What Causes Nerve Pain In Both Arms?

Man looking out a window, holding his arm in pain

What Causes Nerve Pain In Both Arms

A pinched nerve is never fun; one in your arm can cause you lots of trouble and pain. If you are dealing with a pinched nerve, it could be the result from something inside or outside of your body pressing against the nerve. When the compressed nerve becomes inflamed, it will cause you pain. Pinched nerves can cause pain almost anywhere in your body, including your arms.

What Causes Sudden Pain In Both Arms?

Are you dealing with arm pain in both of your arms? This can be on account of different things you were doing in the day.

Some common causes of pain in both of your arms include:

overuse of muscles
strain or sprain in muscle
arthritis
nerve damage
infection
rotator cuff injury

These are a few of the reasons you may experience pain in one or both of your arms at the same time. Your pain can also be due to two or more reasons, such as overuse and a muscle sprain. If you are experiencing arm pain that doesn’t go away or you are very concerned, you will want to be seen by a medical professional.

Can Sciatica Nerve Affect Arms?

Most often, sciatica is not to blame for pain in your arms. It’s pain that is mostly isolated to your lower back and legs. If you’ve ever experienced sciatica, you know how painful it can be and how it limits your ability to do daily tasks.

Sciatica is the pain when a disc is herniated, compressed, irritated, or inflamed in the sciatic nerve or nerve roots. This typically sends pain through your buttock, down your legs, and to your ankle and feet. You may experience pain in your arms due to sciatica and the sciatic nerve, but this is pretty rare.

What Spinal Nerves Affect The Arms?

You have lot of nerves that run to your arms and allow them to function. There’s two types, the peripheral nerves and the brachial plexus.

When we talk about the peripheral nerves, we are referring to the nerves that help control the muscles in the arms, shoulder, and hands. These nerves include :

ulnar nerve
radial nerve
median nerve
musculocutaneous nerve
axillary nerve

A brachial plexus is a group of nerves that help control the shoulder, arm, forearm, and hand muscles. They begin as roots and branch off of the spinal cord, then progress into trunks onto divisions and cords. The final level of the brachial plexus is referred to as the branches, which are the five nerves mentioned above.

How Do I Get My Arms To Stop Aching?

If you are experiencing arm pain, there are some at-home remedies you may try to ease the pain. Some people try to take pain medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen to help with the pain. You can also try some exercises or massaging the sore muscles. Other home care options can include drinking more water to reduce muscle cramps, using heat and cold packs, taking a warm bath or shower, and resting your arms. When you lie down, try elevating your arms and try a compression bandage if you are having an issue with swelling.

If no at-home remedy is helping ease your pain, it may be time to call your doctor and schedule an appointment to make sure you do not have a serious injury.

When should I Be Concerned About Arm Pain?

If you try every home remedy you have read about on the internet and can not find anything else on Google, you may wonder when you should start to be concerned. Most doctors will tell you if the pain has been constant for more than two weeks to seek professional help. If you are losing feeling in your hands and arms or having tingling or stiffness in the joints, you should also schedule a visit.

Other reasons you should at least call the doctor are:

the skin on your arm that is warm to the touch
itching or throbbing skin
pain that gets worse suddenly
reduced range of motion
increased muscle cramps
redness or discoloration of the skin

Some of these symptoms may seem minor, but they can cause you more extensive problems if they are left untreated. It is always better to have your arm pain checked out by a professional if you are unsure what is causing your pain.

What Does Cardiac Arm Pain Feel Like?

Often an initial sign of a heart attack is sudden pain in your left arm that can gain in intensity over a few minutes. The pain will move from the shoulder down the left arm or up into the chin in a man. In a woman, the pain can be subtle. It can radiate to the right arm or left arm and involve the chin, shoulder blades, and upper back.

Not all left arm pain, achiness, or difficulty moving your arm is a sign of a heart attack. It is always helpful to be mindful of other symptoms that can be a heart attack, such as slurred speech, shortness of breath, vomiting, back and jaw pain, or pressure in the chest.

Summary

When it comes to arm pain, it can be caused by several issues. This can include an injury such as a sprained or strained muscle, pinched nerve, or even cardiac problems. You may ease your pain with some at-home remedies and be able to manage it that way. Oftentimes, it takes a combination of things to manage pain in the body. It’s important to be willing to try different methods until you find what works right for you.