Exercises for pinched nerves in the shoulder joint

Causes

Pinching most often occurs on the right side. Neuralgia is not dangerous despite all the symptoms. Neuritis can contribute to the deterioration of nerve tissue.

If the disorder affects individual fragments of the nerve plexuses, the loss of sensitivity worsens. If the entire nerve bundle is damaged, there is a possibility of deterioration in motor activity or paralysis of the limb.

At first, the fingers move poorly, then it becomes more difficult to move the entire limb, resulting in atrophy of muscle tissue. Causes of neuralgia: hypothermia, viral infections, exhausting physical work, injuries, dislocations, bruises, tourniquet or plaster applied incorrectly, plaster or tourniquet applied incorrectly, osteochondrosis, neoplasms on the neck, shoulders or armpits, sprained ligaments.

Indirect provoking factors:

• Vascular disorders that appear with age.
• Diabetes.
• Hormonal dysfunctions, metabolic problems.

When neuritis is triggered by hypothermia or an infectious process, the disease develops in an acute form. Signs appear immediately, pain may be accompanied by weakness and fever.

During the first few days, your health worsens. When the cause is a simple injury, the pain increases gradually and periodically decreases. The disorder causes pain or numbness. Often the symptoms worsen on their own, when neuralgia is not treated, the disorder recurs.

The attacks intensify and are accompanied by complications. A pinched nerve in the shoulder joint occurs for the following reasons: limb injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, oncology, problems with nervous activity.

Often, a pinched nerve in the shoulder joint appears due to the following actions: sharp turns of the body or head, exhausting physical work, surgery. Prolonged and fixed position of the hand and accompanying deformation of the joints.

Diagnostic measures

Brachial plexus neuralgia manifests itself in different ways. The nature and intensity of general symptoms is determined by the causative factor.

In other cases (with pinching), the symptoms of brachial neuralgia are not acute and do not bother the patient for a long time, so he does not always immediately seek treatment. However, it is the last option that may be the most dangerous.

Subacute and chronic development of neuralgia is characteristic of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which can be completely cured only in the initial stages. In this regard, if pain and decreased mobility in the shoulder joint are a constant concern, but the symptom is mild, the patient should consult a doctor.

The presence of neuralgia is indicated by the following symptoms, which appear regardless of the type of causative factor:

• pain syndrome (worries constantly or periodically);
• decreased sensitivity in the forearm, on the back of the hand and fingertips;
• impaired fine motor skills of the hands;
• cold, tingling in the palm area;
• swelling in the shoulder, due to which the movement of the arm in the joints is impaired;
• involuntary twitching of the arm muscles.

As the pathological process progresses, limb paralysis develops, characterized by muscle weakness. If the affected nerves are not treated, then over time the local tissues will atrophy.

A pinched brachial nerve requires immediate attention to a medical facility. Diagnosing the disease does not seem difficult. The attending physician must first study the patient's chart, analyzing chronic diseases, recent injuries to the forearm area, allergic reactions, etc. Interview the patient about complaints, their nature and duration. Based on these data, identify the nature of the pathology.

A prerequisite for successful diagnosis is a neurological examination, which reveals changes in the sensitivity of the fingers and hands, and pathologies of tendon reflexes.

If there is any doubt about the diagnosis, the patient is sent for additional hardware examination: MRI and CT, x-ray. These techniques will help confirm the preliminary diagnosis and find the cause of the disease.

If symptoms of infringement occur, you should consult a neurologist or orthopedist. The doctor listens to complaints, collects anamnesis and assesses the state of limb mobility. A specialist can make a diagnosis if the following signs are observed during examination:

• the patient cannot clench his fingers into a fist;
• the little finger and thumb do not move apart;
• the hand, lowered along the body, does not turn forward with the palm and it is impossible to move the thumb away.

The study will determine the extent of damage to soft and bone tissue.
To determine the exact cause of the pinching, the doctor additionally prescribes x-rays, ultrasound, CT or MRI. Methods allow you to determine:

• presence or absence of old injuries;
• tissue structure of the shoulder joint;
• possibility of bone displacement;
• condition of surrounding tissues;
• presence of tumors or cysts.

Symptoms

In most cases, the radial nerve is pinched. It refers to a small number of nerve connections formed from the motor part.

Taking into account the nature of the impact on these fibers, the following symptoms arise:

• If you put your palms together, it will be difficult to spread your fingers apart.
• The joints of the hand are difficult to move in the morning.
• Fingers go numb or remain motionless for a long time.
• Hanging brush. Problems with wrist joint movement. It is difficult to hold the hand in place in a horizontal position if the injured arm is extended forward.
• The thumb on the hand is difficult to abduct, straighten or connect with the index finger.
• These are the muscles responsible for the movement of the hand and forearms. Symptoms may be constant or occur in bursts.
• The muscles twitch involuntarily.
• Problems with skin sensitivity based on the principle of hypoesthesia in the shoulder and fingers.

Causes of pathology

Before you begin treatment for a pinched nerve in the shoulder joint, you should conduct a diagnosis and figure out what could have caused such a situation. Most often, therapists and traumatologists are faced with everyday causes of pathology, which are widespread due to natural factors.

Thus, at home or at work, patients often endure excessive or prolonged physical stress on the shoulder, performing various heavy tasks or carrying heavy weights on one arm. The same applies to sports activity, when frequent exercises affecting the shoulder joint are performed incorrectly, as a result of which a person receives an injury in the form of a pinched nerve bundle.

In some cases, even the incorrect position of the hands during sleep can be the cause of a pinched nerve at home, but there are also more specific factors that contribute to the occurrence of this type of injury - first of all, mechanical damage resulting from an impact or collision.

As for less common, but no less dangerous to health reasons, they can be summarized in one list:

• injury due to prolonged use of a shoulder crutch;
• iatrogenic factor or natural consequences of operations - scars, adhesions or growths;
• neoplasms around the shoulder, benign or malignant;
• incorrect injections into the shoulder (usually resolves in a short time).

The radial nerves consist of sensory and motor fibers; they are the ones that are most often affected. Due to its close location to the surface or inside of a person’s hands. The causes of a pinched brachial nerve can be:

• the presence of direct injuries: damage to the shoulder area with knife or bullet wounds, severe bruises;
• "wedding night" syndrome. It is a situation when a person’s significant other lies on the shoulder for a long time, thereby provoking a pinched nerve;
• injuries caused by improper use of crutches;
• lead poisoning. It is this substance that has a very harmful effect on the patient’s musculoskeletal system. Intoxication can result from working in hazardous industries or contact with household chemicals;
• excessive physical activity. The pathology is typical for professional athletes and people working in heavy industries;
• Sometimes the cause of pinched nerve of the shoulder joint is a consequence of unsuccessful operations, tumors, scars. These formations compress the nerve, which negatively affects the person’s condition;
• poor posture during sleep (often occurs if a person falls asleep while intoxicated);
• Incorrectly administered injections into the shoulder area can lead to pinched nerves in the shoulder.

Before starting treatment, it is imperative to establish the cause of the problem, eliminate the negative factor, and only then begin to deal with unpleasant symptoms. Only an experienced specialist can make a correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Making such decisions on your own is strictly prohibited. If you want to use traditional medicine or special medications, discuss this issue with a competent doctor.

Drug treatment

Therapy for neuralgia comes down to the use of medications that reduce pain and inflammation. When there is no chance of infection entering the body through scratches or wounds on the skin, antibiotics can be used. Medicines containing paracetamol or ibuprofen are activated after 10-25 minutes, and the result can be maintained for 3-8 hours, depending on the type of medicine.

Medicines can be administered rectally into the body. Studies make it clear that the use of such suppositories allows pain to be relieved faster, since the rectum contains many blood vessels that improve the distribution of medications throughout the body.

You should be careful when using medications containing acetylsalicylic acid , since prolonged use can cause stomach and intestinal ulcers. Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed in rare cases.

Treatment methods

Brachial plexus neuropathy requires complex treatment. Regardless of the causative factor, the patient is prescribed painkillers. In some cases, medications of this type are used in the form of solutions for subcutaneous injection. This solution is mainly used for severe pain caused by a fracture or severe dislocation.

Due to the fact that brachial nerve neuritis impairs the sensitivity of the skin and joint mobility, in the treatment of the disease it is recommended to use drugs that restore the conductivity of damaged fibers. In addition, the chosen treatment is often supplemented with physiotherapeutic techniques. When the cause of neuralgia is severe fractures or tumors, treatment is carried out with surgery.

The basis of any type and method of treatment is to eliminate the root cause of the disease and relieve pain from the affected organ. To effectively achieve results, not one method, but a whole complex is used, regardless of the degree of damage or stage of the neuralgic disease.

Elimination of the pathological disease of pinched nerve in the shoulder joint, the symptoms and treatment of which are different, depends on quickly determining the cause of the pathology and excluding inflammation in the shoulder joint. The following methods are used for this:

1. Strong painkillers for severe and intense attacks of pain. This could be a novocaine blockade or an ointment - Apizartron.
2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of medicines: tablets, gels, injections. For example, Ibuprofen, Ketanov, Diclofenac.
3. Intravenous injections of vitamin B, which will help support a weakened immune system.
4. Antidepressants for severe psychological disorders developing against the background of the disease.

However, it is impossible to be treated with potent drugs for a long time, because they cause many adverse reactions and gradual addiction. Most often, drug therapy ends with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and warming ointments that do not cause side effects.

How to treat a pinched nerve? Doctors recommend coping with the problem using an integrated approach. At the same time, the patient is prescribed medications that relieve pain and restore motor activity of the arm. Additionally, folk remedies are used, therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy are used during the rehabilitation period.

Drug therapy

Medicines include analgesics that relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Antibacterial therapy is indicated for patients with chronic illnesses of an infectious nature. Drugs based on ibuprofen and paracetamol help cope with pain. They act quickly, the effect lasts up to 10 hours.

Many people prefer oral administration and forget about rectal administration. Rectal suppositories relieve pain much faster: the rectum includes a dense network of blood vessels that accelerate the distribution of medicinal products throughout the body.

Be careful with medications containing acetylsalicylic acid. The substance has many contraindications, negatively affects the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, and can provoke a lot of negative side effects. Advanced cases require the use of glucocorticosteroids or analgesics when conventional painkillers do not have a positive effect.

Therapeutic exercise is used only during the rehabilitation period. During exacerbations, leave the injured shoulder alone and avoid any physical activity.

Important! All medications are used only after consultation with your doctor. Taking even natural medicines on your own is strictly prohibited.

Folk remedies and recipes

Natural medicinal products prepared at home will help relieve pain and speed up the healing process:

• tincture of lilac flowers. Fill a glass with lilac flowers, fill it with vodka, and let it brew for five days. Strain the finished product and rub into the affected area of ​​the shoulder. Use the drug until complete recovery, but no more than two weeks;
• wormwood based rubs. Pour 300 ml of boiling water with 20 grams of dry raw materials, leave in a thermos for two hours. Strain the resulting product, rub into sore muscles;
• A bath based on chamomile decoction copes well with pain. For three liters of boiling water, take 200 grams of chamomile, let it brew for two hours. Pour the resulting medicinal product into the bath, take it for half an hour;
• combine 30 grams of unsalted lard with the same amount of ground hop cones. Rub the resulting ointment into the affected area twice a day;
• Combine raspberry and strawberry leaves in equal proportions, pour a tablespoon of the resulting mixture with a glass of boiling water. Take tea after meals twice a day. Prepare a fresh potion every time;
• sedative: combine a teaspoon of oregano, valerian, motherwort, pour boiling water (300 ml). Drink a tablespoon of the medicine every hour throughout the day;
• mix 100 grams of medical alcohol, 30 grams of propolis, store for ten days in a dark place. Then add three tablespoons of olive oil, apply the product as a compress to the affected area, and be sure to wrap it in a warm scarf.

Coffee and honey wraps provide a relaxing effect and relieve pain, but compresses and alcohol-based ointments combat inflammation better. Before choosing a specific method, consult your doctor and take his comments into account.

Preventive recommendations

In order not to encounter pathology, follow some rules:

• watch for correct posture, this aspect will help improve the functioning of internal organs and systems, and eliminate diseases of the spine;
• watch your weight. Extra pounds negatively affect the joints, internal organs, and the spinal discs thicken over time, which leads to a hernia, which contributes to pinched nerves;
• if you have a sedentary job, be sure to alternate periods of physical activity and passive sitting;
• exercise regularly. Even morning exercises and swimming help keep muscles toned and train the entire body;
• Buy a firm mattress and a small soft pillow for sleeping. This ratio is ideal for a natural posture during a night's rest;
• It is undesirable to sit on low or very high chairs for a long time;
• Doctors do not recommend that ladies carry bags on one shoulder, or at least alternate loads, carrying the accessory on one shoulder, then on the other.

Useful recommendations will protect you from pinching the nerves of the shoulder joint, give you a life without unpleasant sensations and frequent visits to the doctor.

Impingement of the shoulder joint is a common problem among professional athletes or people leading a passive lifestyle. Give preference to moderate exercise, listen to your body, be healthy!

Attention! Only today!

Author of the article: Vasily Shevchenko

Let me introduce myself. My name is Vasiliy. I have been working as a massage therapist and chiropractor for over 8 years. I believe that I am a professional in my field and want to help all site visitors solve their problems. All data for the site has been collected and carefully processed in order to convey all the required information in an accessible form. Before using anything described on the site, a MANDATORY consultation with your specialist is always necessary.

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To treat a pinched brachial nerve, both conservative and surgical methods can be used. In any case, treatment for a pinched nerve in the shoulder joint should begin as soon as possible after the onset of typical clinical symptoms; the longer the compression of the nerve fiber continues, the higher the chances of starting atrophic processes.

Manual therapy allows the use of techniques in the treatment of the nerve of the shoulder joint that, without pharmacological or surgical effects, trigger regeneration processes and completely eliminate pain. In order to eliminate pain, you need to eliminate pressure. This can be done using traction, osteopathy, massage and manual therapy.

Then, techniques are used to provide complete treatment for the underlying disease of the shoulder joint that causes compression of the nerves. For this purpose, kinesitherapy, therapeutic exercises, osteopathy, reflexology, laser therapy and much more are prescribed.

The course of treatment is developed individually. So if you are experiencing shoulder or forearm pain, schedule a free consultation with our manual therapy clinic. After the examination and diagnosis, you will be given individual recommendations for treatment.

Surgery

A pinched nerve in the shoulder joint is treated surgically in such cases. When a nerve was pinched due to a dislocation. In this case, it is enough to straighten the head of the humerus into the joint; to quickly relieve pain and inflammation, you need to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for several days.

When bones break, operations are performed and plaster is applied. The above drugs and antibiotics are prescribed for prophylactic purposes to intensify osteomyelitis.

In the case of compression of nervous tissue by muscles, bones and cartilage in joints, lymph nodes, surgical intervention and sanitation are performed, followed by analysis of the extracted materials. When a malignant growth of a cellular structure is detected, chemotherapy or radiation is given.

Prevention of the disease

In order to reduce the risk of pinching nerve endings in the shoulder joint, you must follow simple life rules:

1. Control body weight, avoiding severe obesity. Excess weight creates additional stress on internal organs and leads to wear of the spinal discs and hernia. In such cases, a pinched nerve is a fairly common problem.
2. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, periodically do a little body warm-up.
3. Monitor the correct position of the spine and control your posture.
4. Do morning exercises, play sports, use small physical activities to stretch muscles and strengthen joints.
5. Do not carry a bag over one shoulder, distribute the load evenly.
6. For sleeping, choose only a high-quality orthopedic mattress.

The pinching will not go away on its own without medication. At the first manifestations of symptoms, you need to seek help from a doctor and follow all his instructions. If you only relieve the pain syndrome with painkillers, the problem will not be eliminated, but will only get worse. This can subsequently lead to muscle atrophy and inflammation of nerve tissue.

Pinching of the brachial nerve is usually called compression of the radial nerves, which provide movement of the fingers, passing along the ulnar fossae. Pinching can begin and go away spontaneously, and in some cases can lead to complete loss of mobility in the hand, so doctors recommend not delaying seeking help if symptoms appear.

ethnoscience

In addition to simple medications, traditional medicine is used to stimulate the healing process. Pinched brachial nerve is treated with the following symptoms:

• Using a decoction of wormwood for rubbing. The medicine relieves pain.
• Hops-based ointment is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic substance.
• Baths with sage and chamomile eliminate inflammation and muscle tension.
• Lingonberry tincture removes inflammation and swelling. Contraindicated in patients with kidney problems.

All traditional medicines are used in combination with basic medications. If you use them separately, only a slight preventive effect will be obtained.

Treatment with folk remedies

There are several traditional medicine tips that will accompany a quick recovery. They are presented in the form of ointments, decoctions and compresses, which can be prepared independently at home:

• tincture for rubbing. Lilac flowers, burdock root and hot pepper are used for preparation. All these ingredients are poured with alcohol and infused for 3 days, after which this tincture is rubbed on the sore spot before going to bed;
• alcohol tincture of birch buds. For half a liter of alcohol, use a handful of birch buds. After a week you can use this tincture;
• You can also prepare a decoction for oral administration. To do this you need to mix 10 grams. willow bark with a glass of water, boil this mixture and take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day after meals.

As for folk remedies for treating shoulder neuralgia, there are extremely many of them, perhaps more than methods for treating any other disease. Here are just some of the most accessible and effective ways:

1. Take a piece of linen cloth and wrap a few fresh geranium leaves in it. Tie the wrapped leaves to the sore shoulder with a linen ribbon. After 2 - 3 hours, the pain symptoms will disappear.
2. Grate the horseradish root to a paste, apply this paste to your shoulder.
3. Cut a hard-boiled egg lengthwise into two equal halves and, before it cools, place the two halves, yolk down, to the pinched area. While the egg cools, the pain disappears.
4. Squeeze the juice from black radish and rub it into the sore shoulder. The swelling disappears, and along with it the pain goes away.
5. Willow bark is very useful in healing brachial neuralgia. 10 g of willow bark is brewed in a glass of boiling water, then the broth cools and filters. Drink one spoon four times a day.
6. Mix half a liter of vodka or cognac with garlic oil (usually sold in pharmacies) in a 50:50 ratio. This mixture is applied to the temples and forehead twice a day (namely the temples and forehead, not the sore shoulder). After several procedures, the pain disappears.
7. Brew a few mint leaves with boiling water, let it brew and drink in the morning and before bed, no more than 100 g at a time. Perfectly relieves pain.
8. Boil lilac buds to a thick porridge, mix with pork fat in a 50:50 ratio. You will get a healing ointment. Rub it into the sore shoulder.
9. Mix a handful of birch buds with 0.5 liters of vodka. Let it brew, then rub it into the sore shoulder.

Here is just one recipe for making such a bath. Take 4 - 5 tablespoons of sage, brew in 200 ml of boiling water. Let it brew, then pour the broth into the bath, adding 4 - 5 tablespoons of sea salt. It is enough to lie in such a bath for 15 minutes, and the neuralgic pain will disappear. However, this bath is a one-time remedy, that is, it relieves pain only for a while.

Massage is also used. A loved one can give such a massage, or you can, in the absence of one, do the massage yourself. There are no special instructions or tricks here. Although there are still some recommendations. Before you start massaging your shoulder, you first need to massage the ring fingers on both hands for at least 3 minutes.

Then you need to massage the inside of your palms for the same amount of time. Well, then you can start massaging the shoulder. It's easy to do. You need to massage the sore shoulder (and especially the place that seems most painful) in any way: clockwise, counterclockwise, longitudinal movements, transverse.

Despite such ingenuousness, massage relieves pain very well; It happens that the swelling on the affected shoulder also goes away.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can speed up the healing process. We list the procedures: electrophoresis with medications, massage procedures, UHF, magnetic resonance therapy, acupuncture.

Most often, several therapeutic techniques are prescribed in addition to medications. Often this is massage or electrophoresis. Exercise therapy also helps; apart from these procedures, there is no longer any need to load the shoulder joint.

Possible complications

If the inflammation that is compressing the nerve tissue is not eliminated in a timely manner, the disorder will worsen. Often such situations develop into neuritis . Let's list the common consequences: muscle tone deteriorates, atrophy occurs and the joint becomes less mobile.

Due to the relationship of damaged nerve tissue with the muscles of the sternum and back, these parts of the body are also affected. Complications from a pinched brachial nerve can spread to these areas, impairing their function. The form of the disorder determines the degree to which the affected muscles are limited in functionality.

Clinical picture

When the nerve of the shoulder joint is pinched, the symptoms resemble neuritis - an inflammatory process, and this is a much more serious pathology. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between a neurological syndrome (neuralgia) and a disease (neuritis).

But untimely or inadequate treatment leads to inflammatory processes - simple pinching develops into neuritis. To avoid such a situation, you need to pay attention to the characteristic symptoms in time and go to the doctor.

Signs of a neurological problem manifest themselves differently in patients, but one thing remains common - characteristic pain, which significantly reduces the quality of life. The nature of the pain also varies - it can be acute and paroxysmal, dull and aching, with varying degrees of intensity. The patient guesses that the cause of severe pain is most likely a pinched nerve of the shoulder joint.

Attacks of pain are accompanied by increased sweating, as well as muscle weakness. Sometimes a tingling sensation occurs in the affected limb, a spasm develops, and unpleasant muscle twitching is felt. The skin in the area of ​​the shoulder where the radial nerve is pinched may change color. There are two options: the skin either turns pale or there is persistent redness (hyperemia).

Prevention

To get rid of the symptoms of neuralgia, you need to treat their causes. Therefore, you need to equip your sleeping area with orthopedic mattresses, and stop putting your forearm under someone’s head. These are the most common causes of the disorder. Additional recommendations:

• The shoulders need to be warmed up before putting pressure on them.
• Take into account the need for uniform pressure distribution.
• Do warm-up exercises in the morning.
• Maintain correct posture. You should consult an orthopedist if you have spinal curvature. After examination, doctors often prescribe a corset.
• If your back is stationary for a long time. You need to pause, warm up or stretch your muscle tissue.

Prevention brings results only if the above recommendations are constantly followed. But to treat neuralgia, you will have to treat the disease with more complex methods.

What to do if a nerve is pinched?

If the brachial nerve is pinched, you need to contact a specialist; self-medication can only worsen the situation. Doctors often use a special procedure to restore the position of the head in the joint.

How should patients behave before the doctors arrive? You need to understand what preceded the onset of a painful symptom. After unnatural movement, dislocations often occur; you need to contact the traumatology department or call a doctor. You should come to an orthopedist in a situation where there was no obvious traumatic impact on the shoulder joint.

You can only use anti-inflammatory ointments that do not contain steroids. People are advised to avoid products with a warming effect. If tissue microtrauma occurs, such drugs can cause bleeding . This causes a severe hematoma. It is necessary to ensure physical relaxation of the limb. There is no need to develop the shoulder yourself.

When the doctor determines the cause of the lesion, you can begin to select the appropriate therapeutic technique. Compression from the nerve fibers will be removed if you get rid of all the factors that provoke the disorder one by one. This helps restore damaged fibers. In some situations, regeneration will always require longer treatment.

An x-ray of the problem joint is often taken. If an accurate diagnosis cannot be obtained, an MRI or CT scan is performed. Tomographs allow us to display the patient’s condition in more detail. Electromagnetic radiation or x-rays are used for scanning. If metal objects are implanted into the body, they will interact with the impulses in the MRI. This may cause injury. In such cases, a CT scan is performed.

Characteristics of plexitis and methods of its treatment

"Plexitis" in medical terminology means inflammation of the entire plexus of nerves near the shoulder joint or in the cervical, lumbar or sacral spine. It is manifested by pain, dysfunction of the nervous system and upper limb, and other symptoms. It is more difficult to treat plexitis; in advanced situations, disability often occurs.

Cause of brachial plexitis

The brachial plexus often becomes inflamed due to prolonged pinching of the nerve adjacent to the joint. The second reason is considered physical inactivity, performing work in an awkward position, and wearing tight bandages. Often, brachial plexitis occurs due to cervicothoracic arthrosis, omarthrosis, long-term use of crutches, and wedding night syndrome.

Mechanism of development of plexitis

In the neurological stage, when the vasodilator is pinched, irritation of its fibers begins, and the neurons stop transmitting impulses. This triggers the corresponding biochemical reactions: cholinesterase may increase and peptide synthesis may increase.

Over time, the initially pinched nerve becomes inflamed (neuritis develops), and then the process covers the entire brachial plexus or its individual trunks. At the paralytic stage of plexitis, muscle paresis is added to pain and tissue hyperemia: the person’s motor ability of the fingers or the entire hand is impaired.

Signs of brachial plexitis

In the neurological stage of plexitis, pain in the shoulder area is constant, but can also occur periodically. It can be boring, burning and aching, often radiating to the forearm, torso, and neck. The soft tissues around the nerve plexus swell, the local temperature rises, and the skin turns red. In the paralytic stage, due to paresis, the mobility of the limb, sensitivity in the hand and fingers are reduced, and dystrophic changes in the muscles are revealed.

Diagnostic methods for plexitis

For shoulder pain without injury or joint disease, consult a neurologist. He conducts an examination, analyzes complaints, and refers for an electrophysiological study of the functions of nerves and muscles. These are electromyography and electroneurography. To identify the causes and consequences of plexitis, X-rays and tomographic diagnostics are performed.

Treatment methods for plexitis

Brachial plexitis is treated comprehensively: with medications, physiotherapy, they can be supplemented with folk remedies. Therapy methods eliminate the causes of pinched nerves, relieve symptoms, and restore the functions of the vasodilator, muscles, shoulder joint and other joints of the arm.

Drug therapy

To eliminate pain and other symptoms, the patient is given a novocaine blockade, oral analgesics, intramuscular injections of B vitamins, local and systemic NSAIDs. In the paralytic stage, cholinesterase blockers, lidase, and adenosine triphosphoric acid are additionally used. For infectious plexitis, antibiotics or antiviral medications are prescribed.

Exercise therapy and massage

Therapeutic exercises are carried out under the supervision of a specialist after acute symptoms have resolved. Exercise therapy uses rotational and oscillatory movements in the shoulder and other joints, bringing the shoulder blades together, warming up the fingers and other exercises to strengthen muscles and tendons.

The massage is performed by a chiropractor if there is no pain for at least three days. The movements are aimed at intense kneading of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, arms and back.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is supplemented with water procedures, mud applications, and radon baths. To restore the conductivity of the vasodilator, neuroelectric stimulation and acupuncture are used. Inflammation and pain are eliminated by electrophoresis, treatment of the shoulder joint area with ultrasound, UHF, laser radiation, and a magnetic field.

Surgery

Surgeries are performed when a nerve is compressed by a tumor, an aneurysm (bulge) of an artery, or a deformed bone. The surgeon performs autoplasty, sympathectomy, decompression of the trunks or excision of tumors. In functional neurosurgery, a neurostimulator can be implanted.

Traditional medicine methods

At home, before going to bed, take 15-minute general baths with a decoction of valerian, mint or sage. The water temperature should be 37–37.5º C. The procedure reduces the symptoms of inflammation and relieves muscle spasms.

Lapacho tea and herbal infusion of lingonberry leaves are consumed internally. Mud wraps, warm compresses, medical bile, and ointments with mumiyo and propolis are applied to the joint area and muscles of the shoulder girdle.