What’s The Best Way To Heal Rider’s Arm From A Motorcycle Crash?

Rider’s arm refers to the painful condition that occurs when a motorcyclist forcefully extends their arms due to the impact of a crash, leading to strains, sprains, and potentially more serious injuries.

This can cause temporary discomfort to long-term debilitating consequences if not treated promptly and effectively. Today, our accident care team at Impact Medical Sun City Center discusses the symptoms of rider’s arm and how we can help you heal.

What Causes Rider’s Arm?

Rider’s arm, also often called biker’s arm, refers to injuries to the nerves in the upper arm that can occur when a motorcyclist lands on their arm during a crash, or if the motorcycle lands on their arm.

Our human instinct is to brace for a fall, and when a rider does this, nerve damage in the arm causes limited mobility, and in some severe cases, paralysis of the hand or entire arm.

Generally, rider’s arm involves damage to the following nerves:

Median Nerve
Radial Nerve
Ulnar Nerve

All of these nerves work together to control the movement in our arms, hands, and fingers, so you can imagine if one is damaged or impinged, this can cause issues with mobility.

Symptoms of Rider’s Arm

If you have been in a motorcycle accident, you may not immediately notice any injuries as nerve damage can take weeks to manifest symptoms.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from rider’s arm:

Tingling in your arm, hand, or fingers
Use of your arm, but not your hand or fingers
Lack of feeling in your arm or shoulder but use of your hand and fingers
Numbness in your hands, fingers, or arms
Arm or hand paralysis

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should visit our accident care clinic at Impact Medical Sun City Center as soon as possible.

Treating Rider’s Arm

As with other nerve damage injuries, treatment of rider’s arm can include physical therapy, manual therapy, chiropractic care, pain management, and as a last resort, surgery.

It’s important to remember that treating nerve damage can be complicated and we can’t predict the outcome at the beginning of treatment. Some injuries will improve greatly over time with exercises and targeted therapy, but in the worst cases, motorcyclists may suffer from chronic nerve pain or even paralysis depending on the severity of the damage.

Because rider’s arm can be caused by nerve impingement, chiropractic care, where our practitioners will manipulate the spine and other parts of the body to regain proper alignment, can be greatly beneficial. The best part is that it can often help the body heal naturally without the need for surgery or pain medication.

Manual therapy can also help reduce any inflammation in the surrounding tissues and can help relieve pressure on the inflamed or impinged nerves. This can help relieve the numbness or tingling in the arms, hands, or fingers due to rider’s arm.

Pain management can also help treat pain that has not responded to other treatment therapies. With different injections and procedures, we can help relieve pain in your arms, especially if it is caused by an issue in the spine.

Contact Impact Medical Sun City Center

Remember, seeking prompt medical treatment after a motorcycle accident is crucial to ensure a full recovery and long-term complications due to rider’s arm. Entrust your health to our team at Impact Medical Sun City Center.

We will help you achieve the best possible outcome after your injury through our comprehensive suite of treatment modalities including chiropractic care, manual therapy, physical therapy, and pain management.

Don’t wait to get medical attention – contact Impact Medical Sun City Center at (813) 938-5195 today to start your journey toward recovery and full functionality of your arm.