Why Your Arm is Causing You Pain?

Pain is body’s way of getting your attention when something is wrong. It can arise in any part of the body such as shoulder, arms or legs.

Arm pain, depending on the location and cause may be accompanied by numbness, redness, swelling or stiffness of the joints. Here are some of the common causes for pain in the arm-

Common Causes

• Bruises

Bruises are a common cause of arm pain that occur when small blood vessels under the skin tear or rupture, due to a twist or a fall.
Symptoms
When there is a tear or rupture, the blood leaks into tissues under the skin. This causes the skin to turn into black and blue color that often turns purple, red, yellow and green as the bruise heals. Thus, a reddish patch that changes color as the pain fades is the most common symptom for bruises.

• Sprains

Sprains are a minor form of fracture and are often a result of injuries to the tough, ropey fibers that connect bones to bones.
There are commonly three degrees of sprains: first degree, second degree and third degree. As the degree of sprain increases, the intensity of pain also increases and so does the seriousness of the injury.
Symptoms
If you are suffering from a first-degree sprain, you will experience swelling and pain with a stable joint.
For second-degree sprain, patients experience severe pain and restrictions in terms of movement.
On the other hand, if you have a third degree sprain, you are most likely to feel loose or wobbly. Often, there are grating sounds released when the joint is moved.

• Strains

When muscles are overstretched, it often leads to straining of muscle. In some cases, strains can even result in torn down muscles or tendons.
A muscle pull, that is considered as a minor and common experience is also a type of strain.
Symptoms
Limited muscle movement and a bulge or deformities around the area are common indicators of the problem.

• Fractures

Fractures are a common term used for injuries that result in breaking of bones. It can range from a hairline crack in the bone or breakage of bones to the extent that it no longer lines up correctly.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of a fracture is pain that increases with movement or when pressure is applied to the area. Other indicators include swelling and bruising in the area. If the wound is visible, you can also see bone poking through the skin.

How Physiotherapy can Help-
For Bruises-
To control pain, bleeding, inflammation and to keep the muscle in a gentle stretch position the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) formula is used. The use of ice in the process helps in contracting blood vessels and also help in healing the wound faster.
For Sprains-
Physiotherapy uses a specific treatment procedure that involves the use of PRICE (Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), together with avoiding HARM (Heat, Alcohol, Running, and Massage) to cure bruises.
For Strains-
A common treatment technique used to treat strains is dry needling and acupuncture. These methods are commonly used to relieve patients from pain, helping them to effectively cure strains.
For Fractures-
At first, the fractured bone is realigned by encasing the area with plaster of paris. Once the plaster is removed, physiotherapy uses exercises for rehabilitation. This helps in reducing any swelling and regaining full muscle power so that it can function normally.

While most of these problems can be treated even by a general physician, visiting a physiotherapist has its own benefits. This can range from curing the problem completely to preventing it from reoccurring.