Is this your symptom?
- Pain in the arm (shoulder to fingers)
- Includes minor muscle strains from hard work or sports (overuse)
- If pain was caused by an injury, see the Arm Injury care guide
Causes of Arm Pain
- Muscle Overuse(strained muscles). Arm pains are often from hard muscle work or sports. Examples are too much throwing or swimming. They are most common in the shoulder. This type of pain can last from hours up to 7 days.
- Muscle Cramps. Brief pains that last 1 to 15 minutes are often due to muscle cramps. These can also occur in the hand after too much writing or typing.
- Trapped Nerves.
The nerves in the neck or arm can become trapped or squeezed where they pass through narrow spaces in the arm. This causes pain, numbness or tingling.
- Nerves trapped in the neck can cause severe pain and loss of movement in the shoulder and arm.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is from pressure on a nerve at the wrist. It causes tingling, pain and/or weakness in the fingers and hand.
- Viral Illness. Mild muscle aches and joint pain in the arms also occur with many viral illnesses.
- Shingles. The zoster virus can cause arm pain in which the skin may be very sensitive or painful before a rash (shingles rash) appears.
- Joint Inflammation. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout. Some, like gout, may affect just one joint. Others affect multiple joints at the same time. Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear on the joints. It can cause pain, stiffness and loss of movement. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the same joint(s) on both sides of the body. Early treatment may help prevent long-term damage to the joints involved.
- Septic Arthritis (serious). This is a bacterial infection of a joint space. Main symptoms are fever and severe pain with movement of the joint. You may not be able to move the joint at all. This needs care right away.
- Tendinitis is inflammation of tendons where they attach to the bone, caused by overuse. This causes tenderness in the area and pain when the limb is used. Often needs a long period of rest from the activity that caused it. A steroid shot may be needed to reduce the pain.
- Impingement Syndrome may happen when the tendons of the shoulder muscles get pinched in between the bones in the shoulder. This causes pain and swelling. It may limit movement when lifting your arm above your head.
- Bursitis. Many joints are covered by fluid-filled sacs called bursae. They help the joint move smoothly. These bursae can get inflamed or infected, causing pain and swelling. The area may look red and feel warm to touch. See your doctor right away if you have these symptoms.
- Referred Pain. Pain is sometimes felt in an area when there is not actually a problem. This is called referred pain. For example, gall bladder, heart and some abdominal problems may cause pain to be felt in the shoulder. An exam is needed right away for shoulder pain that starts suddenly without a clear reason.
Pain Scale
- Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from any normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
- Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
- Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.
When to Call for Arm Pain
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Call 911 Now
- Not moving or too weak to stand
- You have any of these symptoms:
- chest pain or discomfort
- feel weak, dizzy, or faint
- pain in the jaw, neck or back
- trouble breathing
- nausea or vomiting
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Fever with a swollen, painful joint
- Loss of blood flow to any part of the arm (looks pale)
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Sudden onset of swelling (without injury) of one or both arms
- Muscles are weak (loss of strength)
- Loss of feeling in the arm, hand or fingers lasts more than 1 hour
- Severe pain when arm is touched or moved
- Fever or chills; feeling hot or shivery
- Bright red area on skin with lines tracking out from the area
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Can't move the arm (shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand) normally
- There is rash or area of blisters on the arm
- Swollen or painful joint(s)
- Pain gets worse over several days
- You have a cast that :
- is too tight or too loose
- feels uncomfortable
- has gotten wet
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Loss of feeling or tingling in the arm or hand
- Arm pain lasts more than 7 days
- Arm pain happens often
- Arm pain keeps you from working or other activities
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Caused by overuse
- Mild arm pain
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
