What causes arm and neck pain?

Neck Stiffness, Muscle spasm:

It usually occurs with excessive stretching of the muscles supporting the neck
. Lifting something heavy, extreme sports, work activity,
incorrect desk work can cause muscle spasm. In addition, falling asleep in the wrong position, high pillows and bad travel conditions
can cause stiff neck. Spasm
and stiffness are usually resolved with simple treatments. In long-term muscle pain, also called “Myofascial pain, Fibromyalgia, Fibrocytes and Myositis”, there are points that trigger pain in the muscle and buttons that can be felt by hand. Long-term permanent curvature of the neck is called torticollis. Congenital causes such as Klippel-Feil and Turner Syndrome should be investigated thoroughly.

Neck Hernia: It is the protrusion of the jelly-like cartilage disc tissue, which acts as a cushion between both neck vertebrae, towards the nerves going to the spinal cord and arm. Depending on the size and effectiveness of the press, neck and arm pain, loss of strength in the arm muscles, numbness and clumsiness in the hands can be seen. If there is pressure towards the spinal cord, difficulty in walking, weakness in the legs and urinary complaints can also be seen. If the complaints do not go away despite conservative treatment, if there is severe spinal cord and nerve compression; then the treatment is surgery.

Disc degeneration, Calcification: As a result of aging and misuse of the spine, the bone structure, ligaments and discs begin to wear out. The jelly-like disc becomes matted, loses its force absorption and flexibility and collapses. The calcium content of the bone decreases. As the body’s natural response, it calcifies these worn tissues. Formed new ossicles, petrified ligaments and narrowed disc spaces can press on the nerves and cause neck, arm and general body pain. By compressing the spinal cord, numbness and weakness may occur in the hands and feet. It absolutely must be treated.

Tension, stress, smoking: These are the most important causes that increase neck pain and make it chronic. Our economic, social and psychological problems increase neck pain. Constant tension and painful spots can be detected on the neck. Laughter, regular work, social pursuits and commitment to life are our most important weapons against neck pain.

Narrowing in the spinal canal (Cervical Narrow Canal-spine stenosis, Cervical Spondylitic Myelopathy):

Numbness, weakness and clumsiness in the hands, especially in advanced ages, difficulty in walking and feeling defect in the hands and feet can be seen. It progresses with the narrowing of the channels through which the spinal cord and/or nerves pass, and deterioration of spinal cord nutrition. Early detection of the disease and early treatment are required. Early surgical intervention prevents permanent damage to the spinal cord.

Rheumatic Diseases: It occurs as a result of the body’s immune system waging war on its own cells. Normal bone and cartilage tissues in the spine are damaged. Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and anclosing spondylitis may cause permanent restriction in neck movements. Joint stiffness lasting more than half an hour in the morning and difficulty in movement are typical for rheumatic diseases.

Osteoporosis, osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is basically a female disease. It causes emptiness and softening in the bones, causing easy fracture and thus pain. Dietary calcium and vitamin D deficiency, sedentary life, early menopause, excessive alcohol consumption, corticosteroids increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Fractures of the spine, slipped vertebra: The vertebrae are normally quite intact. Sometimes it can be damaged and cracked due to accident and other reasons, and it can be broken completely. With the severity of the trauma, the cervical vertebrae may slip and damage the spinal cord. Serious spinal cord and nerve cuts may be seen. It is life-saving to determine the height with an absolute neck collar after the accident.

Trapping (compression) of the nerves of the arm and hand: The nerves coming out of the spinal cord in the neck are trapped by the connective tissue on the way to the hand. As a result of the compression here, weakness, numbness and pain occur in the hands and arms. Numbness at night, especially in the first 3 fingers of the hand, is typical for “carpal tunnel syndrome”. In patients with this type of pain and numbness, differential diagnosis should be made with absolute EMG test. Surgical decompression is required in patients who fail to achieve results with conservative treatment.

INSPECTION AND INSPECTION

You should definitely consult your doctor to learn about the causes of your neck and arm pain, to investigate the causes and to be treated.

Story: Your doctor will try to understand your illness by asking you questions about your pain.

Examination: The patient will then look for muscle strength, sensation and reflexes by laying, sitting and walking. He or she will examine your neck vertebrae for muscle spasm or pain with pressing.

Diagnosis and Investigations: Some investigations are required to find the true underlying cause of neck and arm pain.

Blood and laboratory investigations: (Sedimentation, HLA-B27, etc.) It gives extremely useful information in infections and rheumatic diseases.

X-Ray: Neck X-ray reveals the patient’s bone structure or neck curvature. Absolute X-ray should be taken after trauma.