How to relieve arm and neck pain
Despite all the advances medical science has made in recent years with regard to understanding the causes of pain and trauma, we still struggle at times to fully understand what’s happening when someone suffers from ongoing neck and arm pain. This is especially so if there was no real trauma inflicted on those parts of the body that a person can remember.
Too many people simply start experiencing this pain and do not know why, and far too many people in this position decide to just live with it. If you’re one of these people or someone you love is enduring this type of daily life, you need to seek treatment from neck and spine specialists in Phoenix as soon as possible. The reason? There are solutions out there!
You may be wondering what type of doctor treats neck pain, and the answer is that there can be more than one depending on the type of problem that exists with a patient. At Desert Spine and Scoliosis Center, we focus on the spine and all that can happen when a problem arises with the proverbial “control panel” of the central nervous system. Many people who seek a neck and arm pain specialist do so because of a problem with their spinal cord.
Below you’re going to find a breakdown of neck and arm pain in hopes that if you’re suffering in this regard, you’ll take the simple step necessary to obtain the neck pain treatment in Phoenix that you may need. That step is to contact us to schedule an initial consultation.
Diagnosing Neck and
Arm Pain
One of the most common symptoms presenting to our orthopedic spine surgeons at DSSC is neck and arm pain. Some causes for these symptoms are discussed below:
There are several common causes of symptoms occurring in the neck and arm at the same time. These symptoms may include:
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Pain
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Numbness
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Tingling
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Weakness
Which might occur in any combination. When considering shoulder and neck pain with arm symptoms occurring at the same time, it is useful to consider three categories of potential causes:
Radicular Pain Referral
( Cervical Radiculopathy ): Neck pain with radicular pain in the shoulder, arm and/or hand is often the result of compression of a spinal nerve in the neck. Spinal nerves leave the cervical spine (neck) to enter the arm as nerves. Thus, when a nerve is compressed in the neck, it can cause radiating pain in various regions of the shoulder and/or arm. The pattern and distribution of these symptoms can often be deciphered and isolated to a particular nerve in the neck by physical examination by a trained specialist.
Myogenic/Soft Tissue
This type of pain is often harder to diagnose. Soft Tissue pain syndromes, while quite common, are underappreciated by conventional medicine. This type of pain is caused by tiny clusters of adhesions (scar tissue) that accumulate in and around the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons) of the spine and adjacent structures. This causes pain and restriction with the movement of the neck and/or arm.
A particular type of tissue called fascia is often to blame. While often debilitating, this pain is often easier to treat and rarely if ever requires surgery.
Common Cause of Neck and Arm Pain
One of the common causes of severe, radiating, neck and arm pain is a herniated cervical disc. Most herniated discs are due to normal, age-related deterioration of the spine, but sometimes something happens that causes a disc to herniate. Trauma to the spine, heavy lifting, or sudden twisting movements (such as when golfing) can cause a disc to spontaneously herniate.
In cases where the patient is suffering from a herniated disc, they will often report a fairly long history of mild-moderate neck pain that suddenly enters the arm (as the disc herniates and makes contact with one or more nerves in the neck.)
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When to See a Specialist: Treatment for Neck, Shoulder, and Arm Pain
By the descriptions above, it is easy to see that neck and arm pain is not a clear-cut entity. The first step in treating neck and arm pain is to identify what is causing the symptoms. This can be achieved by an orthopedic spine specialist evaluating you and your current symptoms.
This evaluation will start with gathering a thorough history of when your symptoms first began and how long you’ve been experiencing them, along with what you have already tried to get a better idea of what may be going on. This will be followed by a physical examination with spine specific tests which will aim to identify patterns of sensory loss, weakness, or reflex changes that may implicate a particular nerve or group of nerves in the neck. This evaluation will also include review of your current imaging studies, to better assess what is happening on the inside.
Once this information is studied by your spine surgeon, he will recommend the best course of action to resolve your neck, shoulder and arm pain. This might involve conservative therapy measures such as over the counter or prescribed pain medication, physical therapy, chiropractic care, or a pain management specialist who can do spinal injections. The decision to recommend spine surgery will be determined when conservative measures have failed, or if there is a greater risk to your spinal cord in which permanent damage can occur.
Desert Spine and Scoliosis Center offers quality orthopedic spine care and spine surgery for patients living in the metro Phoenix area, including areas such as Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, Goodyear, Casa Grande and Queen Creek.
Please contact our office as soon as possible to schedule an initial consultation so that we can start to get to the bottom of what’s happening with you.
WE DIAGNOSE THE ROOT
Chronic back pain can be debilitating and leave you feeling hopeless. When Craig wasn’t getting the care he felt he deserved, he reached out to Dr. Baig to get the help he needed.
Unfortunately, this is a common problem: People suffering from back pain see a doctor, get diagnosed with some type of “chronic” condition, obtain a prescription and perhaps go to a few physical therapy appointments. They feel a bit better for a time, but the root of the problem is never diagnosed or properly treated. This is how back pain can become chronic, and this is why people ultimately seek the help of Desert Spine and Scoliosis center, expert back surgeons in Phoenix.
Dr. Baig, one of the most respected back surgeons in Phoenix, helped Craig identify his problem by relying on his years of expertise as a spine specialist in Phoenix. With the proper treatment, Craig’s condition improved and he was able to get back into life without the terrible pain that had dragged him down for so long. This is what patients should reasonably expect from our team of Phoenix spine surgeons.
SUCCESS STORIES
For an active 39 year old who participates in Jiujitsu, having a spinal fusion would not have been the right thing for her. We were able to get her back on the mat after a successful disc replacement and she is back living her life
NO MORE BACK PAIN!
For an active young mom, having a spinal fusion was out of the question.
She was back in the gym THE SAME DAY after she had an Endoscopic Decompression. Dr. Baig and is living life
PAIN FREE!
This personal trainer got a cervical disc replacement.
She was able to avoid a fusion, keep her her range of motion, and get back
into the gym
PAIN FREE!
WHAT OUR PATIENTS SAY
We wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our patients who take the time to leave a review about their experience at our practice.
Your kind words and feedback are greatly appreciated by our entire team, and your review helps other patients make an informed decision about where to turn to for care.
Thanks again for sharing your experience with others. You are making a difference.
T.M. ~ Actual Patient
"Dr Baig and his team are phenomenal. I had a compressed nerve due to a bulging disc and was able to be seen relatively quickly. Surgery was quick and flawless and I have no complaints at all. I truly appreciated how fast they worked to get me seen and out of all the pain I was in! Highly recommend them."
A.H. ~ Actual Patient
"Dr Baig literally changed my life for the better. I had a severely pinched nerve in my neck and needed to get surgery. Immediately at my first consult I felt comfortable and in good hands. I even walked away with a smile on my face during that scary time.
Surgery day couldn’t have gone better. The team he had also had a great bedside manner and helped keep me calm.
After the surgery and in the recovery room, he came in and checked on me and made sure I was all good before releasing me."
S.D. ~ Actual Patient
"Dr Baig was going to be my second opinion for an upcoming scheduled spinal surgery. After my appointment, he will be my surgeon. He gave me a lot of information that was lacking from my other doctors. I felt very comfortable with Dr Baig and his entire office staff. Looking forward to living pain free after we strengthen my bones. It’s going to be a permanent fix and not a bandaid."
Consult Our Back Surgeons in Phoenix
Back pain can often be a result of an accident, injury, or congenital conditions such as scoliosis. Certain forms of back pain can be a result of the natural aging process, including conditions such as disc protrusion and spinal stenosis.
Today, advancements in imaging, and non surgical techniques have led to more treatment options than ever before, allowing us to return our patients the life they once knew…usually without the need for invasive spine surgery.
Typically, back surgeons in Phoenix offer one type of help, even though there are many others available. When you work with Dr. Baig at the Desert Spine and Scoliosis Center, you can rest assured that everything is on the table when it comes to potential treatments that are accepted by the medical world.
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As a top-rated spine specialist, Dr. Baig understands that this complicated part of the body can lead to many different problems, and each possibility will be considered before deciding on a treatment protocol.
Get answers, get help, get back to a better quality of life––schedule an appointment today.
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Phoenix Arm and Neck Pain Treatment Options
If you are experiencing shoulder, arm, or neck pain, it may be time to see a doctor who can provide the guidance you need to feel better.
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Baig to discuss your arm and neck pain today.
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