Pain in the left arm can be harmless. If you have lifted heavy weights the day before or otherwise overexerted your arm, a harmless muscle ache can be the cause of the pain in your left arm. But also an incarceration of a nerve of the arm plexus can lead to pain in the left arm. Care should be taken, however, in the case of sudden, severe pain in the upper left arm, as such pain is often the first indication of a heart attack, especially in older patients, and is therefore an absolute emergency. Therefore it is important not only to localize the pain exactly but also to distinguish the different types of pain.
Causes
The causes of pain in the left arm are quite varied and depend mainly on the type of pain (pulling, stabbing, pain of destruction). But the localization of the pain is also of crucial importance. Pain in the left upper arm can be caused by incorrect strain.
Particularly in untrained patients who have overstrained themselves the day before in the gym with heavy dumbbell training, this can lead to pain in the left arm, which is then only due to a sore muscle or a slight muscle strain. Another cause of pain in the arm can be the pinching of a nerve. An arm plexus (brachial plexus) runs between two neck muscles (in the so-called scalenus gap, which is formed by the two scaleni muscles) and is responsible for the nerve supply of the entire arm and the shoulder region.
The arm plexus can be squeezed between these two muscles. If this happens on the left side, pain may occur in the left upper arm. In addition, the brachial plexus runs under the collarbone (clavicle) and has to pass through another tightness in the armpit.
Especially patients who make a lot of phone calls and place the receiver with the head on the left shoulder to have both hands free, constrict the plexus strongly. This can cause damage or pinching of the nerves, which can lead to pain and numbness in the left arm. If you wake up at night with numbness and pain in your left arm, the reason for this can be an arm stretched out upwards.
Because if you fall asleep at night with your left arm stretched out upwards, this can lead to a constriction of the nerve plexus, which then becomes noticeable with a feeling of numbness and pain in the left arm. Often the pain reaches up to the fingertips, but it can also be limited to individual parts of the arm. If, in addition to the pain in the arm, a pulling sensation in the left breast occurs, more serious diseases such as a heart attack or pulmonary embolism must be ruled out.
Blockages in the cervical spine also cause the same symptoms, since this is where the nerves originate. As long as the pain does not recur constantly or last for a long time, it is probably only a temporary constriction. However, if the pain in the left arm continues or recurs repeatedly, a doctor or physiotherapist must be consulted.
In addition to nerves, a problem in the shoulder joint can also cause pain in the left upper arm. The shoulder joint is strongly muscular and has additional bursae, which allow the muscles to slide back and forth without any problems and thus allow almost any movement. If tendosynovitis occurs, especially in the biceps muscle of the upper arm, this can lead to pain in the left upper arm, which is particularly noticeable during movement.
The reason for this is the tendon sheath of the Musculus biceps brachii, which runs over the shoulder joint and can be damaged especially when the arm is pointing upwards. The bursa subacrominalis, a bursa filled with fluid, can also become inflamed. This bursa is located between a bony prominence, the acromium and the tendon of the supraspinatus muscle.
This bursa can become easily inflamed, especially in old age. This causes severe pain in the left upper arm as soon as the arm is moved, especially if you want to stretch it away from you. The reason for this is the supraspinatus muscle, which is normally separated from the surrounding bony structures by the bursa and is now constricted by the swollen bursa.
Another cause of pain in the left arm may be a vaccination. Many patients complain of pain in the left arm after a vaccination, which was given to the upper left arm. In this case only waiting will help.
In case of thrombosis and inflammation of the superficial veins in the left arm (thrombophlebitis), pain in the left arm may also occur.Here the thick superficial veins are visible, which is why the cause of the pain in the left arm is usually quickly identified. Another cause that leads to pain in the left arm is arthrosis (cartilage wear) in the left shoulder or elbow joint. Due to the wear and tear of the joint, every movement causes severe pain in the left arm.
With older patients, pain in the left arm should always be considered a heart attack! If suddenly strong pain occurs, especially in the upper left arm, combined with sweating and nausea, an emergency doctor must be called immediately! The pain is clearly different from “normal” pain, which is caused, for example, by an entrapment of the nerve.
The pain suddenly appears in the left arm and chest area. Since it is a particularly intense stabbing pain, it is called pain of destruction. However, it is important to note that a heart attack is not always accompanied by pain in the left arm.
Especially in the case of a heart attack in women, the pain is often projected more into the abdominal area. Nevertheless, in the case of sudden severe arm pain in older people, a heart attack should always be considered. You can find more information about this here: Pain in the left arm as a sign of a heart attack In case of thrombosis and inflammation of the superficial veins in the left arm (thrombophlebitis), pain in the left arm can also occur.
Here, the thick superficial veins are visible, which is why the cause of the pain in the left arm is usually quickly identified. Another cause that leads to pain in the left arm is arthrosis (cartilage wear) in the left shoulder or elbow joint. Due to the wear and tear of the joint, every movement causes severe pain in the left arm.
With older patients, pain in the left arm should always be considered a heart attack! If suddenly strong pain occurs, especially in the upper left arm, combined with sweating and nausea, an emergency doctor must be called immediately! The pain is clearly different from “normal” pain, which is caused, for example, by an entrapment of the nerve.
The pain suddenly appears in the left arm and chest area. Since it is a particularly intense stabbing pain, it is called pain of destruction. However, it is important to note that a heart attack is not always accompanied by pain in the left arm.
Especially in the case of a heart attack in women, the pain is often projected more into the abdominal area. Nevertheless, in the case of sudden severe arm pain in older people, a heart attack should always be considered. You can find more information about this here: Pain in the left arm as a sign of a heart attackIn order to be able to make a diagnosis, it is important to distinguish where exactly the pain in the left arm is located and how it feels (in the case of pain of destruction, always suspect a heart attack with immediate emergency medical treatment).
In the case of long-lasting pain with possible numbness, an extensive conversation (anamnesis) should first be conducted so that the doctor knows the patient’s habits (for example, to find out whether too frequent phone calls with the receiver jammed is to blame for the nerve compression). For further diagnoses, an X-ray or CT scan can be taken to classify bone injuries or bursitis, for example. If a heart attack is suspected, an ECG is measured and blood is taken, since certain enzymes that are released in greater quantities after a heart attack can be detected in the blood. Thus, it is possible to determine quite precisely if and when a heart attack was present.