Neck pain that is associated with arm pain, ache and/or numbness is typically due to two main causes.
- Cervical radiculopathy is a condition where nerves exiting the neck are impinged by a disc or other spine structures, leading to pain in the neck, back, and shoulder, pins and needles/reduced sensation, and potentially loss of strength in sveer cases. The vast majority of cervical radiculopathies resolve within 8-12 weeks. Treatment typically involves education, managing muscle spasm and tension, and co-mamaging with medical professionals.
- The second cause may be referred pain, there are several structures in the neck and shoulder (besides nerve) that can refer pain onto the arm, notobaly the most common is the scalene muscle which sits at the front of the neck but refers to to the back, scapula and down the arm and into the fingers, this pattern mimicks cervical radipulaopthy the most. Shoulder muscles such the infrspinatous and latissimus dorsi also refer down the arm but less associated with neck pain.
