pain in right arm

[al306]

My right arm has become increasingly painful over the last two months. I first noticed it after awakening in the middle of the night from pins and needles in my arm.  Later I noticed that the pain seemed to be concentrated on my elbow which was painful to touch.  Now my entire arm is painful most of the time and the pain seems to be focused in the muscle as my entire forearm is sore when I contract the muscle by lifting the lightest load. This includes my fingers.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions as to what the cause may be. Many thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Pain in right arm can be due to a no. of causes.It may be related to nerve impingement (pinched nerve), which can originate in the neck (cervical spine). This condition called “Brachial Neuritis”, or “Brachial Neuralgia”, is due to the involvement of the group of nerves exiting from the spinal vertebrae, called the “Brachial Plexus”.

Secondly,it can be due to spasticity of the muscles.It can be brought on by overuse or trauma to the muscle. It can also be a case of olecranon bursitis or lateral and medial epicondylitis(tennis or golfer’s elbow). Bursitis is an inflammation of small sacs of fluid (bursae) that help joints move smoothly. Olecranon bursitis, which affects the olecranon bursa at the back of the elbow, is sometimes called Popeye elbow.Tendonitis is when tendons become inflamed, irritated or suffer microscopic tears.Lateral and medial epicondylitis are tendonitis of outer and inner side of elbow respectively.

Other acuses are gout,arthritis related enthesitis and cellulitis.

I feel that physical examination by an orthopaedician is required to confirm a diagnosis.Till then,give rest to your elbow.Apply some cold packs on it and some analgesic(pain reliever)gel or cream.You can also take some over the counter anti inflammatory like ibuprofen(motrin) or diclofenac.
Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted if you have any additional queries.

[chirpybirdy]

It could be tennis elbow or a problem with your tendons that run from your elbow to your hand. I know I had this before and went to see a hand specialist (don't remember what type of doctor he actually was). But he diagnosed me with tennis elbow. My pain started in my elbow but ran down my arm to my fingers too. It got worse and worse. He said the reason I was numb at night and tingling is because the nerve was getting compressed when I was sleeping. He gave me a shot of some cortisone right into my elbow and had me wear a brace (removable) for day time and when sleeping for a while to keep my arm immoble. Over time the pain went away. From time to time if I knock my tip of my elbow the problem will flare up but I just wear my wrist brace at night for a while and don't lift anything very heavy and it usually subsides.