Disease process originating in the neck can cause pain in the arm; there are nerves that leave the spinal cord travel down your arms. Compression on these nerves in your neck can cause radiating arm pain. The nerve compression can be caused by narrowing of the spinal canal, ruptured disc pressing on the nerves in the neck, or chemical irritation of the nerve.
Irritated bands of muscle can result in aches, spasm, or tightness which can lead to pain over a remote area. This phenomenon is known as referred pain, caused by “trigger points” (irritated muscle bands) can often times can cause neck pain.
Elbow pain maybe due to inflammation of the tissues or bursa surrounding the elbow. Common conditions are tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) or golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis).
This pain syndrome is commonly misdiagnosed is a form of chronic pain that effects arms and legs. Typically develops after an injury, surgery, stroke or heart attack, the pain is out of proportion to the severity of the initial injury. This can lead to symptoms of swelling, hair growth or loss, skin and finger nail changes, temperature changes, loss of function and severe pain to touch.
The symptoms of Fibromyalgia include chronic widespread pain, including arm pain, associated with debilitating fatigue, difficulty sleeping, difficulty with bowel function and a variety of mood problems including cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depressive symptoms. There are no diagnostic tests to diagnose Fibromyalgia.
There are many peripheral nerves in the arms that can cause pain if they become inflamed or compressed against bone or tight soft tissues. The most common nerves are the ulnar nerve on the inside of your elbow or “funny bone”, the radial nerve on the outside of your elbow and forearm, and the median nerve in the middle of the forearm and wrist.