Cervical disc prolapse and brachalgia

This is arm pain caused by pressure on a nerve in the neck.  It is most commonly due to age-related changes in the spine but may be caused by a slipped disc.

This often causes acute severe neck pain radiating down the arm.  It resolves spontaneously in the majority of people and most people take pain killers until the pain improves.  However, in some people, the pain can be prolonged or too severe and it may be appropriate to consider a steroid injection around the nerve to reduce the pain, or an operation to relieve the pressure on the nerve.