Upper arm pain

The upper arm is the body part between the elbow and the shoulder. With pain in this region, problems of the biceps muscle or the triceps muscle are quickly considered. But that does not always have to be the case. The pain felt in the upper arm can also come from the shoulder, elbow or even the neck.

Anatomy of the upper arm

The upper arm consists of one bone and two large muscle groups. The biceps and triceps muscle groups attach to the bone called the humerus. The biceps are also known as the muscles we use to show off our muscles. 

As the names suggest, these muscle groups consist of two (bi-) or three (tri-) separate muscles. In addition, several important nerves and blood vessels run through the upper arm that provide control, sensation and blood supply for the entire arm.

Pain

For upper arm pain that has not arisen acutely, it is often necessary to look for the cause of these symptoms. Shoulder pain is often felt in the upper arm. The long tendon of the biceps even runs through the shoulder capsule and attaches to the shoulder. This can explain why the pain is felt in the upper arm.

In addition, pain in the upper arm can also be referred from the neck, especially if nerves that run to the arm are involved. If a nerve in the neck is irritated or pinched, this can cause symptoms in the upper arm.

In acute injuries of the upper arm, consider a bone fracture or a muscle tear of the biceps or triceps. A fracture mainly occurs due to an accident or fall. If the acute incident involves quickly catching a heavy load, we are more likely to think of a tendon or muscle tear.

Muscles and tendons can also become overloaded. Muscle soreness is a common complaint among athletes. Muscle soreness in the upper arm is seen, for example, in the gym, where specific exercises for the biceps and triceps sometimes lead to overuse.

Symptoms
Pain symptoms that are often observed are: 

• A band-like feeling around the upper arm. Pain that is not very easy to localise, or that moves. 
• A tight feeling.
• Tingling.
• Loss of strength. 

When there is tingling or loss of strength, this may indicate a problem with nerves and/or blood vessels.

Check your upper arm symptoms

It is important to identify the cause of pain in the upper arm and take the appropriate action. As an initial step you can take the online physiotherapy check, in which your upper arm pain is compared with a large number of known complaints and injuries in physiotherapy.

For a thorough assessment you can visit a qualified physiotherapist near you. The physiotherapist can examine where the pain comes from and treat it with physiotherapy techniques and targeted exercises.

Conditions

The conditions below relate to the upper arm. In the article about the shoulder you will find an overview of shoulder conditions and injuries that may also cause pain in the upper arm.