[KathrynL]

I had a MRI of my cervical spine on Wednesday and I'm seeing the neuro on Monday. It looks like I might have some pinched nerves. But could pinched nerves really account for all the significant and persistent left arm pain I'm experiencing?

I know pinched nerves can be very painful. However, my pain is over a month long, is constant, worsening, and producing temperature changes in the affected arm (it gets ice cold). I can't lift it (or just barely), it has a tremor, and I can't perform my normal daily activities or attend work.

I've had RSD before in my left foot. I also have psoriatic arthritis, once broke every bone in my left hand, had emergency gallbladder surgery and countless other pain-related events. My point is, I have a very high pain tolerance. This arm feels so painful that it feels like something, like a reoccurrence of the RSD, has to be going on in addition to a pinched nerve. I pinched a nerve in my leg before and it was nothing compared to the pain I'm currently in.

I know the neuro will be able to tell me more, but does anyone here know how I can symptomatically determine whether something is a pinched nerve or whether I have something additional going on?