Pain in Left Arm: Common Causes

Pain in the left arm can be due to lots of causes, ranging from a pulled muscle to a huge cardiovascular disease. While it is not always possible to determine whether left arm pain is due to an insignificant cause or something potentially major, several features can assist differentiate the distinction.

Causes of Pain in Left Arm

Pain in left arm often can be with hand and chest pain, before period, from stress, with shoulder, in armpit, with chest, in muscle, with heart attack, with sign of heart attack, from shoulder to hand, with leg, with neck, with wrist, with back, above elbow, during pregnancy, with shoulder blade, with hand, after eating, at night, with elbow, with nausea, with jaw, with fingers, with hand tingling, with left side of chest, with numbness, below elbow, with bicep, between shoulder and elbow, between elbow and wrist, by elbow, before a heart attack, with bone pain, but not chest, with blood clot, with burning sensation, with breast cancer, but no other symptoms, breast and neck, during birth control, child, coming and going, with crease.

Chest Pain With Left Arm Pain

While not constantly cause for alarm, the combination of pain or thickness in the chest accompanied by pain in the left arm requires instant medical attention under most scenarios, as it may be very tough to determine whether this is symptomatic of a serious condition.

Some instances are highly not likely to be serious, such as when a 21-year-old establishes chest and arm pain after falling forward throughout a laborious online game of racquetball.

Other Symptoms With Arm Pain

Heart-related symptoms are sometimes not clear-cut, and some people who have severe cardiovascular disease never experience chest discomfort. It is even possible to have a cardiac arrest with few, if any, symptoms. The body does not always follow the classic, book description of a cardiac arrest with excruciating chest pain that feels like an elephant sitting on the chest.

Information verified by the iytmed.com team.

In some cases more vague symptoms occur, such as shortness of breath, queasiness, indigestion, dizziness, unusual sweating or a racing heart beat. If left arm pain accompanies any of these symptoms, it suggests the possibility of a heart issue.

Reproducible Arm Pain

Pain in the left arm that is induced by motion or pressing on the unpleasant area is generally less most likely to be heart related. Easy activities, such as lifting weights or moving heavy furnishings, can trigger a pressure or swelling in the arm muscles or joints. The pain connected with these types of injuries can often be reproduced by basic maneuvers, such as simply pressing on the area in concern. Arm pain also can be caused by a pinched nerve in the neck, and moving the neck around may induce the pain. Pain relevant to the heart is typically not caused by moving the arm.

Relentless Pain

If left arm pain continues for a very long time, it is less likely to be related to a heart issue. Conditions such as rotator cuff tendinitis and arthritis might continue for months or perhaps years, making the likelihood of an association with heart problem highly not likely. At the other end of the spectrum, lightning-fast, acute pains in the arm are also less likely to be connected to cardiovascular disease, particularly if induced by moving the arm or neck.

Left Arm Pain: Causes vs. Symptoms
Heart Problems	chest pain confusion abdominal pain passing out or fainting sweating profusely bleeding jaw pain dizziness severe headache blindness or visual changes pallor (pale skin) cyanosis (skin turns blue) disorientation
Rotator Cuff Injury	preventing specific activities due to the fact that they cause pain trouble accomplishing complete range of shoulder movement problem sleeping on the influenced shoulder pain or inflammation when reaching overhead pain in the shoulder, specifically at night progressive weak point of the shoulder difficulty reaching behind the back
Arthritis	Joint pain, tightness, and swelling are the most typical symptoms of arthritis. Your variety of motion might likewise decrease, and you might experience inflammation of the skin around the joint. Many people with arthritis notice their symptoms are worst in the morning.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	weakness in the muscles of the hand numbness, tingling, and pain in your thumb and first three fingers of your hand wrist pain at night that interferes with sleep pain and burning that takes a trip up your arm

Cautions

Left arm pain that worsens with activity and enhances with rest should trigger immediate medical attention, as this may suggest heart problem– especially if the pain is deep and the arm is not tender to the touch. Left arm pain that appears all of a sudden while at rest, such as when viewing television, might likewise be due to an unstable heart condition. Lastly, if the arm pain is accompanied by any combination of chest pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, losing consciousness, shortness of breath, uncommon sweating, abdominal bloating, cough or wheezing, seek medical interest instantly.

When to See a Doctor

Not all cases of pain in left arm are because of a heart issue such as a cardiac arrest. It may be a basic case of poor posture when sleeping but it might also be a sign of another condition. Nevertheless, you ought to see a doctor when your arm, shoulder or back is suddenly or seriously agonizing, especially if it is accompanied by a feeling of fullness, pressure, or squeezing in the chest, which may signal a cardiovascular disease. Another urgent reason to see a doctor seeks an injury, which triggers an evident defect, bleeding or other injuries.

Schedule a medical consultation for less urgent causes like left arm pain that does not enhance with house treatments done for numerous days, persistent or increasing swelling or pain, and other injuries that do not respond to normal care.

Pain in Left Arm