Table of Contents
Massage for arm pain
Massage for arm pain can help symptoms. Numbness and tingling down the arm can be caused by a number of issues. It is usually an indication of possible compromise(injury) to a nerve. There are a number of areas that can compromise the nerve. I will discuss the most common areas where dysfunction can be rooted. I will also limit anatomical location to the shoulders and neck.
Cervical Spine
Massage for arm pain can be at the symptomatic location or can be rooted elsewhere, such as the neck.
The first location is the cervical spine, also known as your neck. There are a few ways that the nerve can become injured and over time cause these issues down the arm. In the neck and the rest of your spine, there are discs. Many describe them as similar to “hockey pucks”. They are between each spinal segment. The discs function to absorb shock and open the “spaces” so that your nerves can exit the spine. Sometimes what happens is when a disc protrudes it can press on the nerve exiting the spine. These nerves travel down the limbs such as your arms and legs. When a nerve is pressed down, you can feel numbness. Tingling is another symptom that can occur.
This is an image of a section of the spine if you were to look straight down from the top of the head towards the feet. It compares a normal disc and an abnormal disc that is bulging and pressing on the nerve. This image was from the website Citizendia:
http://www.citizendia.org/Spinal_disc_herniation
Another issue that can happen in the neck is that the spaces where the nerves exit is narrowed. This can happen when the disc wears away, decreasing the space where the nerve actually exits. Another potential reason for the narrowing of this space is extra bone growth around the area. This growth causes pressure on the nerve. This can happen in the case of osteoarthritis in the neck. In both of these cases the nerve is injured via unwanted pressure on it. In this instance massage for arm pain is targeted to the neck structures.
Visual is from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/-/scassets/images/org/health/articles/24856-foraminal-stenosis
In the neck, there is a group of muscles. The nerves have to pass through these muscles before traveling down the arm. These muscles are called the Scalenes group. These muscles are what they call accessory breathing muscles. What that means is that they assist by elevating the 1st and 2nd ribs to aid in breathing. The primary breathing muscle is the diaphragm. If these muscles become tight, they can “grip” on to the nerves that go through these muscles. These muscles can become tight for a couple of reasons. The first reason is maintaining a constant head forward position. This occurs when sitting in front of a computer or driving for a long time. The other big reason is through stress. Often, when we are stressed, normal breathing changes. The diaphragm is used less, and the accessory breathing muscles, such as the Scalenes, are used more. This causes tightening of these particular neck muscles.
This beautiful illustration shows the Scalenes muscle and how the nerve(s) run through the 1st two most “forward” of the Scalenes group. (Atlas of Human Anatomy, Netter, Frank H.)
Massage for arm pain can target the neck but it can also target a structure in the upper ribcage. Slightly further down is the Pectoralis Minor muscle, they are underneath the much larger Pectoralis Major muscles. These muscles assist with breathing also and draw the shoulders forward such as when you are reaching out. You can tell how tight these muscles are just by looking at a person’s posture. Generally speaking, these individuals will probably have a slouched posture with shoulders rounded forward. It’s similar to a tall, skinny teenager. They slouch, thinking they would be less awkward if they were of normal height. Even by lying down on their backs, you would probably see their shoulders jutting towards the ceiling!
This is a picture of the neurovascular(nerves and blood vessels) bundle travelling underneath the Pectoralis minor before the bundle traverses down the arm. This is a picture of the front of thee body. This picture is from, “Christina’s Pain Therapy Blog”:
http://abbottcenter.com/bostonpaintherapy/2010/05/21/arm-and-hand-pain-pectoralis-minor-entrapment/
Massage for arm pain can target the area where the Neurovascular (nerves and blood vessels) bundle passes through. This area is called the Thoracic outlet. It runs from the neck and into the arm pit region. There actually is a name for the condition whereby a nerve, blood vessel or both are compromised within this region. The term is called TOS or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
So I have listed off potentially 4 different scenarios that require massage for arm pain.. These scenarios are treatable and symptoms can be managed. In many cases the individual can go back to normal everyday functioning. With degenerative changes such as that with a disc, the treatment aims to manage the symptoms. The goal is for the patient to try to maintain a level of daily function. These are a few of the reasons for the symptoms talked about in this blog. The nerves and blood vessels can be compressed also by an extra rib, that some people are born with, a narrowing of the space between the collar bone and first rib and swelling in the neck pressing on the nerve.
Out of these scenarios the simplest dysfunction to treat as a massage therapist, are usually the ones that have a primarily muscular component to it. Massage for arm pain can target the Scalenes and Pectoralis Minor muscles. The techniques used help lengthen short muscles. Please keep in mind that injuries generally have a combination of different issues happening. For example, someone with a protruding disc can also have a muscular component that compounds to their symptoms.
The best way to treat any of these issues and prolong the effects of the treatment is to use a “triumvirate” of treatment components. These components include Massage Therapy, Physiotherapy and home care for the patient such as stretching and postural education.
Massage Therapy when used together with Physiotherapy and home care is a powerful tool. It can improve function, decrease pain and prevent further injuries.
If you are encountering arm pain and other symptoms. It can be time to contact us to discuss massage for arm pain..
More Resources:
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) can refer symptoms down the arm. Learn more from our video. Neck tightness at work can be very annoying. Here is a stretch tip from our Pain Relief Fitness website vprc .ca.
Below are some links:
1. Medicinenet: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
2. Mayo Clinic
3. University or Maryland Medical Centre:A Patient’s Guide to Cervical Spinal Stenosis
4. Cedars Sinai: Health Conditions, Herniated or Ruptured Disc
