Arm Pain

Pure arm pain can still be due to pressure on the nerves coming off the neck due to a disc protrusion or a bone spur. Other possibilities would be radiating pain from a rotator cuff problem in the shoulder, nerve compression in the arm at the elbow or wrist, or something in the muscles or bones of the arm. If pain increases on tilting or turning the head, that indicates it’s coming from the neck. The ulnar nerve runs along the inside of the albow and can be compressed when propping on the elbow, such as talking on the phone or reading in bed. It goes to the little finger, which is a clue to ulnar nerve compression pain. The median nerve is another arm nerve that can be compressed in the carpal tunnel at the wits. See the section on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.