.
CAREFULLY ! During an exacerbation, physical therapy cannot be carried out, since its effect can intensify the inflammatory response.
How to relieve pain?
What to do if you have pain in your arm from the elbow to the hand? Pain can be relieved with the help of analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Nise, indomethacin) in ointments, tablets, and intravenous injections. It is necessary to reduce the pressure on the joints as much as possible, ensure their immobilization and functional rest.
Folk remedies in the form of infusions of thyme, calendula, and chamomile demonstrate their effectiveness in relieving swelling and the inflammatory reaction. However, these methods are unable to have an impact on a functional and organic level.
Pathogenesis of pain in the legs and arms with cervical osteochondrosis
Often, with cervical osteochondrosis, pain appears in the legs and arms, a person loses working capacity and cannot even perform everyday tasks. You need to understand what the mechanisms of origin of pain syndrome are and what leads to it. As the disease develops, the cartilage tissue located between the vertebrae undergoes degenerative processes and becomes less elastic, its shock-absorbing properties decrease. Because of this, cracks may appear in the intervertebral discs, fibrous rings begin to bulge, which over time leads to the formation of hernias, so that nearby tissues subsequently begin to be injured:
- spinal cord;
- nerve roots;
- blood vessels.
These are all possible causes of severe pain, since the nerve tissue is directly affected. The pain that occurs in such places can radiate to the arms, legs, and other parts of the body.
When should you see a doctor?
You should consult a doctor if you experience prolonged acute pain in your upper limb. If you experience an injury, you should immediately visit a specialist. In case of excessive physical activity, it is advisable to wait 2-3 days, and if the pain does not subside, go to an appointment with a traumatologist. If the hand is swollen, the pain intensifies, the general condition becomes worse, a doctor’s appointment is required.
Why shouldn't you put off visiting a doctor? Many people believe that the pain will go away on its own, but you shouldn’t rely on chance.
ATTENTION! Delay can lead to irreversible consequences, including amputation of the arm.
In order to understand which doctor to contact, it is necessary to determine the suspected cause of the pain. If an injury is recorded, it is necessary to visit a traumatologist; if a chronic process is observed, a consultation with a rheumatologist is most likely required. If in doubt, you should visit a therapist, who will make a possible diagnosis and refer you to a specialist.
Diagnostics
It is possible to establish a preliminary diagnosis already at the first examination of the patient and by studying the anamnesis. The specialist’s assumptions can be confirmed by:
- Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and pelvis to clarify the condition of the kidneys and excretory system;
- Ultrasound of the veins of the upper extremities;
- Chest X-ray;
- Lymphography using an X-ray machine;
- Lymphoscintography;
- Computer or magnetic resonance imaging.
The conclusion about the stage and type of the disease is made based on the comprehensive results of all the listed examinations.
