I am a 28 year old female.. For the past 2 years, on and off...I get this weird pain in my upper left arm...most times it feels like a tight muscle or pinch or squeeze, sometimes I get a burning sensation or tingling, but I basically always feel it. It doesn't 'hurt', but it is very uncomfortable and bothersome...I always think there is something majorly wrong with me, and overthinking the arm pain gives me anxiety! And that doesn't help, cause then I feel it more! It's a vicious cycle. When I first felt the pain, my doc sent me for MRI's and EKG's, but all the tests came out fine...I'm confused as to the cause, and paranoid as to what is really going on with my arm...anyone else experiencing this? Please give me your insight
I am a 28 year old female.. For the past 2 years, on and off...I get this weird pain in my upper left arm...most times it feels like a tight muscle or pinch or squeeze, sometimes I get a burning sensation or tingling, but I basically always feel it. It doesn't 'hurt', but it is very uncomfortable and bothersome...I always think there is something majorly wrong with me, and overthinking the arm pain gives me anxiety! And that doesn't help, cause then I feel it more! It's a vicious cycle. When I first felt the pain, my doc sent me for MRI's and EKG's, but all the tests came out fine...I'm confused as to the cause, and paranoid as to what is really going on with my arm...anyone else experiencing this? Please give me your insight
Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
You have been getting valuable advice. Constant arm ache can be due to either vascular or neurological causes. The former can be diagnosed by duplex ultrasound and the latter by MRI of cervical spine and nerve conduction studies.
The other possibility is thoracic outlet syndrome which occurs as the result of narrowing of space below and behind the collar bone. TOS is characterized by non specific symptoms like neck stiffness, pain on raising the arm above the head, neck pain and headaches and a tired feeling in arm.
Hope this helps. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Do consult your doctor. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
While it is true that a myocardial infarct is sometimes reflected in left arm pain, in such a case "rubbing" will not relieve the pain. It "ain't a heart attack".
With due respects a chiropractor is not the appropriate "professional" to seek treatment from. The professional has an M.D. in front of his name.
Among other things chiropractors rarely have access to modern MRI's, and many have their own x-ray machines in their offices (a practice which should be outlawed), which are generally used, obsolete and uncalibrated.
This is certainly not a stroke, although the problem could be vascular.
go to doctor i had the same problems and ignored it and it was my heart
•Vascular - There could be some reason for poor circulation to the arm/hand. This is very commonly caused by too much muscle tension in the scalene muscles or the the pec minor muscles. The blood vessels that supply the arm/hand have to pass through these areas, via the subclavian artery, to branch off into the arm. It could also be due to a misalignment of the shoulder. If a shoulder is misaligned in external rotation, it can put a stretch on the blood vessels that pass through that area to supply the arm/hand. In any case, a chiropractor is the professional to seek to correct any biomechanical problems within the body. Chiropractic adjustments can also have a valuable effect on the autonomic system, which affects the cardiovascular system.
•Pinched nerve -This could definitely be a pinched nerve - either in your neck, shoulder, or arm. You need to be seen by a doctor (preferable an orthopedic surgeon) before you experience permanent damage.
•Tendonitis
•Migraine (hemiplagic migraine)
•Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack (mini-stroke)
•Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia
•Reynauds disease causes constriction of the blood vessels and usually your fingers get numb, turn whitish in color.
•Angina
•Repetative Strain Injury, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome- Using a mouse or keyboard, or other tools, in the same position for an extended period of time can be harmful. Google ergonomics or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
•Cervical Disc Herniations:
Cervial Disc Herniations can cause tingling, arm numbness and pain. It might be helpful to see a Neurosurgeon. They may run MRI's, Myelograms etc..
First of all, there are many possible causes of the ache.
Let's rule out pinching of a nerve in the cervical area.
Lie down flat on the ground when you are experiencing pain. Have someone kneel at your head, place a hand on each cheek, and stretch your head upwards strongly along the axis of the spine.
If the pain diminishes or is eliminated, you have what is called a subluxion injury, due to compression of a nerve in the vertebra.
An MRI, in this case, will usually show spinal stenosis.
Another possibility is a problem within the arm or the bone, and an x-ray, of course is square one.
I am curious as to what your physician said.