Upper Extremity Pain

What’s Really Going On?

Upper Extremity Pain is a broad term for any pain located in the Ribs, Shoulders, Upper Arms, Elbows, Lower Arms, Wrists, Hands, and Fingers. Upper Extremity Pain itself is quite common, considering it is such a broad term, and generally pain is not limited to one of the categories included in the term Upper Extremity.

Rib Pain is defined as any pain localized to the rib cage, either in the bone or surrounding musculature.

Shoulder pain is defined as pain surrounding the shoulder joint, including the AC joint, clavicle, scapula, upper humerus, and surrounding musculature. Shoulder pain is the most common upper extremity condition treated at Evolve Chiropractic.

Upper Arm pain is defined as pain in the musculature and fascia of the upper arm including most commonly the triceps, biceps.

Elbow pain is defined as pain localized to the elbow joint and surrounding musculature. Elbow pain is the second most common upper extremity condition treated at Evolve Chiropractic.

Lower Arm pain is defined as pain in the musculature of the forearm, this includes both the wrist extensors, and the wrist flexors.

Wrist and hand pain is defined as pain surrounding the carpal bones of the wrist, metacarpals of the hand, and includes the numerous surrounding ligaments and musculature.

Finger pain is defined as pain in any of the fingers, most commonly affecting the thumb.

Common causes for Upper Extremity Pain include joint misalignment, muscular tightness, tension and trigger points, sprains and strains, sport-specific traumas, overuse, repetitive motion trauma, fractures and dislocations, general stress, poor ergonomic set-up in the office or at home, carpal tunnel syndrome, falls on out-stretched arms/hands, and “down-river” neurological symptoms from cervical disc herniations. It is extremely common for pain to travel either up or down the kinetic chain of the Upper Extremity due to intimate anatomic association between all structures included in the broad term Upper Extremity.

How Does Evolve Chiropractic Treat Upper Extremity Pain?

While we believe no two conditions are the same, at Evolve Chiropractic we have a similar systematic approach to our treatment of conditions causing Upper Extremity pain. We utilize an innovative three phase treatment protocol beginning with our Relief phase, where we initiate immediate pain relief. Once the majority of patients’ pain complaints are reduced, we can graduate to the Recovery phase, where we build the foundation for lasting pain relief, and complete functional recovery. And finally, patients progress to our last phase of care is the Rehabilitation phase, where we stabilize and strengthen the supporting tissues to prevent reinjury.

The length of care in each phase, and treatment modalities received in each phase depend on patient presentation in the clinic, underlying condition/cause of pain, contraindications to care, and previous medical and chiropractic health histories. However, some of the typical treatment modalities we utilize in care for Upper Extremity pain include chiropractic manipulative therapy, manual muscular and fascial release therapy, trigger point therapy, voodoo flossing, intersegmental traction therapy, percussion therapy, cupping therapy, dry needling therapy, heat/ice therapy and CBD application.

What Is The Underlying Condition To My Pain Complaint?

There are many different causes for upper extremity pain - here are a few of the most common conditions causing these pain complaints.

SHOULDER:
1. Rotator Cuff Tendinitis - Inflammation to the supporting muscles of the shoulder. This commonly affects people doing extensive overhead activity, or repetitive motions such as throwing, or serving/bussing at a restaurant.
2. Trigger Points - Local areas in inflammation in the musculature surrounding the shoulder. These can present as local pain, or they can refer pain into the neck and even the head, or down the arm into your hand.
3. Joint Sprain - This can be at the SC Joint, where your clavicle meets your sternum, your AC Joint, where your scapula meets your clavicle, or at the GH Joint, where your humerus meets your scapula. All of these joints have capsules and supporting ligaments that can be sprained after traumas such as falling on an outstretched arm.
4. Degeneration and Arthritis - Degenerative joint changes happen to many of us as we age. While no one can fix the bony changes associated with degeneration, we can certainly provide palliative care to alleviate your pain, and keep you engaged with the activities you love to do.
5. Frozen Shoulder - Scar Tissue and adhesion build-up on the capsule of the shoulder, making virtually any movement both restricted and extremely painful. Frozen Shoulder is commonly seen in individuals with Diabetes, but this condition can also have linkages to individuals suffering from repetitive motion traumas.
6. Stress - The elephant in the room for all of us! Stress can cause severe muscle tightness through out the shoulder into the neck. Finding productive ways to manage stress, such as meditation, taking a relaxing walk or bath, or utilizing chiropractic care can alleviate the pain and tightness associated with stress.

ELBOW:
1. Golfer and Tennis Elbow - These terms are associated with medial and lateral epicondylitis respectively, which means there is a local area of inflammation near your elbow due to overuse of musculature in the area. Generally these present as a chronic dull, achy pain that becomes sharp and burning with activity.
2. Trigger Points - Local areas in inflammation in the musculature surrounding the elbow. These can present as local pain, or they can refer pain into the arm and into your hand.
3. Elbow Sprains and Strains - Sprains affect ligaments, and strains affect the musculature, both are traumas to supporting structures of the elbow. Generally these are seen in active individuals and competitive athletes, especially athletes who are frequently throwing.
4. Degeneration and Arthritis - Degenerative joint changes happen to many of us as we age. While no one can fix the bony changes associated with degeneration, we can certainly provide palliative care to alleviate your pain, and keep you engaged with the activities you love to do.

WRIST:
1. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - This has become a broader umbrella term for compression of the median nerve at the wrist. There are multiple causes for carpal tunnel syndrome, however it generally presents with pain at the wrist and numbness and tingling in the fingers.
2. Overuse and Repetitive Motion Traumas - This is generally an increase of inflammation in the wrist due to overuse. Many occupations experience this pain, including but not limited to barbers/hairstylists, servers, drivers, construction workers, artists, and individuals using keyboard and mouse for the majority of the day.
3. Wrist Sprains and Strains - Sprains affect ligaments, and strains affect the musculature, both are traumas to supporting structures of the wrist. Generally these are seen in active individuals and competitive athletes, especially athletes who are frequently throwing, catching and tackling. Sprains are more common in the wrist than strains.
4. Degeneration and Arthritis - Degenerative joint changes happen to many of us as we age. While no one can fix the bony changes associated with degeneration, we can certainly provide palliative care to alleviate your pain, and keep you engaged with the activities you love to do.

HAND/FINGERS:
1. Tendinitis and Bursitis - Inflammation of the tendons connecting to bones in the hand and fingers, or inflammation to the bursa, which is a fluid filled sac allowing smooth movement of structures in the hand and fingers. These conditions generally presents as a chronic dull, achy pain that can become more sharp and burning with increased activity.
2. Joint Misalignment - Activities involving the hand and fingers can cause either the carpal bones of the wrist and hand to misalign, or the meta carpal bones of the hand and fingers to misalign. This misalignment will send a signal to your brain that is interpreted as pain.
3. Hand and Finger Sprains and Strains - Sprains affect ligaments, and strains affect the musculature, both are traumas to supporting structures of the hand and fingers. Generally these are seen in active individuals and competitive athletes, especially athletes who are frequently throwing, catching and tackling. Sprains are more common in the wrist than strains.
4. Degeneration and Arthritis - Degenerative joint changes happen to many of us as we age. While no one can fix the bony changes associated with degeneration, we can certainly provide palliative care to alleviate your pain, and keep you engaged with the activities you love to do.
Do you think you are suffering from one of these conditions? The good news is they all respond quite well to our upper extremity pain treatment protocol at Evolve Chiropractic! Let us help you alleviate your pain today.

Do You Have Research Backing Your Treatment Protocol For Upper Extremity Pain?

Evolve Chiropractic prides itself on being the gold-standard for evidence-based chiropractic care, and we are happy to provide all resources backing our treatment protocol upon request for individuals who would like to learn more in depth about our profound impact on upper extremity pain.

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