Neck & Arm
Pain that runs from your neck into your shoulder blade and down your arm, or tingling and numbness in your fingers. A pinched nerve in the neck can be very painful, but most people get better without surgery.
Yes, physical therapy can help a pinched nerve in the neck. Doctors call it cervical radiculopathy: a nerve root in the neck is irritated, so you feel symptoms along that nerve in your arm. Most people improve with time and conservative care, and exercise, hands-on treatment and changes to daily positions are common first treatments. At ARI Physical Therapy in Bakersfield, every visit is one-on-one with a licensed physical therapist.
Nerves leave the spinal cord through small openings between the bones of your neck, then travel down into your arm. If one of these nerve roots gets squeezed or irritated, you feel it along the nerve’s path: in the shoulder blade, arm, hand or fingers. The neck itself may hurt only a little. Common causes include:
These changes also show up on many scans of people with no symptoms, so your exam matters as much as the picture.
Most neck pain stays in the neck and upper shoulders, and some of it causes headaches. For that, see our neck pain and headaches guide. With a pinched nerve, the arm symptoms are often worse than the neck pain, and they follow the path of one nerve.
Numbness in the hand can also come from the wrist, as in carpal tunnel syndrome, or from both places at once. That’s why we check the whole path from neck to fingertips. Read more: Why do my hands go numb or tingle at night?
The first goal is to calm the nerve. That means finding neck positions that ease your arm symptoms, gentle hands-on treatment, and simple changes to how you sleep, drive and work at a screen. As things settle, we add exercises for the deep neck muscles, upper back and shoulder blades, and gentle nerve gliding exercises when they fit. Many people notice the arm pain easing first, while numbness or tingling can take longer to fade.
Your first visit takes about 45 to 60 minutes. We go over your symptoms, test how your neck and shoulders move, check strength, reflexes and sensation in both arms, and watch how you walk and use your hands, to find the source and rule out anything that needs a doctor.
Positions and movements that take pressure off the nerve, gentle hands-on treatment for the neck and upper back, and changes to your sleep, screen and driving habits.
Progressive strengthening for the neck, upper back and shoulder blades, a gradual return to lifting, work and exercise, and a home program to help keep symptoms from coming back.
Call 911 for sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, face drooping, or trouble speaking or seeing, which can be a stroke. See a doctor promptly if you have:
Care at ARI is always one-on-one and in person with a licensed physical therapist at our Bakersfield clinic: 8200 Stockdale Hwy, Suite B2, in the Town & Country Village center next to Trader Joe's. Our clinic director, Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, is a board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist. We accept most private insurance plans and Medicare, and we have staff who speak Spanish and Hindi.
Ready to feel better?
Talk to a licensed physical therapist at ARI, one-on-one. Request an evaluation and we'll get back to you, usually within one business day.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you have symptoms, a licensed clinician should evaluate you.
Clinically reviewed by Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist · Reviewed October 2026