Chronic Upper Body Pain Symptoms and Diagnosis
While suffering from pain is unique to your body, doctors at UPMC Orthopaedic Care can work with you to diagnose the cause.
We'll then create a custom treatment plan for chronic upper body pain in your:
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Hands
- Wrists
Shoulder pain symptoms and diagnosis
While people of any age can have shoulder pain, athletes are more at risk for suffering from shoulder impingement.
Shoulder impingement is due to pressure on the rotator cuff when you lift your arm over your head.
It's common among those who play sports that involve heavy overhead use of their arms, such as:
Some symptoms of shoulder impingement include:
- Slight ache during activity or rest
- Radiating pain from the front of the shoulder to the side of the arm
- Sudden, sharp pain when lifting or reaching
Elbow pain symptoms and diagnosis
Elbow pain can have many root causes, but the most common condition is tennis elbow.
Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the tendons on the outside of the forearm. These tendons allow you to extend and lift your hand.
Despite the name, tennis elbow is not exclusive to just those who play tennis.
In addition to playing tennis, other common causes are repetitive motions, such as:
- Raking leaves
- Heavy computer use
- Painting
Symptoms of tennis elbow include a burning pain on the outside of the elbow area that gets worse over time.
Hand pain symptoms and diagnosis
If you've fallen on the palm of your hand, you may not only be in severe pain but could have a scaphoid fracture.
The pain will be most intense on the thumb side of the hand, and any time you move the wrist.
Because it's often hard to tell the difference between a bone bruise and a fracture, it's vital to see a doctor right away so he or she can:
- Take x-rays
- Confirm a diagnosis
- Outline a plan of treatment
Wrist pain symptoms and diagnosis
When we think of wrist pain, the most common ailment that comes to mind is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel has become a widespread problem for people of any age due to repetitive activities that use our wrists and hands, such as working on computers and using cell phones.
It happens when there is pressure on the nerve leading to the hand, causing swelling in the tendons of the wrist.
Carpal tunnel symptoms include:
- Numbness in your hand and/or fingers
- A sharp, stabbing pain around the thumb area
To diagnose your wrist pain, your doctor will first assess the numbness and level of strength in the hand.
To pinpoint the precise area of the nerve that's causing your wrist pain, your doctor may also order x-rays and a nerve conduction study.