Epidemiology

In the 21st century, upper extremity pain syndromes are common and cause substantial pain and disability. Upper extremity pain can arise from a very wide range of clinical conditions; however this text focuses on pain arising from non-traumatic non-articular soft tissues, i.e. excluding pain resulting from acute trauma, malignancy and chronic rheumatic diseases. Non-articular soft tissue disorders include some relatively well defined 'specific' patho-anatomical conditions such as lateral epicondylalgia, de Quervain's tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Upper extremity pain may also be referred from pathology occurring in the cervical spine (cervico-brachial disorders). Frequently also, upper extremity pain arises in the absence of distinct patho-anatomical physical signs and is labelled as 'non-specific' regional pain.