Upper arm muscle pain and discomfort cause a significant drop in our training performance. Not only does it limit your movement, but it also affects your fitness progress dramatically. Arm pain is a natural sensation that you will feel when you’re exercising. However, there are different kinds of arm pain that you should be aware of. Although it might only appear as muscle strain, it might also be a sign of injury or heart disease. Your rotator cuff is composed of several tiny muscle groups and tendons that might be strained during your workout. In case that it’s suffered too much stress, arm pain will be prominent. In this article, we will talk about the causes and treatment for the upper arm muscle pain. We will also recommend one of the best exercise machines that you can use to relieve the general pain and discomfort. Find it at MagneticRowingMachine e-shop today.
Arm Pain Symptoms
These are the typical symptoms that occur together with arm pain:
- Redness
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Enlarged Lymph Nodes Under the Arm
Although the symptoms correlate to the possible causes, those mentioned above are the most common.
Arm Pain Causes
The level of arm pain can be mild to intense. And these are the possible causes:
- Pinched Nerves: Pinched nerve occurs when your nerve suffers too much tension or pressure because of the surrounding bones, muscles, tendons, and cartilage. The arm pain can be tolerable in mild cases, but it can be highly discomforting in severe cases. Some of the other symptoms may include numbness, a tingling sensation, muscle weakness, and sharp pain.
- Sprains: Sprains happen when ligaments or tendons in your rotator cuff tears or gets stretched. Mild cases can be effectively treated at home with rest or by taking over-the-counter meds. However, severe cases may require physical therapy or surgery. Some of the symptoms are limited joint mobility, bruising, swelling, or joint instability.
- Tendonitis: Whenever your tendon is inflamed, it is called tendonitis. The most common areas affected are the tendons in your rotator cuff, elbows, knees, and wrists. The typical symptoms are tenderness, mild swelling, and dull pain.
Rotator Cuff Injury: Injuries on the rotator cuff typically occurs with too many exertions of the muscles. People who perform an intense workout that includes overhead movements, especially while lifting heavy weight loads are more susceptible to experience the injury. The most common symptoms are arm pain with weakness and dull pain.- Broken Bones: The arm pain from broken bones can be very excruciating and intense. You may hear an audible snapping sound when this happens. It is often accompanied by swelling, bruising, severe pain, deformity, inability to turn the palm on the affected arm.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: This adverse health condition commonly occurs when the joints are inflamed. The usual symptoms are warm and tender joints, swelling, stiffness, and fatigue. Rheumatism usually comes as we age.
- Angina: Angina is a serious matter that you should take into consideration seriously. It occurs when your heart is not getting enough blood and oxygen. The arm pain mimics muscle pains, making it more dangerous. You might feel chest pain, nausea, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
- Heart Attack: When your arteries get blocked, that’s when a heart attack happens. If left untreated, the muscle will die and could be fatal. The symptoms include pain on both left and right arms, shortness of breath, pain on a random upper body part, nausea, cold sweating, chest pain and discomfort, and dizziness. We recommend calling 911 as soon as possible.
Heart disease can mimic the arm pain symptoms. It is common that you feel that your life might be in danger; we always recommend consulting your doctor instead of self medication. However, mild cases of arm pain from exercising can be treated at home efficiently. Consult your doctor before starting exercising again after a heart attack.
Arm Pain Treatment
The treatment of arm pain differs from one case to another. The general treatment may include:
- Prescribed Pain Killers
- Anti-Inflammatory Medicines
- Physical Therapy
- Surgery
Home Remedies are also efficient for mild cases. The treatment includes:
- Rest
- Cold Compress
- Hot Compress
- Over-the-Counter Pain Killers
- Compression and Elevation
Arm Pain Prevention
Arm pain can be prevented with the right stretching exercises. Especially the warmup and cooldown stretch. Exercising with a piece of fitness equipment that offers a low impact on joints and muscles also helps significantly. Try this so you can also enjoy the benefits that it can provide by conditioning your muscles and joints gradually. Regular use can reduce arm pain dramatically.
Final Word
Whenever you experience arm pain, whether it’s mild or severe, we recommend consulting your doctor the soonest time possible. It may only be muscle pain, but prevention is better than the cure. Your doctor can help with early detection of possible underlying health conditions that may be signs of more severe complications. So, if you encounter the symptoms that we covered above, relax and call your doctor immediately.
