Can an upper spine problem cause arm pain?
Posted , 6 users are following.
I've been feeling horrible finger, elbow, shoulder, leg, and upper back pain for nearly two years now. I've been checked and treated for carpal tunnel, tendinitis, fibromyalgia, vitamin deficiencies, etc and nothing has come of any of that.
However, recently, an MRI of my lower back showed protruded discs, which may explain the leg pain I've been feeling. I'm wondering if it's possible that something similar is happening to my upper back, thereby causing the upper body pain. I've had a scan of my neck already, and that showed nothing, but the rest still hasn't been looked at. One of my doctors thinks I have spondylitis, but that's not exactly confirmed.
0 likes, 13 replies
mike09523 Alex982
Posted
Hi,
In my own opinion I would say that cervical vertebrae at c4 c5 c6 or c7 could be to blame for your symptoms. Spondylosis or stenosis being the likely culprit. An mri scan usually shows the trouble spots, but not always. You need to be referred for nerve conduction tests, probably followed by an appointment with a neurologist.
Don't leave it as it will likely only get worse as will your symptoms. Do you have any bladder problems?
Mike.
Alex982 mike09523
Posted
I already had both a neck MRI and a nerve conduction test about a year ago, and sadly, they both came up with nothing, like most tests I've had. Also, my rheumatologist thinks I have spondylitis because of an x-ray he took of my lower back, but another doctor doesn't see it on the MRI that was taken of that same spot later.
Alex982 mike09523
Posted
Is it possible that that this is still a problem related to my upper spine, just not the neck? I do feel some pain in discomfort in my upper back pretty frequently as a result of this problem, and nobody's really looked there yet. That's why I'm still holding out hope for that. Just about every test and treatment has been done for everything else that causes arm pain, and nothing has worked.
Oh, also the only bladder problem I experienced was some constipation I had for a few months, but that eventually went away, probably because I improved my diet a bit.
Alex982 mike09523
Posted
Okay wait, the MRI I had done last year has been re-examined by my rheumatologist, and they say that there's a bulged disc in my cervical spine, yet they also don't think it's causing any stenosis. I'm going to talk to them soon and ask why they think something that important sounding isn't a problem.
mike09523 Alex982
Posted
Hi,
When you had the nerve conduction tests done did they use the long needle probes into the muscles, as well as the electric zaps at the hands. I only ask as my first tests with the electric zaps were all "text book perfect". Only when he used the needle probes did problems show up, big time.
I would be very surprised if the cervical spine is not to blame, somehow, as all your symptoms point in that direction (imoo).
Mike.
Alex982 mike09523
Posted
It's been a while, so I'm actually not sure if they did use the needle probes, though I feel like I'd remember large needles being stuck into my body. Maybe I'll call them and ask if that was part of the procedure, just to be sure. If not, then I might talk to my rheumatologist about this.
So wait, did you have a cervical spine problem that caused you arm pain? If so, what exactly did it feel like? I've yet to find anybody who has symptoms similar to me. For me, it's usually an aching pain that's focused on my fingers and/or elbows, and it gets worse the more effort I put into various tasks, but gets somewhat better with rest. My shoulders hurt whenever I rotate them or bend my neck a lot. Sometimes my muscles start to twitch when I exert myself, and occasionally I get a little tingling and numbness. This whole problem is putting my job in danger, and has made playing video games a thing of the past until it can be resolved.
caroline2071 mike09523
Posted
I had nerve conduction tests done last year that came back normal, they didn't use a needle😏 I can barely walk and have chronic SIJD my right leg is numb and the pain is unbearable but they say im fine, not sure why they bother with these tests
mike09523 Alex982
Posted
Hi,
Originally my problems started in my left shoulder, dull aching pain. Over the next 6 months or so it spread down to my arm, hand and fingers. A weird fizzing feeling that I described to my consultant as though a bottle of soda water had been poured inside my arm. Eventually these symptoms spread into both my shoulder blades, across the top of my neck and down my right arm, hand and fingers. The pain eventually was relentless, 24/7, a combination of very bad earache and toothache together, I couldn't sleep properly. After trying various meds I did manage to control the intensity of the pain, but only with a very understanding gp.
Mike.
Alex982 mike09523
Posted
Yeah, that doesn't sound an awful lot like what I have. My pain started in my fingers and spread upwards through my arm to my shoulders and back. It also took much longer than 6 months to reach the level of pain I'm currently at, and even then, it's not 24/7, it's mainly when I'm exerting myself in some way. I also don't know what you mean about the fizzing feeling, I don't get earaches or toothaches that relate to this problem, and it doesn't seem to be affecting my sleep. So I think it's safe to say that our problems are very different.
As of right now, I have two (apparently very experienced) doctors telling me different things. One is telling me that I have spondylitis and that I need to start my enbrel injections, and the other is telling me I don't have spondylitis and that there's probably something else wrong with my upper back. Neither doctor is 100% sure of their diagnosis, and I need to figure out who is right very quickly.
adele84136 Alex982
Posted
A couple of years ago I started having a numb thumb and finger, then the pain started under my arm then severe arm ache.
I’ve already had 4 laminectomies and a discectomy so I had that sinking feeling when pins and needles wouldn’t go away on the tips of my finder and thumb. I lived like this for a few years
I then had an MRI scan and it showed in my next I had a prolapsed disc.
I had the surgery of which they entered through the from of my next but the scar is small and I cannot tell I’ve had neck surgery at all
I went in for the surgery at 3pm and went back to the ward at 9pm, it was late as I take high dose morphine so take a long time to come round. Different problem
So....... my partner waited for me to come back to the ward and by 9.30pm he was wheeling me out for a cigarette
Although I fell out with the nurse as she said I should rest but when it’s your 17th operation u begin to be a bad patient lol. And having so many back operations I know my limits.
By 6am I was walking around and at 10am I went home.
But............. this bit is very important. Rest!!!!!!!!! If u don’t then u will undo everything!!! And I tried without a neck collar but it’s impossble
It’s one of the best ops I’ve had for going in one day and out the next. No more pain. I don’t even know I’ve had it done.. good luck
Adele
Alex982 adele84136
Posted
Hi Adele,
I've gotten my recent MRI results back, and the one for my neck shows a fairly small bulged disc, but the one for my thoracic spine shows a somewhat larger one. I don't have any sort of opinion or report from the doctor about the thoracic MRI, but I'm hoping it's something that could be causing my problems, because otherwise it would have to be spondylitis, and that's something I'd have to take biologics to manage pretty much forever.
In any case, I'm glad that you got your own problem worked out eventually. I've been trying to rest, but it's hard when your primary source of entertainment is the computer. I'm not still trying to play video games, since I've learned that that's a lost cause until I eventually get better, but just using the keyboard and trackball mouse too much in a day causes some aching and stinging pain.
jesperlarsen72 Alex982
Posted
It can differnetly be related to your upperspine problem. I was in a car crash when i was around 18, and got a few fractures on my upperspine, nothing super serious but the nerves around the spine is of cause connected to your brain, and your brain is the one sending signals out to your arms and legs, which gave me pain in my left arm. Depending on your problem it can either be muzzles that gives u the pain or a nerve thats bothered, what i did was massage at the neck and shoulders and then i used something different moving technique ( https://spilerdug.se/ ) everytime i went out of bed. What this basicly did, you know the saying where you get the wrong leg out of the bed. Thats actually what i did, i move wrongly out of the bed, and beside the upperspine problem i had, it caused problem with my nerves and then gave me pain in my arm. Hope this helped, otherwise theres alot of good information on the internet regarding this problem.
jesperlarsen72
Posted
Spilerdug theres alot of pdf files here where u can see how to move properly in different postures