Left arm pain can be triggered by many conditions, ranging from simple muscle aches to a severe heart attack. Changes in the skin, soft tissues, nerves, bones, joints, or blood vessels within the arm can also cause this disorder. It is easy to panic and immediately think of a heart attack at the mere idea of pain in the left arm, even when the cause is very different. To understand whether or not the discomfort is related to some heart disease, you need to consider a number of possibilities and factors that increase the risk of a serious event.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Heart Attack
Step 1. Assess the intensity of the pain
The pain associated with a heart attack is often perceived as a feeling of pressure. It can be of medium intensity, but also none, until it becomes extremely intense. Pain is often felt in the chest area but may spread to the left arm, jaws, or shoulders.
Step 2. Look for other symptoms not related to pain
In addition to pain in the arm, jaw, neck, and back, there are other signs you may notice during a heart attack. These are:
- Nausea;
- Dizziness or lightheadedness;
- Cold sweats
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing due to chest tightness
- If, in addition to pain, you experience any of the symptoms described here, you should go to the emergency room immediately to rule out the possibility of a heart attack.
Step 3. Call Emergency Medical Services (118) if you are experiencing the symptoms listed above
If you have any doubts about your current health, it is best to call 118, 112 or the emergency number in your area to be quickly transported to the hospital for medical attention. Always remember that in the event of a heart attack, time is precious and not a single second should be wasted, as it is an extremely dangerous situation.
- While you wait for help to arrive, take two chewable aspirins, as they can reduce the severity of the attack. This drug acts as an anticoagulant, and since the heart attack is triggered by a blood clot blocked in a coronary artery (those surrounding the heart), aspirin prevents the situation from getting worse.
- While waiting for the ambulance, you can also take nitroglycerin, if you have it. This will reduce your chest pain and manage your symptoms until you arrive at the hospital, where the doctors will give you other pain relieving medicines, such as morphine.
- DO NOT take nitroglycerin if you have taken Viagra or Levitra or Cialis in the past 48 hours in the past 24 hours. It can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure and other complications. Be sure to tell your doctor or rescuers if you have taken these medications within this time frame.
Step 4. Undergo a series of diagnostic tests
If you suspect that you have an ongoing heart attack or other heart disease causing pain, your doctor will perform a series of tests to determine and confirm the diagnosis. You will need to do an electrocardiogram (ECG) to evaluate the heart rhythm; in case of heart attack any anomaly will be highlighted. Additionally, a blood sample will be taken to look for high levels of cardiac enzymes that indicate heart fatigue.
Based on your symptoms and the evidence of your diagnosis, you may also be subjected to other diagnostic tests including: echocardiography, chest x-ray, angiogram, and / or stress tests
Part 2 of 3: Assess the Pain
Step 1. Consider the duration
If your left arm hurts for only a brief moment (a few seconds), the heart is unlikely to be responsible. Likewise, if the pain is persistent (for days or even weeks), it should not be generated by the heart muscle. However, if the pain lasts for a few hours, then you may be suffering from a heart attack. If it is colicky and only lasts for short moments, take note of the intensity and duration of the pain and keep this in mind when you go to the hospital. It could be triggered by some heart problem that needs immediate medical evaluation.
- When the intensity of pain increases or decreases with movements of the chest (at the medial region of the spine), then the pain is likely to be due to degenerative intervertebral disc disease, especially in elderly patients. This type of pain is rarely related to the heart muscle.
- Similarly, when pain occurs after intense physical activity involving the arms, it is likely that it is muscle aches. Look at how often and how this pain occurs during the day and try to understand what makes it worse.
Step 2. Assess if left arm pain may be related to angina
This term refers to pain that develops whenever the heart muscle does not get enough blood. Angina often manifests as a feeling of constriction or pressure that spreads to the shoulders, chest, arms, back, or neck. In some cases it resembles the discomfort one feels with indigestion.
- Although it is atypical that anginal pain affects only the left arm, it is possible.
- Angina pectoris typically worsens or is exacerbated by stress, both physical (such as fatigue after walking up a flight of stairs) and emotional (such as after a heated argument or a struggle at work).
- If you are concerned that you are suffering from angina, it is very important to see your doctor as soon as possible. This is not a life-threatening situation like heart attack, but it nevertheless requires proper medical evaluation and treatment.
Step 3. Identify other symptoms
Consider pain elsewhere on the body besides the pain in the left arm. This is one of the most precise techniques to understand whether or not it is a disorder caused by a heart disease (and therefore also the seriousness of the situation). Typically a heart attack is accompanied by:
- Sudden, stabbing chest pain radiating to the left arm. You can try it in both upper limbs, but it is usually more common in the left because it is located closer to the heart muscle;
- Pain and stiffness in the lower jaw that you can feel on one side or both
- Pain that radiates to the shoulders and that causes a feeling of heaviness and constriction around the shoulder and chest;
- Dull back pain caused by pain in the jaw, neck and arms;
- Remember that heart attacks can also be "silent" and occur without any severe pain.
Part 3 of 3: Assessing Causes of a Non-Cardiac Nature
Step 1. Notice if the pain is related to neck movement
If the discomfort gets worse when you move your neck or upper back, cervical spondylosis could be the culprit. This pathology is the most common cause of left arm pain. More than 90% of people over the age of 65 show signs of spondylosis. It is an age-related degenerative process that affects the intervertebral discs (especially those of the cervical tract). As the discs dehydrate and shrink, spondylosis occurs and worsens with age and wear on the spine.
- Movement of the neck and upper back triggers the pain. When the discomfort in the left arm gets worse with just movement, then it is likely to be related to cervical degeneration.
- Heart attack pain is not affected by movement or pressure on the spine or neck.
Step 2. Check for pain when you move your shoulder
If the pain in your arm occurs when you move your shoulder, then it could be arthritis in this joint. Many patients go to the emergency room with the fear of a heart attack when instead they suffer from this pathology that destroys the outer, smooth and cartilage covering of the bone. As the cartilage disappears, the protective space between the bones shrinks. During movement, the bones that make up the joint rub against each other causing pain in the shoulder itself and / or in the left arm.
While there is no definitive cure for shoulder arthritis, there are many solutions to ease the discomfort. If that's the case, don't worry; Although the description of arthritis makes it seem like a very serious disease, it is actually possible to stop its progression
Step 3. Remember that if you lose arm mobility in addition to pain, then the problem could be nerve damage
The nerves in the arm come from the lower cervical part of the spinal cord and form a bundle called the brachial plexus. This bundle divides giving rise to the various individual nerves that run through the arm. Localized nerve damage between the shoulder and hand causes variable pain, but is usually associated with a loss of limb function (numbness, tingling, or decreased range of motion). The pain you experience in your left arm could be caused by the nerve and have nothing to do with the heart.
Step 4. Check your blood pressure and pulse
If you notice that these values are altered, then the cause of the pain could be peripheral arterial disease. It is a disease caused by atherosclerosis, more common among smokers.
To find out if this disease is the source of the pain, visit your doctor who will measure your blood pressure and heart rate to come to a conclusion
Step 5. Consider alternative diagnoses related to arm pain
Try to think back to recent events and remember if you have suffered an injury. Arm pain could be caused by trauma to the shoulder or arm itself in the last period. In rare cases, the disorder could be attributable to more serious conditions, such as cancer, although it is very unusual. Tell your doctor if the pain is continuous and you can't find a logical reason for it.
