Conditions affecting the elbow, wrist and/or arm sometimes may cause referred pain in other areas of the body, such as the neck, shoulders, back or chest, because they share nerves with these areas.

Conditions that may result in pain in other areas of the body and that also may cause associated pain in the elbow, wrist and arm include:

• Injuries or sudden trauma. An injury somewhere else in the body (e.g., neck, shoulders) may cause pain to radiate to the elbows, wrists and arms.
  
  
• Pinched spinal nerve (radiculopathy). Conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease can impinge a nerve, causing radiating pain from the shoulder to the arm that is frequently described as an electrical feeling.