My DH has bad knees and has had surgeries on them and arthritis has settled in. He fell a couple of weeks ago and had the same crippling pains you are describing. He went to the doc's and they did an MRI. He has several disc's that have slipped and are pressing into his spine (and a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder). The Ortho doc told him if he didn't come in, he would have eventually lost all use of his legs once the disc's sliced completely thru the spine. He has to have surgery going thru the back of his neck & thru the front. The second surgery cannot be done until he heals from the 1st.
Moral of my story is, go to the doc's and have your neck/back checked out since you have fallen. My DH just thought the pains were due to his knees....he actually only went to the doc for his arm...
His first surgery is scheduled for July 15th.
Does your husband have fingers fall asleep, the ring and pinkie perhaps, the pain in the arm cause him inability to say, hang pictures, paint a wall, carry items, If he were to raise his arms over head in the stick em up type position, ; Bend at the elbows raise the arms and pull them back toward the wings cause them to power out and drop from the pain and numbness.
While holding them up don't let him relax them forward, that makes it feel better and take pressure off a site that may be compressed. Have him open and close the hands time how long he can actually preform this.
There are nevers that come off the spine, although I have left side cervical herniations, mainly my right arm and my head; cervogenic migraines were a problem.
THe cervical nerves C3,4,5,6,7 and T1 come off the neck spine area in a bundle. These nerve travel behind the collar bone, over the first rib. Then down into the arm, wrist and fingers. three feet long. They are the Radial, Ulnar and medial nerve.
The ulnar mainly the C/6/7 T1 is the pinkie finger side, the medial the center and radial the thumb.
This area behind the collar bone and first rib is very small, if the cervical nerves suffer a stretch injury, as a catch in a fall, a whiplash, sports injuries or REPETATIVE STRAIN as in typing and data entry all day it is more the carpal tunnel or ulnar tunnel it could be a Brachial Plexus entrapment. THe inflamed nerves are being compressed with the hand/arm movements.
The raising of the arm is compressing this site. everywhere the arm has a hinge, the shoulder, elbow, or wrist the movement is compressing an already inflamed nerve.
Waking with hands asleep. driving and cannot hold the steering wheel without changing hands, unable to blowdry the hair or HOLD THE PHONE UP.
The name to search is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. There are things to help, but I found the surgery really does not help long term. THey remove the first rib under the collar bone to free up the area. This tends to create adhisions from the surgery,. The scar matter grows and attaches to any structure nearby including the tendons and nerves in a grayish matter of webbed mess. A redo to clean it up is often needed.
Some people, about 50% of the population have short bands that attach the neck muscles and support to the collar bone. It is hereditary. You could go through life fine, but if a fall, accident cause a stretch to the nerves and they are inflamed, the compression escalates. As a whiplash you may hear that never goes away.
Sometimes it takes time and does, but a seconday thing in the body can be going on to that contributes. Some people have an extra cervical rib or malformed that compresses the area.
Some football players get zingers down the arm when it is hit and knocked backwards, same principle on the nerves.
I think it was Roger Clemmens of the Rangers had TOS thoracic outlet syndrome surgery,.....the pitcher.
The hip/leg can be the same way around the lumbar and hip, with radiating pain in the leg from a back injury.
Anyone over 30 is going to have bulging or compressed disc. Eventually over time our age, the disc lose height and compress too much, they can rupture into the spinal area causing pain from the compression.
I bought a hot tub years ago to help, and at the end of the day, get the pressure off my spine. I lay with pillows under my legs on the recliner, some buy those body inverters, me I would likely get stuck upside down.....But I think the ergonomics of the day help.
Does he have pain behind the shoulders above the wing? Link a knife in there, or areas along the shoulders that are tender. Everywhere a nerve inserts in the muscle to make it move can cause trigger points. Treating these can help the arms too.
I go through alot of Biofreeze, my TENS unit buy Relimed, and the only muscle relaxant that is a true one, small dose of valium near daily when in flares.
I have a massage specialist in working out the knots of trigger points, but that is brutal, not the spa experience, but certainly works....
Hope all feel better,
AND I am a bit worried abut getting around at the parks. DD says just to stay at the hotel and the POOL. LOL. 
to disABILITIES!
