Arm Injuries and Disorders

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Basics

• Summary
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Of the 206 bones in your body, three of them are in your arm: the humerus, radius, and ulna. Your arms are also made up of muscles, joints, tendons, and other connective tissue. Injuries to any of these parts of the arm can occur during sports, a fall, or an accident.

Types of arm injuries include :

• Tendinitis and bursitis
• Sprains
• Dislocations
• Fractures (broken bones)
• Nerve problems
• Osteoarthritis

You may also have problems or injure specific parts of your arm, such as your hand, wrist, elbow, or shoulder.

Symptoms

• Arm Pain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Forearm X-Ray Exam (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Hand/Wrist/Arm Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• X-Ray Exam: Upper Arm (Humerus) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Arm, Hand, and Finger Replantation (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)

Specifics

• Broken Arm (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Buerger Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Distal Radius Fractures (Broken Wrist) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Lymphedema (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Nerve Injury (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ulnar Nerve Entrapment at the Elbow (Cubital Tunnel Syndrome) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Vascular Disease (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)

Genetics

• Liebenberg syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arm Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Humeral Fractures (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Radius Fractures (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ulna Fractures (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Upper-limb physical activity after distal radius fractures treated operatively or nonoperatively:...
• Article: Combined Nutraceutical Supplementation and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy Enhances Early Pain...
• Article: Effect of Ultrasound-Guided Lateral Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block With Lidocaine or...
• Arm Injuries and Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Muscles of the Upper Extremity (National Cancer Institute)

Find an Expert

• Find a Hand Surgeon (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

• Forearm Fractures in Children (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Older Adults

• Bruising Hands and Arms (American Osteopathic College of Dermatology)

Patient Handouts

• Arm CT scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Brachial plexopathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Radial head fracture - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Radial nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish