Extremity Pain

What is extremity pain?

Extremity pain is pain, discomfort, or stiffness that occurs outside of the core of your body in your arms or legs. The sensations of extremity pain can vary from dull and aching to sharp and severe.

Since there is so much variance, treatments vary depending on the cause and your symptoms. The two main categories of extremity pain are:

Arm pain

Arm pain can occur at any point on your arms, including your shoulders, elbows, or wrists. You use your arms a lot and make many different movements with them, so there is a wide variety of reasons why they might hurt.

Leg pain

Leg pain can occur anywhere from your hips to your ankles and feet. Your legs support the weight of your body, and pain in them can get worse or better depending on whether you’re sitting or standing.

What are some common causes of extremity pain?

Extremity pain has a wide variety of potential causes. If you injure a joint, you likely already know the cause and need to find a fix. In other cases, the cause of your extremity pain might not be so obvious. Possible causes of arm or leg pain include:

Injuries

Injuries like muscle sprains, bone fractures, and ligament tears can all lead to pain in your arms or legs. They often happen while playing sports, after a fall, or in a car accident.

Chronic conditions

Many common chronic diseases and conditions can lead to pain in your arms or legs, including arthritis or bone cancer.

Lifestyle factors

Lifestyle factors, like obesity or awkward sleeping positions, can place extra stress on your arms or legs and cause pain in them.

How is extremity pain treated?

Charlotte Chiropractic and Rehab offers many treatments that work well for extremity pain. After an evaluation of your symptoms, your treatment plan may include:

• Dry needling - releases trigger points using fine needles
  
• Acupuncture - restores balance along energy lines using fine needles
  
• Cold laser therapy - enhances healing with low-level laser energy
  
• Physical rehabilitation - restores strength and mobility with stretches and movements
  
• Massage therapy - reduces pain and stress with manual manipulation
  
• Myofascial release therapy - releases trigger points with manual manipulation
  
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation - uses instruments to relieve inflammation

Any of these treatments can help relieve the pain in your extremities. Dr. Maul may recommend more than one in your treatment plan.

To find out more about extremity pain and the available treatments for it, call Charlotte Chiropractic and Rehab today.