When Arm and Neck Pain Are Coming from the Neck

Problems that come from the neck don’t always stay in the neck. In fact, many neck pain problems are known to migrate to the head, arms, or even the upper back.⁣
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The most well established patterns are when there is with 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻. Radiating pain has a well defined line of pain or numbness that can usually be traced out by the patient. ⁣

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Most radiating pain is caused by disc herniations with narrowing of the openings where the nerve travels. This narrowing makes the nerve susceptible to inflammation, edema, or even direct compression by disc or ligament tissue.⁣
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These issues can be corroborated by the location of pain along with deficiencies in reflex or sensory loss. Moderate to severe radiating pain my get confirmatory testing from electro diagnostic tests.⁣
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Then there’s the problem of 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻. Referred pain is when damage is happening in one body part, but a pain is felt a distant body region. In the neck, joint capsule and facet injuries can cause pain in other body regions. Upper neck joints can trigger pain in multiple regions of the head while lower neck joints can refer pain to the middle back. This can happen with or without actual pain in the neck.⁣
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