Pain in Arms

Guide Of Pain in Arms

Your life will change for the worse if you have pain in arms. As human being who worked and do a lot of activities, well functioning arm is mandatory because we use our arms every day. This is especially true for people who do any kind of manual labor or working on a computer at their work. Arm pain can hinder you in so many ways, even if you're a stay at home mother taking care of small children. This is why it's so important to get a pain in the arm correctly diagnosed and treated early on.

Pain in arms refers to any types of pain or discomfort in one's arm, hand and shoulder; basically from the finger all the way to the shoulder. Your arms is made of muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, skins, nervous system, blood vessels, blood etc, any of which can be injured, infected or receive trauma to get arm pain.

There are many symptoms that may occur with pain in arms. These conditions may indicate other underlying conditions and diseases that may be treated if attended to right away. Symptoms of arm pain may include, back, neck or shoulder pain, pins and needles or numbness into the hand muscle spasms, skin discoloration and skin bumps.

Causes of Pain in Arms

The causes of pain in arms may vary, and different anxiety symptoms may cause different levels of arm pain. The most common causes of arm pain include:

- Hyperventilation Pain  : Those suffering from panic attacks are prone to hyperventilation, and hyperventilation can cause a combination of chest pain and arm pain that mimics what someone would feel during a heart attack. That's one of the reasons that seeing a doctor is still important – it's always important to rule out any heart issues, even if you're positive it's anxiety. Hyperventilation causes blood vessels to constrict, leading to sharp pains that may radiate down the arm.

- Muscle Tension : The single most likely cause of arm pain is muscle tension. Anxiety causes muscles in the arms in the neck, shoulders, back, and arms to become very tense, and that tension may result in varying levels of pain. Depending on the way you're sitting or standing, that pain may be more pronounced in some areas than others, and for many that pain is mostly limited to the arm area.

- Overcompensation : Those with anxiety often alter their lifestyle and their behaviors based on how their anxiety makes them feel. In some cases, this may cause you to start sleeping or sitting in ways that lead to more pain even without realizing it. These changes can be completely unnoticeable to others, but if you start moving your hands and arms differently, pain may be the result.

- Psychosomatic : Anxiety does have some unfortunate consequences, and one of them is that it's possible to feel pains that may not be there because your mind is looking for them. Ask yourself if your pain started, or starting becoming more frequent, after you read about heart attack pains. Many people find that after they learn that heart attacks cause pain to radiate down the left arm and chest, they start to experience pain more often.

- Over-sensitivity to Natural Arm Pain : Arm pain also happens all the time. If you sleep on your arm funny, or you don’t exercise enough, or you accidentally tweak your arm a little, all of these can cause arm pain that is generally natural. However, those suffering from anxiety and panic attacks often can't help but focus too strongly on any pains, and thus think the arm pain is abnormal even when it is not.

Home Treatment of Arms Pain 

Even serious arm injuries can be helped initially with home treatment. If you think that you have a broken arm or wrist, apply ice packs to the affected area and use a sling to help hold your arm still until you can get medical care. 

If you have a compressed nerve or repetitive strain injury, be consistent about therapy; maintain good posture; and take frequent breaks at work and during repetitive activities, such as playing an instrument or practicing your golf swing. 

Most other types of arm pain will get better on their own, especially if you start R.I.C.E. measures within 48 hours of your injury. 

-  Rest. Take a break from your normal activities.

-  Ice. Place an ice pack or bag of frozen peas on the sore area for 15 to 20 minutes three times a day.

-  Compression. Use a compression bandage to reduce swelling.

-  Elevation. If possible, elevate your arm to help reduce swelling.

Although these are rare cases, you may have a disorder that causes pain in arms and anxiety together. That's why it's still a good idea to talk to a doctor. Nevertheless, anxiety is a potential cause of arm pain, and one that affects millions of people struggling with anxiety and panic attacks.