About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffMost arm pain results from an injury in an accident or fall. Older adults with fragile bones, active children and people who participate in contact or adventure sports are especially vulnerable. Repetitive stress injuries can also cause pain in your upper arms and wrists. So can damage to the brachial plexus — the network of nerves in your neck and shoulder that carry signals between your spinal cord and arms.
Common causes of arm pain include:
- Brachial plexus injury
- Broken arm
- Broken wrist/broken hand
- Bursitis
- Cancer (malignancy), primary or metastatic
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- De Quervain's tenosynovitis
- Herniated disk
- Rotator cuff injury
- Sprains and strains
- Tendinitis
- Tennis elbow
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Ulnar nerve entrapment
Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.
- Tendonitis of the long head of the biceps. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00026. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Broken arm. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00078. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Ulnar nerve entrapment. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00069. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Burners and stingers. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00027. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Ropper AH, et al. Pain in the back, neck, and extremities. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams & Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3631240. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Sprains and strains. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sprains_Strains/default.asp. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- McInnis K. Repetitive strain injuries. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/211230325-3/0/1678/108.html?tocnode=55149030&fromURL=108.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50099-7_1593. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Thoracic outlet syndrome information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/thoracic/thoracic.htm. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Brachial plexus injuries information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brachial_plexus/brachial_plexus.htm. Accessed July 23, 2010.
- Robinson J, et al. Clinical features and diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on