Pain and numbness in the right hand and arm with previous history of shoulder injury

Dear Ask The Doctor: My daughter fell and injured her right shoulder on the track approximately four years ago and now she is having lots of pain in her right hand and sometimes down her entire right side, including numbness. Can you tell me what might be wrong? The pain started quite a while now but it is getting worse

Dear Jacqueline: Sometimes cervical spine problems may coexist with shoulder problems derived from previous injuries. In your daughter’s particular case these two entities must be ruled out and treated. Also, it would be important to rule out inflammation of the peripheral nerves at the level of the arm and hand. In the younger patients, as your daughter, cervical radiculopathy may be a result of a disc herniation or an acute injury causing impingement of an exiting nerve. I recommend a comprehensive evaluation, including imaging studies (MRI) and electrophysiology studies (EMG) to determine the cause of the symptoms and proceed with the right treatment option accordingly.