Cervical Radiculopathy: The Neck Injury Most Commonly Responsible for Arm Pain
TL;DR: A neck injury causes arm pain when a herniated disk or bulging disc in your cervical spine presses on the nerves that run down into your shoulders, arms, and hands. The most common culprit is cervical radiculopathy, which happens when nerve roots in your neck get compressed or irritated. You might also hear doctors call this a pinched nerve. When you have a herniated disk in your neck from an accident, the pain does not stay in one place. It travels along the nerve pathway down your shoulder, through your arm, and sometimes all the way to your fingers. You might also feel numbness, tingling, or weakness that makes it hard to grip things or lift your arm.
Home Health Aide's Experience: Rear End Collision Leading to Herniated Disk and Arm Pain
You have been working as a home health aide in New York, NY for over 15 years. Last month you were stopped at a red light when another driver slammed into you from behind. Your head snapped forward and back so fast you did not know what happened until the pain hit. At first your neck was just stiff and sore. But a few days later you woke up with shooting pain running down your right arm. Your fingers felt numb, and you could barely hold your coffee cup. You thought maybe you slept wrong, but the pain kept getting worse. When you finally saw a doctor, an MRI showed that being rear ended had caused a herniated disk in your neck. Now the disk was pressing on a nerve and sending pain signals all the way down your arm.
Why a Herniated Disk in the Neck From an Accident Causes Lasting Arm Nerve Damage
When you suffer a neck injury in rear ended accidents or construction site accidents, the force can push your cervical discs out of position. A herniated disc case in your neck is serious because the nerves that control your arms and hands all run through that area. If you were hit in the rear and now you have arm pain, weakness, or numbness, that is a sign of nerve damage. Some people try to ignore it and hope it goes away on its own. But without treatment, the pressure on those nerves can cause permanent damage. You might need epidural injections to reduce inflammation around the nerve, physical therapy to strengthen the muscles, or in severe cases, fusion surgery to stabilize your spine. A slip and fall or trip and fall that causes whiplash can also lead to this type of injury. At Segal Law Firm in New York, NY, we see insurance companies try to minimize neck injuries all the time. They act like a little arm pain is no big deal. But we know better. We work with medical experts who can prove that your arm pain is directly caused by the herniated disk in your neck and that you deserve full compensation for every symptom.
How Neck Injuries That Cause Arm Pain Affect Working People in New York
If you are looking for a personal injury lawyer near me or searching for help nearby, you need attorneys who understand how neck injuries affect your whole body. Working people in and around New York use their arms and hands all day long. Caregivers, construction workers, delivery drivers, and warehouse employees cannot do their jobs when arm pain and weakness make it impossible to lift, carry, or grip. Segal Law Firm has years of experience helping injured workers in New York, NY prove the full extent of their injuries after accidents. We know that a neck injury that causes arm pain is not just inconvenient. It is a disability that threatens your income and your independence.
Fight for Full Compensation for Neck Injury Arm Pain With Segal Law Firm
You should not have to live with constant arm pain because someone else caused your neck injury. Do not let insurance companies tell you that your symptoms are minor or unrelated to the accident. Your pain is real, and it deserves real compensation. If you have arm pain that started after a neck injury in New York, NY, contact Segal Law Firm today for a free consultation. We fight to prove the connection between your cervical spine damage and your arm symptoms, and we work tirelessly to get you every dollar you deserve for your medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.
Two more guides worth your time: Can a Herniated Disk Cause Back Pain? and What Are Herniated Disk Symptoms in the Neck?.
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Related Articles

Can a Herniated Disk Cause Back Pain?
A herniated disk in the neck happens when one of the soft cushions between your neck bones breaks open or slips out of place. When that happens, it can press on nearby nerves and cause real pain. The most common symptoms include sharp or burning neck pain, pain that shoots down one arm or shoulder, numbness or tingling in the fingers or hand, and weakness in the arm or grip

What Are Herniated Disk Symptoms in the Neck?
A herniated disk in the neck happens when one of the soft cushions between your neck bones breaks open or slips out of place. When that happens, it can press on nearby nerves and cause real pain. The most common symptoms include sharp or burning neck pain, pain that shoots down one arm or shoulder, numbness or tingling in the fingers or hand, and weakness in the arm or grip.
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