By cobaltmoe | June 22nd, 2021 |
The Basic Anatomy of Our Arms
Our arms are a network of complex muscles, bones, nerves, and cartilage that starts at the shoulder joint and makes its way through the elbow and down to the wrist. There are 24 various muscles making up both arms, and they control the movement of the elbow, forearm, wrist, and fingers. Compared to the five muscles of the upper arm, the lower arm has 19 different muscles which are divided into:
- Anterior (front of the arm)
- Posterior (back of the arm)
They can also be superficial (close to the skin) or deep (past the surface) and connect to many following structures:
- Shoulder blade
- Upper arm bone (humerus)
- Forearm bones (radius and ulna)
- Wrist
- Fingers
- Thumbs
Additionally, flexors are muscle groups that bend and move body parts, including the arm, hand, or fingers closer to the body, while extensors are muscle groups that extend and move body parts away from the body.
Arm Pain Caused By Injury or Acute Pain
Arms are one of the more easily injured parts of our body because we may use them to protect our bodies during a traumatic event. Trauma or injury to the arms can lead to several problems, including pain, weakness, and trouble with everyday and work-related activities.
Common injuries that impact the muscles of the arms include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tennis elbow
- Golfer’s elbow
- Muscle tears or strains
- Tendonitis, or inflammation of a muscle’s tendon from repetitive use
Arm pain, no matter if caused by injury or from acute pain, often affects specific regions like the arms, forearm, elbows, and wrists. Some of these conditions include:
I. Arms and Forearms
- Broken Arm – a blunt and/or traumatic impact that forces a bone in your arm to fracture, snap, or be crushed.
- Fibromyalgia – a condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain along with fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. This condition can cause pain in more than one area of your body but identifying it early can make the pain more manageable
II. Elbows
- Radial Head Fracture – caused by a break in the radius bone in the forearm just beneath the elbow joint. It can happen when a driver or passenger reacts to the incident by outstretching their hand.
- Elbow Ligament Sprain – otherwise known as the MCL, the medial collateral ligament can be damaged as a result of a high force impact.
- Tennis Elbow – people whose jobs feature the same repetitive types of motions can lead to “tennis elbow,” which are actually tiny tears in the tendons. This condition isn’t exclusive to tennis professionals but others like plumbers, painters, carpenters and butchers.
- Elbow Avulsion Fracture – occurs when the tendon comes away from the bone and takes part of the bone with it. These injuries can be incredibly challenging to recover from.
- Broken Elbow – a break in one of the bones below the elbow joint. Three different bones could be broken in this case: the Humerus (upper arm bone), Ulna, and Radius (two forearm bones).
- Dislocated Elbow – a dislocation as a result of intense force. Although, unlike the shoulder, the elbow is an incredibly stable joint and requires a high amount of force to dislocate it.
III. Wrists
- Strains and/or Sprains – ligaments connecting the wrist bones can be pulled or even torn. Tears will often require surgery.
- Carpal Bone Fractures – the most common wrist fracture of the carpal bones is called a scaphoid fracture. This could pinch or damage the nerves in your palms.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – nerves running through the arm travel across the wrist joint and connect to the hand through the carpal tunnel. Inflammation in the carpal tunnel can press on these nerves and cause acute pain.
- Distal Radius Fracture – a strong impact to the wrist can cause a distal radius fracture–that is, the part of the radius that meets the wrist.
Trusted Pain Management Doctors Treating Arm Pain
Arm pain is a complicated, often debilitating medical condition that impacts not only physical and mental well-being but your way of life. At 911 Pain Management, our pain management clinic focuses on helping your arm recover and regain its use without the hindrance of pain through non-narcotic, medication-based treatments and procedures to psychiatric treatment to solve the problem at its root:
- Due to direct tissue injury, such as an elbow strain
- Due to nerve injury or a nervous system disease, such as carpal tunnel
- A mix of tissue and nerve injury
If you are looking for a reliable pain management specialist, 911 Pain Management is your best option, offering vital pain management services to help you, such as:
Pharmacological Therapy
Pharmacological therapy targets the source of your arm pain through prescribed medication. Along with an intake schedule that will ensure the effectiveness of your medication, our staff will work with you to find a non-narcotic medication that meets your needs and relieves your arm pain.
Trigger point injections
Trigger point injections are used to relax and “undo” knots of muscle in your arm muscles. These knots are caused by the tensing of muscles due to stress, injury, or overuse. The trigger point injections generally result in immediate pain reduction and may be used in several sites during the same visit.
Facet Blocks
In a facet injection, also known as a facet block, an anesthetic and steroid are injected into one or more of your facet joints. The injection can be used to diagnose the cause or treat the pain. This injection is specifically applied in between the elbow or wrist joints, allowing the medication to act at the source.
