Chronic pain in arms and shoulders

[Terry909]

Good morning, I guess i am desperate this morning.  I didn't sleep much last night due to aching in my arms and shoulders.  My left forearm is always a little swolen down by my wrist and the rest of my arm and shoulder aches like crazy.  My right arm is also sore but not as bad as my left.  I have arthritis and my knees are bad as well.  My question this morning is what to do about my arms. It's very frustrating when you have aching which you cannot do anything for.  Thanks for your time.  T.

[Neuro Forum]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

The symptoms you describe are unlikely to be neurologic as a cause, and may be more related to arthritis or some other musculoskeletal problem. Aching shoulders and arms with swelling can be due to local joint problems (shoulder joint, elbow joint) but in some cases, when the pain radiates down the arm, the problem could be in the spinal column, with pressure on one of the nerves due to arthritis or herniated disc ("pinched nerve", radiculopathy). A neurologic cause of limb pain is neuropathy, but the description of your symptoms makes this less likely.

Treatment for aching arthritis pains includes certain over the counter medications, and sometimes physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the joints and stretch them. Evaluation by a general practitioner (primary doctor, family physician) is recommended for further evaluation and treatment options

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[Gone_thru_a_lot]

I agree with the doctor. I have experienced some symptoms similar to what you describe. One neurological problem that I was diagnosed and treated for was a cervical radiculopathy (C5-C6, I think it was).

Although some of your symptoms sound similar to those symptoms, they don't seem to be quite the same. Although I don't yet have an actual diagnosis for some of my symptoms, I am experiencing relief from Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. This is similar to but not the same as chiropractic treatment. OMM (also called OMT) can only be performed by a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) A D.O. is receives all of the same medical education as an M.D., but receives additional education in OMM. Not all D.O.s use OMM as part of their practice. Some of the specialists I see who are D.O.s never use OMM.  My primary care physician only does OMM on Thursdays. My physiatrist does it on a regular basis in his practice. D.O.s learn all of the manipulations that chiropractors do but many, many more additional moves. In addition to the OMM I receive on a regular basis, I will be starting a new program of physical therapy to treat additional issues that appear to be a result of an error made by an orthopedic surgeon which compounded issues that resulted from having had a mild case of polio as a child. (My physiatrist can do all of the treatments the PT can do, but my insurance limits the number of OMM treatments and the number of PT treatments per year, so we are using the PT to enhance the OMM).