Head & Neck Radiating Pain

If you are experiencing radiating pain to the shoulder, arm and even hands, the source of your trouble could be your neck or “cervical spine”. The nerves that supply sensation and movement travel from your neck down your arms. These nerves exit from your spine on both sides of your neck, supplying the left and right sides of your arms. Often with poor posture, poor alignment, muscle weakness/injury, or arthritis, the structure of the spine can change. This can lead to a narrowing of the holes where the nerves exit from your spinal cord.

Symptoms often start off as a mild, occasional tingling to certain areas of the shoulder, arm or hand. It can then worsen to cause pain and numbness.  The time it takes to reduce symptoms depends on how long and to what extent the symptoms have been occurring.

How our physiotherapists can help

Physiotherapy plays an important role in your recovery from radiating shoulder, arm and hand pain. By improving your neck mobility, posture, alignment and muscle strength, support and stability can be returned to your neck. Either manual or mechanical neck traction can also be used to reduce pressure on the affected nerve and allow it to heal. Book an appointment today to discover how we can help you resolve your radiating shoulder or arm pain!