Your Arm Pain May Be Coming From Your Neck

Do you feel pain, tingling, or numbness in your arm or hand?
You might think it’s a shoulder, elbow, or wrist problem - but often, the real source is your neck.

This condition is called cervical radiculopathy, which happens when a nerve in your neck becomes irritated or compressed. This can send pain signals down your arm and even into your hand or fingers. Movements like turning your head, looking down, or sleeping in the wrong position can make the pain worse.

Why Neck Problems Cause Arm Pain

Your neck contains seven vertebrae, cushioning discs, and nerves that travel to your arms and hands. When a nerve is pinched or irritated, due to a bulging disc, herniated disc, arthritis, or past injury, it can cause:

  • Arm pain or aching

  • Tingling or “pins and needles”

  • Numbness in the hand or fingers

  • Weakness when gripping or lifting

Even if your shoulder feels sore, the root cause could still be your neck.

Chiropractic Care and Recovery

The good news? Most people recover without surgery.

Research supports chiropractic care as an effective and safe option for neck-related arm pain:

  • A 2012 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that spinal adjustments provided more pain relief than medication for neck pain, with benefits lasting up to a year.

  • Chiropractic care can reduce chronic neck pain by up to 75% according to published studies.

  • Early assessment and care can prevent the problem from becoming chronic or requiring invasive treatments.

By correcting the source of the problem—your neck—you can get lasting relief rather than just masking symptoms with painkillers.

What You Can Do

If you have arm pain, tingling, or weakness:

  1. Consider your neck first – Nerve irritation often starts there.

  2. Avoid relying on painkillers alone – They may hide symptoms without fixing the cause.

  3. Get checked by a chiropractor – A professional assessment can identify the real source.

  4. Learn simple stretches – Gentle exercises improve range of motion and nerve health.

Local Care in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay

At Structural Chiropractic in Hastings, we help people every week who are experiencing arm pain, neck pain, or nerve irritation. Our focus is on correcting the underlying issue so you can get relief naturally—without long-term dependence on medication.

Book your consultation today and find out if your arm pain is really coming from your neck.

References

  1. Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise With Advice for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012.

  2. Safety of Chiropractic Manipulation of the Cervical Spine. Spine, 2007.

  3. Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Neck Pain. JMPT, 2014.

  4. Outcomes from MRI-Confirmed Symptomatic Cervical Disc Herniation Treated with Spinal Manipulative Therapy. JMPT, 2013.

Comment