• Ache in your left arm could be as a consequence of numerous causes, not only a coronary heart assault.
• Different causes like a muscle sprain, pinched nerve, or angina might be at fault.
• Verify your different signs to find out if you have to search emergency medical care.

Arm ache can have many causes, however left arm ache notably can generally be an indication of a significant issue together with your coronary heart — particularly if it is accompanied by chest ache or tightness.  

That is as a result of the guts and left arm share nerve pathways to the mind, so an issue with the guts can create referred ache within the left arm. 

Listed here are seven causes of left arm ache and when it is a medical emergency.  

1. Angina 

Angina is a sort of chest ache that usually happens after a second of exertion or stress (known as steady angina), although it could actually additionally occur at relaxation (known as unstable angina). It is a results of when the guts is disadvantaged of oxygen as a consequence of a scarcity of blood provide, which causes ache within the chest and, generally, the left arm.     

Angina appears like a “squeezing, strain, or boring aching ache within the heart of the chest. It may possibly radiate to the arm, nevertheless it usually would not cross from the wrist into the hand,” says Adedapo Iluyomade, MD, a preventive heart specialist at Baptist Well being’s Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. Chances are you’ll really feel it within the heart or to the left of the chest. 

The ache normally lasts only a few minutes. In further to chest and left arm ache, signs of angina embody: 

• Ache within the jaw, neck, and shoulder 
• Nausea 
• Belly ache 
• Shortness of breath 
• Diaphoresis 

Angina is normally as a consequence of coronary artery illness and estimated to have an effect on 10-18 million individuals in the US. Males over age 45 and girls over age 55 usually tend to expertise it.  

Along with coronary artery illness, some circumstances that enhance your threat of creating angina are:

How one can deal with it: It’s best to all the time get unexplained chest ache evaluated by a health care provider to find out the underlying trigger, however after a steady angina analysis out of your physician, the signs famous above usually are not a medical emergency. 

Your physician will possible advocate way of life adjustments, like train and a more healthy food regimen, and will prescribe medicines to stop or lower the depth of angina assaults. 

Nevertheless, Iluyomade says in case you expertise angina that doesn’t go away with relaxation, progressively worsens over time, or is related to sweating or shortness of breath, you need to search emergency care. It could be unstable angina, which is usually a precursor to a coronary heart assault. 

2. Coronary heart assault  

A coronary heart assault, or myocardial infarction, is a medical emergency attributable to lack of blood circulate to the guts, probably resulting in everlasting cardiac injury or demise. 

Simply as in angina, coronary heart assaults could cause sudden left arm ache. A 2013 examine discovered that 17% of the surveyed individuals who had coronary heart assaults additionally had radiating ache down the shoulder, higher arm, and forearm.    

Different signs of a coronary heart assault might embody:   

• Chest ache or discomfort 
• Nausea or higher belly discomfort 
• Nervousness or feeling of dread 
• Sweating, dizziness, bother respiration 

Whereas these are the standard signs of a coronary heart assault, signs can differ, particularly amongst ladies, who could also be extra prone to expertise further signs together with again and shoulder ache and fatigue. 

Whereas angina usually lasts a couple of minutes and is relieved by relaxation, signs of a coronary heart assault normally final uninterrupted for 10-Quarter-hour.

Threat elements for a coronary heart assault embody: 

• Household historical past of coronary heart assaults 
• Being male over age 45 
• Being feminine over age 55  
• Hypertension 
• Excessive ldl cholesterol 
• Diabetes 
• Tobacco smoking 
• Alcohol and drug abuse 
• Weight problems 

How one can deal with it: A coronary heart assault is a medical emergency. Name 911 in case you or somebody close to you is experiencing signs.  

3. Muscle sprain and pressure

Whereas sprains and strains are each normally attributable to sports activities damage, overuse, or accidents, they’re two distinct issues:

• A sprain is injury to ligaments — the tissue that connects bones collectively. 
• A pressure is a stretched or torn muscle or tendon — the tissue that attaches muscle to bone.

Each sprains and strains of your shoulder, biceps, and muscle mass of the forearm will trigger ache, swelling, and irritation. A muscle pressure tends to additionally function spasms, weak spot, or cramping, whereas each circumstances could cause issue transferring the concerned joint. 

How one can deal with it: Gentle sprains and strains could be handled at residence with relaxation, ice, compression, elevation, and NSAIDS.  

“Many sprains or strains simply want a couple of weeks to get better from. Nevertheless, with most orthopedic accidents if the ache has not considerably subsided in 3-4 weeks you need to search professional care,” says Robert Anderson, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Summit Orthopedics. 

4. Damaged bone  

A damaged arm, also called a fracture, can occur to any of the three bones within the arm, the radius and ulna, which make up the forearm, or the humerus — the higher arm bone. 

Fractures are frequent throughout all ages, taking place most frequently as a consequence of accidents, like in a automotive accident or falling on an outstretched arm from enjoying sports activities. As you age, fractures are extra frequent as a result of your bone density decreases, inflicting extra brittle, breakable bones. There are different elements that may contribute to creating you extra prone to break bones, together with present process chemotherapy, having a poor food regimen, or having a power illness like osteoporosis. 

Damaged arms normally trigger vital, sharp ache together with: 

• Swelling 
• Bruising 
• Numbness 
• Issue transferring with out ache 

How one can deal with it: Should you assume you’ve a damaged arm you need to see a health care provider as quickly as potential. Easy breaks could be set after which handled with simply relaxation, ice, and a sling, however extra extreme breaks might require a solid and/or surgical procedure.  

5. Rotator cuff damage 

The rotator cuff refers back to the muscle mass and tendons surrounding the shoulder. Accidents to this space are frequent, with as much as two million individuals a yr seeing a health care provider for rotator cuff points. 

Tears of the rotator cuff muscle mass are sometimes as a consequence of degeneration so that they enhance with age. Numerous estimates might differ however roughly 15%-30% of rotator cuff accidents happen in adults of their 60s and 70s and 36%-62% in adults over age 80. 

Anderson says the principle symptom for rotator cuff accidents is arm ache, particularly with use of the arm out and away from the physique and overhead. You too can have weak spot, stiffness, numbness in your shoulder and arm together with elevated ache at night time. 

You might be at greater threat for rotator cuff accidents in case you have a household historical past of shoulder points and in case your common actions contain repetitive overhand shoulder actions like swimming, hammering, tennis, or lifting weights above your head. 

How one can deal with it: Choices for rotator cuff tears depend upon the severity. About eight out of 10 circumstances of partial tears enhance with relaxation, bodily remedy, NSAIDS, and steroid injections. Extra extreme circumstances, nonetheless, might require surgical procedure. 

6. Tendinitis 

Tendinitis occurs when tendons turn out to be infected or irritated as a consequence of overuse. It generally happens on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. 

Simply as in rotator cuff accidents, tendinitis can happen in case you have a job or exercise that makes use of repetitive movement. Along with ache, you might need tenderness and swelling on the affected space and expertise a boring, achy feeling. 

Some varieties of tendinitis of the arm embody: 

• Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, which causes ache on the surface of the elbow and up the forearm extensor muscle mass. 
• Golfers elbow, or medial epicondylitis, which causes ache on the within of the elbow and up the forearm flexor muscle mass. 
• Biceps tendinitis, or bicipital tendinitis, which causes ache within the entrance of the shoulder the place the biceps tendon lies in a groove of the humerus bone. 

How one can deal with it: You’ll be able to deal with tendinitis much like a rotator cuff damage with RICE: relaxation, ice, compression, and elevation. Bodily remedy and steroid photographs may also be efficient for extra severe circumstances, and there are surgical choices for probably the most extreme circumstances. 

7. Pinched nerve 

If nerves in your neck are compressed or irritated it could actually trigger a radiating ache down the arm, known as radiculopathy. 

Radiculopathy could be attributable to damage or spinal degeneration as you age. It occurs when the discs in your backbone stiffen and flatten, creating much less house for spinal nerves, which might put strain on them. 

Relying on what spinal nerve is affected, you possibly can have ache which may be sharp or burning in a particular space of your arm, generally with weak spot, tingling, and numbness. The ache could also be fixed or come and go. 

 Nerves on the arm itself may also be compressed or pinched. This will trigger cubital tunnel syndrome, which impacts the interior forearm and hand, or carpal tunnel syndrome, which impacts the center forearm handy. 

How one can deal with it: Cervical radiculopathy is handled equally to different orthopedic circumstances, with a mixture of RICE, NSAIDs, bodily remedy, immobilization (aka a collar), and steroids. Extra extreme or unresponsive circumstances might require surgical procedure, although that’s uncommon, says Anderson. 

Insider’s takeaway 

Left arm ache is usually a purple flag for a severe coronary heart difficulty. When you’ve got left arm ache together with shortness of breath, sweating, and chest discomfort search emergency medical care.  

Different causes of left arm ache are much less pressing and normally treatable with some easy at-home care and medical remedy.