Nerve Pain in the Arms
Nerve pain felt in the arms can often be traced back to a poor ergonomic set up. This is because poor ergonomics encourages certain postures which are often associated with nerve pain or nerve symptoms.
What does nerve pain feel like?
Nerve pain is often described as being a sharp pain, a shooting pain, or a burning sensation. Nerve pain is caused by irritation or damage to a part of the nerve. This can occur at the nerve root, where it leaves the spinal canal, or somewhere along the pathway of the nerve.
In addition to "pain", if you are experiencing pins and needles or numbness, it is probable that your symptoms are nerve related. Pins and needles and numbness are caused by some degree of compression to a nerve. The more severe the compression, the more likely that your symptoms will have progressed from pins and needles to numbness.
Why do you often feel your symptoms in the arm, when the damage to the nerve has occurred in the neck?
This is called radicular pain. This means pain that is referred along a particular neural pathway.
Nerves typically provide neural stimulation to a number of muscles and patches of skin. All of the muscles and patches of skin that any given nerve stimulates can be considered the neural pathway of that particular nerve. Damaging or irritating a nerve can therefore result in the symptoms being felt anywhere along that neural pathway.
It is common for the symptoms to also be felt locally at the site of the irritation. A good example of this is someone who irritates a nerve in their neck and experiences local neck pain, as well as referred pain to a particular part of the arm (i.e. somewhere along the neural pathway of the irritated nerve).
Nerve pain in the arms caused by poor ergonomics
This article won't discuss carpal tunnel syndrome. For more information on carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a nerve condition and is often caused by poor workstation ergonomics, please see the page on ergonomic wrist pain here.
Office workers often experience nerve pain in the arms because of poor posture, caused by a poor ergonomic set up. Specifically, postures such as a slouched posture or slumped posture, and a poking chin posture, are the key culprits.
A slouched posture or a slumped posture result in the rounding of your shoulders. This stretches the cervical nerves as they leave the neck, which can cause irritation. It can also cause shoulder and neck muscles to tighten up and go into spasm. The nerves have to pass through these regions and can become irritated or compressed by tight and inflexible muscles.
Furthermore, a poking chin posture has the potential to compress the upper cervical vertebrae. This in turn can lead to irritation and compression of the cervical nerve roots as they leave the neck.
For more information on the negative impact poor posture has on the neck region, see the ergonomic shoulder pain and ergonomic neck pain articles.
How to address nerve pain if you're an office worker
Ensure that your workstation is set up ergonomically, paying close attention to:
In addition, regularly swapping between sitting and standing if it's available to you, is a great way to stop the continual accumulation of stress to the same areas. This can help to prevent nerve irritation and alleviate symptoms if you have already developed them.
It is also a great idea to seek physiotherapy treatment and get a professional ergonomic assessment.
Nerve pain is often described as being a sharp pain, a shooting pain, or a burning sensation. Nerve pain is caused by irritation or damage to a part of the nerve. This can occur at the nerve root, where it leaves the spinal canal, or somewhere along the pathway of the nerve.
In addition to "pain", if you are experiencing pins and needles or numbness, it is probable that your symptoms are nerve related. Pins and needles and numbness are caused by some degree of compression to a nerve. The more severe the compression, the more likely that your symptoms will have progressed from pins and needles to numbness.
Why do you often feel your symptoms in the arm, when the damage to the nerve has occurred in the neck?
This is called radicular pain. This means pain that is referred along a particular neural pathway.
Nerves typically provide neural stimulation to a number of muscles and patches of skin. All of the muscles and patches of skin that any given nerve stimulates can be considered the neural pathway of that particular nerve. Damaging or irritating a nerve can therefore result in the symptoms being felt anywhere along that neural pathway.
It is common for the symptoms to also be felt locally at the site of the irritation. A good example of this is someone who irritates a nerve in their neck and experiences local neck pain, as well as referred pain to a particular part of the arm (i.e. somewhere along the neural pathway of the irritated nerve).
Nerve pain in the arms caused by poor ergonomics
This article won't discuss carpal tunnel syndrome. For more information on carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a nerve condition and is often caused by poor workstation ergonomics, please see the page on ergonomic wrist pain here.
Office workers often experience nerve pain in the arms because of poor posture, caused by a poor ergonomic set up. Specifically, postures such as a slouched posture or slumped posture, and a poking chin posture, are the key culprits.
A slouched posture or a slumped posture result in the rounding of your shoulders. This stretches the cervical nerves as they leave the neck, which can cause irritation. It can also cause shoulder and neck muscles to tighten up and go into spasm. The nerves have to pass through these regions and can become irritated or compressed by tight and inflexible muscles.
Furthermore, a poking chin posture has the potential to compress the upper cervical vertebrae. This in turn can lead to irritation and compression of the cervical nerve roots as they leave the neck.
For more information on the negative impact poor posture has on the neck region, see the ergonomic shoulder pain and ergonomic neck pain articles.
How to address nerve pain if you're an office worker
Ensure that your workstation is set up ergonomically, paying close attention to:
- Make sure your chair is high enough. A low chair encourages slouching.
- Make sure your feet are well supported, as this helps to stop you leaning forward and slo pushes you back into your chair.
- Make sure your backrest is leaning back slightly (only slightly), to encourage you to sit back into the chair instead of poking your chin forward.
- Make sure your computer screen is high enough.
- Make sure your keyboard and mouse are not too far away from you.
In addition, regularly swapping between sitting and standing if it's available to you, is a great way to stop the continual accumulation of stress to the same areas. This can help to prevent nerve irritation and alleviate symptoms if you have already developed them.
It is also a great idea to seek physiotherapy treatment and get a professional ergonomic assessment.
