Prophylaxis
In order to avoid pain in the left arm, the only prophylaxis is sufficient movement of the arms and a healthy lifestyle. Permanent lifting of the arms above the head, for example while sleeping, should be avoided in order not to strain the bursa in the shoulder joint. Unnatural or cramped postures, for example in front of the computer, should also be avoided if possible.
Regular strengthening of the arm and shoulder muscles is also recommended as a prophylaxis to avoid pain in the left or right arm. To avoid a heart attack, which also leads to pain in the left arm, the only prophylaxis is to avoid stress. A low-fat diet and lots of exercise also lead to improved blood circulation, which can minimize the risk of heart attacks.
Prognosis
The prognosis for pain in the left arm is usually very good. Most of the pain can be eliminated or at least reduced very well by physiotherapy. An inflammation of the bursa (bursa sucacrominalis) in the shoulder joint can be successfully contained by physiotherapy and glucocorticoids.
If the pain in the left arm is caused by nerve entrapment, treatment is more difficult and a prognosis is therefore not always so easy. Especially in young patients, a constriction of the plexus often grows out. The prognosis for a heart attack depends very much on how old the patient is and how quickly the heart attack is detected.
However, if quick action is taken, the prognosis is usually good. It is generally difficult to make a statement about the duration of pain in the left arm. The duration varies individually depending on the cause of the pain.
For example, if the pain is based on an entrapment of nerve fibers, so that the pain occurs with a concomitant numbness, the pain can subside quickly after the entrapment has been removed, for example by changing the position of the arm. If a sore muscle is responsible for the pain, the pain will also subside after one week at the latest, depending on the intensity of the muscle ache. In both cases mentioned above, a fast healing process without complications is foreseeable.
However, the situation is different if the pain in the left arm is based on a herniated disc. A herniated disc is a more serious disease, in which even with optimal therapeutic care one must expect a healing period of at least 4-6 weeks. As a rule, those affected have to struggle with it for several months.
The duration of pain in the left arm can therefore vary from a few days to several months. Pain that occurs simultaneously in the left arm and shoulder can have a variety of causes. The so-called “shoulder-arm syndrome” is one of the most common causes of pain in the left arm and shoulder.
The direct cause of the shoulder-arm syndrome is often diseases of the cervical spine. As a relatively static axial organ, the cervical spine is already exposed to enormous stress during everyday activities and can therefore show normal signs of wear and tear, especially in older people. Pronounced, regular loads that exceed the normal level can accelerate this wear process.
In this context, however, it should be clear that normal wear and tear of the cervical spine does not necessarily lead to pain in the left arm and shoulder. In most cases, even with normal wear and tear of the cervical spine, the patient remains completely free of complaints.Patients suffering from shoulder-arm syndrome, however, show damage that goes far beyond the corresponding age norm. Typical symptoms of shoulder-arm syndrome include pain that begins in the neck and extends from there to the right or left shoulder and arm.
In addition, the affected patients may experience neurological symptoms such as numbness, tingling and/or paralysis. In most cases, the muscles of the neck are tense and hardened. For this reason, in addition to pain in the left shoulder and left arm, there are also significant restrictions in movement.
The treatment of the shoulder-arm syndrome, which can lead to pain in the left arm and shoulder of the affected patients, is carried out in several steps. Above all, adequate relief of the symptoms plays a decisive role in the treatment. In such cases, the first choice is a painkiller from the group of so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The advantage of these drugs is that they have both analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, regular acupuncture and/or local massages can help to relieve the pain in the left arm and shoulder in the long term. In the case of shoulder-arm syndrome, one usually first tries to achieve an effect by means of treatment measures that are as gentle as possible.
However, if the symptoms do not decrease significantly within a period of about two to three weeks, more invasive treatment strategies may have to be initiated. A further cause of pain in the left arm and left shoulder can be the presence of a heart attack (myocardial infarction). Such pain symptoms are one of the first and most important signs of the onset of a heart attack.
