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Pain in the arms usually comes from problems somewhere within the shoulder and the wrist. Problems of spinal cord, nerve roots, and trauma can also lead to pain in the arm. The left arm pain in particular holds much importance.
A most common belief associated with left arm pain is that a person is having a heart attack or some other ailments related to heart. Well, this may be the case but we cannot ignore various other causes of pain in the left arm.
Causes of Left Arm Pain
Problems Related to Heart
Left arm pain is most commonly due to problems within the heart. Whether it is angina, myocardial infarction or endocarditis or various other pathologies within the heart, pain from chest may radiate to the left arm.
In general if you are suffering from some heart problems for example angina, the left arm pain will also be coupled with the chest pain. The pain may also likely to radiate from the shoulder to the arm. The pain of myocardial infarction (heart attack) is the severe type of pain. It feels like someone is compressing or squeezing the chest severely. It is a serious condition that requires an immediate intervention.
Physical Doings and Excessive Arm Use
Overuse of the left arm may also be the most common cause of its pain. If you use this arm in an improper manner, it may lead to pain in it.
Pain especially arises in those people who normally spend an idle life. When they break their routine and perform some physical activity, they experience pain. It is simple to understand that your body is not used to of such a hard work and when you use it unexpectedly, once in a blue moon then in a reaction the body starts aching.
Further, weight lifting by using left arm or similar works can also cause left arm pain. Doing strenuous exercises and putting much strain on the left arm for the longer duration of time may also evoke pain in it.
To root out the cause of the pain, access your activities and actions you have done since last 24 hours. Check out what is the variation now and what has altered. In most cases this simple scrutiny will assist determining about the main cause of the left arm pain.
Stress
Stress is also the reason behind left arm pain. The stress can make the muscles of the arm tight and painful. If you have been experiencing an irresistible level of stress at present, possibly because of work related problems or due to complexities in your private life, this stress will become apparent itself in the form of the physical symptoms.
Moreover, it is not unusual for continual stress to produce dull pain in the left arm which gradually increases over time and converts into a severe pain. Panic attacks can also bring about chest tightness or pain in the arm which may look like a heart attack. But usually these attacks are accompanied by hyperventilation, tachypnea and tachycardia.
See: Tips on how to manage stress
Bad Posture
While sleeping if you sleep on the side of your left arm constantly, it may lead to pain. A bad posture is also a most commonly encountered cause of arm pain. Straining on it may lead to pain. In many instances, left arm pain can easily be resolved simply by modifying the way in which you sleep.
This thing will immediately address your painful condition and you will feel relief permanently. Though, the pain due to bad posture may be acute but usually it goes off within a few days. It requires no medications as well.
Problems Related To Blood Circulation
This is also the factor behind left arm pain. Any problem or pathology within the vessels of the left arm can lead to ischemia and pain. The poor circulation can also be the result of different other conditions. Due to circulation issues, left arm is found to be more affected than right arm.
Most of the time the problems linked with poor arm circulation are more difficult to treat. The problems related to circulation affects the body as a whole, there this issue is grave and requires specialist to address it. If you find out that your hands are becoming cold and their colour also change frequently, these are the sign of poor circulation. Hence, dull ache is felt over the period of time and then gradually increases to severe pain.
Drugs
Sometimes, certain drugs are the main culprit behind pain in the arm and these are due to the drugs’ adverse effects. It is therefore necessary to identify the culprit drug and stop using it at once.
Associated Problems
Left arm pain and numbness: The pain in left arm is often accompanied by feelings of numbness and tingling sensations. These might be the result of nerve problems. The numbness and pain in the left arm are also seen in case of heart attack, trauma and poor blood circulation. Musculoskeletal condition for instance thoracic outlet syndrome and cervical disc herniation may also contribute to left arm numbness.
Left Arm Pain After Eating
People often complaint of the painful sensations in their left arm just after they finish eating their meal. This may be due to indigestion or gastroesophageal disease. There may be other causes as well. Need is to get fully evaluated by the doctor.
During Pregnancy
Many pregnant women are often found complaining about the left arm pain. Well, the main cause behind is the carpel tunnel syndrome. It initiates pain and numbness of the arm and if it occurs in the left arm then left arm pain arises. It is a condition of compression of median nerve.
Left Arm Pain and Jaw Pain
In most of the cases, the pain in the left arm radiates to the shoulder and the jaw. It is mostly seen in the case of heart attack.
Left Arm Pain And Coughing
This condition arises in cases of lung pathologies, most of the time due to malignant lung diseases. Severe coughing put strain on the muscles. This leads to the development of tension in the muscles which then become tender. Nerve involvement is also seen here.
Left Arm Pain Without Chest Pain
It is also the commonly found complaint. There is only a symptom of pain in the left arm without any other associated factors, signs and symptoms. The cause can be numerous as explained above.
When To Seek Doctor?
When your pain in left arm occurs along with the chest pain, do seek help from your doctor. If it is the result of any sort of trauma, again it is necessary to discuss with your doctor. Chronic sort of left arm pain may also require medical intervention and a doctor advice.
Diagnosis
Certain tests are required in order to identify the cause. Various diagnostic investigations are given below e.g.
- Arm X-ray
- CT scan and MRI images of the spine
- Cardiac markers
- Echocardiogram (ECG)
- Arteriography
- Venography
- Electric conduction tests
- Blood Tests
- Endoscopy
Treatment for Pain in the Left Arm
First of all, leave out all those factors that aggravate your left arm pain i.e. stress, bad posture, drugs, and strenuous physical activities. Apply ice at the painful area. You can take a pain killer as well. Then treatment is given according to the aetiology of the pain. Heart problems require extensive management and care.
Circulation of the arm can be improved via certain useful workouts such as push-ups. Seek immediate help from your health care provider so that he/she may give you the required treatment.
References
http://lungcancer.about.com/u/ua/whatislungcancer/earlysymptoms.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/225053-how-to-know-if-left-arm-pain-is-heart-related/
