What Conditions Can Cause Arm or Leg Pain?

If you're experiencing arm or leg pain, you know how life altering it can be. We use our arms and legs on a daily basis for almost everything we do, so having pain in either of these areas can be debilitating. It can keep you from being able to work, enjoy your hobbies or participate in activities with your family.

What is a Herniated Disc?

A herniated disc is a spinal condition which occurs when the gel-like center of the disc ruptures through a weak area in the tough outer wall. You can think of this similarly to the filling being squeezed out of a jelly doughnut. Many people experience low back or leg pain as a result of the disc material touching or compressing on a nearby spinal nerve. A herniated disc anywhere in the spine can cause arm and leg pain.

The pain from a herniated disc varies depending upon the location of the herniation. If you have a herniated disc in your lower back, for instance, you're going to feel pain in the lower back area and possibly down one or both legs. Some people even feel the pain all the way down to their feet. It can feel like an electric shock that is more painful upon movement. Sometimes, people even experience tingling and numbness associated with a herniated disc.

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis, on the other hand, is the gradual breakdown or deterioration of the joint spaces in the musculoskeletal system. The pain from arthritis typically causes sensations such as joint pain, burning, cramping, muscle spasms and even stabbing pain in the extremities. Most people who are experiencing arthritis feel very stiff in the morning but start to feel better as they move about during the day. This is a point of distinction between disc herniation and arthritis. Typically a disc herniation will cause someone to feel more pain upon activity whereas arthritis will typically present as the person feeling better once they have started moving around.

Arm or leg pain may be caused by spinal related problems, so it's important to have a pain specialist work the patient up thoroughly for diagnosis prior to starting treatment. If the pain doesn't seem to stem from the spine then the actual extremity, meaning the arm or leg, should be evaluated for pathology. In some cases, the pain could actually be coming from the arm or leg itself.

Thankfully, trained pain specialists have access to high-tech equipment and testing procedures that will allow them to pinpoint the exact cause of the pain. Then, the cause can be treated rather than just throwing medication at the symptoms of the pain.