Dead arm syndrome is pain or weakness that occurs in the upper arm when doing a throwing movement. Along with the pain and weakness you will be experiencing, your arm will feel “dead” or limp. Since dead arm syndrome is a temporary loss of sensation in your arm due to a blow to your muscle, it can make daily activities difficult. Movement like throwing or over the head movements can place a lot of force on the shoulder, making muscles. Specifically, your rotator cuff works hard to stabilize your shoulder. If you are experiencing dead arm syndrome, try an orthopedist in Garden City NY
What causes dead arm syndrome?
The leading cause of dead arm syndrome is overuse. Another cause of dead arm syndrome is your ligaments stretching which makes them loose which will cause your shoulder discomfort and instability. An example of this would be any repetitive motions like throwing something. Another way of getting dead arm syndrome is if you have a rotator cuff injury.
Who is, has a higher chance of getting dead arm syndrome?
- Baseball pitchers
- Tennis players
- Volleyball players
- Water polo players
- Young athletes
- Manual laborers
Other conditions that are connected to dead arm syndrome:
- Bone spurs
- Calcium build-up on the ball joint
- Shoulder ligaments
- Bicep tendinitis
- Microinstability
- Internal impacts
- Stroke injuries
Although dead arm syndrome is most common with young athletes between the ages of 21 and 30, anyone who makes continuous overhead motions is at a high risk of getting dead arm syndrome. This motion causes the ball of the shoulder to shift forward, creating an impingement of structures lying on the front of the shoulder joint, which will create pain when attempting to make a throwing motion.
Symptoms of dead arm syndrome?
- Limp or “dead” feeling in the arm
- Stiffness
- Fatigue
- Numbness or tingling
- Reduce control when moving shoulder
- Inability to throw with force
- Clicking or popping in the shoulder
- Reduced throwing speed
Although dead arm syndrome can be difficult to prevent,, especially if you are an athlete, you can take some precautions to lower your risk of being diagnosed with this.
Tips to help prevent dead arm syndrome:
- Do the correct technique
- Do strengthening exercises
- Stretch regularly
- Change body movements
- Rest
Things you can do at home to try and help reduce the pain:
- Take anti-inflammatory medications (ibuprofen)
- Ice
- Rest: will prevent symptoms from getting worse
- If you have already started physical therapy, continue what you have learned at home
Orthopedist in Garden City NY
Our orthopedist in Garden City NY, at Dines orthopedics, has a specific way to treat dead arm syndrome. It typically starts with rest and physical therapy. Physical therapy will begin with restoring your full range of motion and flexibility. After completing those, you will work on strengthening exercises. Some exercises that will strengthen your muscles are resisted internal rotation, external rotation, and abduction. Physical therapy will last three to four months, depending on progress. Specifically for athletes, rehabilitation for dead arm syndrome will include the entire kinetic chain. The kinetic chain is a treatment that is focused on protecting the healing tissue and reducing pain. This is typically accomplished with protection, rest, immobilization, anti-inflammatory medication, and therapeutic modalities.
If the patient does not respond to those types of treatment, surgery is an option. If the surgery is chosen, it is performed arthroscopically on an outpatient basis. After surgery, you can begin physical therapy 4 to 6 weeks after; this will help you regain strength over time. If you return to normal activities too soon, you risk injuring yourself again since it is not fully healed. If the injury is serious enough and you need surgery, it typically takes 2 to 4 months to fully recover, but in some cases, it might take up to a year. This type of surgery typically has no complications, but it is best to speak to your orthopedist in Garden City NY, to see how this might affect you before making any decisions. However, uncommon shoulder arthroscopy can cause problems such as infections, blood clots, excessive bleeding, damage to nerves or blood vessels, and shoulder stiffness. If you are experiencing dead arm syndrome and need medical attention, consider an orthopedist in Garden City NY, who works at Dines Orthopedics.