There can be numerous causes behind the burning sensation you are experiencing in your upper arm. It can be a case of injury, muscular or nerve disorder, wear and tear at the joints, and simply a case of overuse. If it is simply due to fatigue and overuse, it should go away on its own in due time without any medical intervention. While it can be due to a pinched nerve, it cannot be ascertained over the net with any degree of certainty. To be exactly sure about the cause of this burning sensation you should visit a medical practitioner and ask for specific diagnosis. It is better to find out the cause at the earliest and treat it accordingly. Trying out too many things without knowing the exact cause may not be an efficient way to remedy the problem. If your condition does not improve after a few days of proper rest, you should get yourself checked by a doctor and start proper treatment. In fact, further delay may often aggravate the condition and make it even more difficult to heal.
Irrespective of what exactly is causing the problem, you can try out a few common remedies that can be helpful in various types of muscle and nerve problems. The first most important thing is to provide adequate rest to your arm. Very often a burning sensation in the arm is due to overstressing, bad posture, and other common injuries - all of them need proper rest to recover. You should make sure that you do not do any heavy work with your arm or lift anything heavy. If you have pain in the area, you can try hot or cold compress methods to relieve the pain. A moist hot compress relaxes the muscles and gives immediate relief from pain. To apply a hot compress, you can take a washcloth, soak in water, wring out excess water, heat it up in the microwave, and apply it on the affected area. Similar to a moist hot compress, cold compresses also relieve pain. You can apply ice packs on the area of pain for about 15 minutes to get relief. However, a cold compress should not be used for more that 15 minutes at a stretch as it can reverse the effect and make the tissues more inflamed. The best way, in fact, would be to use a hot and cold compress alternately. To ease the pain and burning sensation, you may also try out various analgesics available as over-the-counter drugs at the stores.
answered by G M