Left chest pain and left arm pain

A heart attack happens when an artery that feeds oxygen-rich blood to the heart becomes obstructed. The heart muscle begins to die, and heart attack symptoms begin.

Call 911 immediately if you experience the following heart attack symptoms for two minutes or more:

• Sudden shortness of breath.
• Sudden sweating or flu-like symptoms, including nausea, clamminess or cold sweats.
• Unusual fatigue, light-headedness, weakness or dizziness.
• Pain that radiates. Men and women often experience this pain differently, as explained below.
• Intermittent pain that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. This sensation can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or fullness.
• Anxiety or a feeling of doom.
• If you have angina: Any change in the frequency, duration or intensity of symptoms, which do not respond to nitroglycerin.

Symptoms Can Be Different for Men and Women

Men and women experience heart attack symptoms in slightly different ways. The main difference is how pain radiates.

• For men: Pain will spread to the left shoulder, down the left arm or up to the chin.
• For women: Pain can be much more subtle. It may travel to the left or right arm, up to the chin, shoulder blades and upper back — or to abdomen (as nausea and/or indigestion and anxiety). Women are also more likely to experience these accompanying symptoms: shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain. Read an in-depth overview of heart attack symptoms for women here.

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most start slowly with mild pain and discomfort. Surviving a heart attack depends upon how well you recognize and react to these symptoms. Remember that "time is muscle." The sooner you receive medical care, the sooner heart muscle can be saved.

What is Chest Pain?

When medical professionals talk about chest pain, they're talking about the pain and discomfort that can be an early sign of heart attack. There are many ways to describe this pain, including tightness or unusual pressure in the center of the chest.

While pain can radiate to the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back, people often mistake this pain for indigestion, which can be dangerous.

Because heart attack symptoms in women can be so subtle, heart attacks in women frequently go unrecognized. Unfortunately, treatment is sought long after symptoms are initially felt.

Arm pain can be caused by a wide variety of problems, ranging from joint injuries to compressed nerves. Depending on the cause, arm pain can start suddenly or develop over time.

In many cases, arm pain actually originates from a problem in your neck or upper spine. Arm pain, particularly pain that radiates into your left arm, can even be a sign of a heart attack.

Seek emergency treatment if you have:

• Arm, shoulder or back pain that comes on suddenly, is unusually severe, or is accompanied by pressure, fullness or squeezing in your chest (this may signal a heart attack)
• An obvious deformity or protruding bone in your arm or wrist, especially if you have bleeding or other injuries

See your doctor right away if you have:

• Arm, shoulder or back pain that occurs with any sort of exertion and is relieved by rest — possibly signaling heart disease or chest discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to your heart muscle (angina)
• A sudden injury to your arm, particularly if you hear a snap or cracking sound
• Severe pain and swelling in your arm
• Trouble moving your arm normally or turning your arm from palm up to palm down and vice versa

Schedule an office visit if you have:

• Arm pain that doesn't improve after home care
• Increasing redness, swelling or pain in the injured area

Self-care

Even serious arm injuries can be helped initially with home treatment. If you think that you have a broken arm or wrist, apply ice packs to the affected area and use a sling to help hold your arm still until you can get medical care.

If you have a compressed nerve or repetitive strain injury, be consistent about therapy; maintain good posture; and take frequent breaks at work and during repetitive activities, such as playing an instrument or practicing your golf swing.

Most other types of arm pain will get better on their own, especially if you start R.I.C.E. measures soon after your injury.

• Rest. Take a break from your normal activities.
• Ice. Place an ice pack or bag of frozen peas on the sore area for 15 to 20 minutes three times a day.
• Compression. Use a compression bandage to reduce swelling.
• Elevation. If possible, elevate your arm to help reduce swelling.

Show References

1. McMahon SB, et al., eds. Non-specific arm pain. In: Wall & Melzack's Textbook of Pain. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.; Saunders Elsevier: 2013. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Jan. 6, 2016.
2. Henderson MC, et al., eds. Arm and hand pain. In: The Patient History: An Evidence-Based Approach to Differential Diagnosis. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://accessmedicine.com. Accessed Jan. 16, 2016.
3. Heart attack. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/. Accessed Jan. 16, 2016.
4. Sprains, strains and other soft tissue injuries. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00111. Accessed Jan. 16, 2016.
5. LaDou J, et al., eds. Shoulder, elbow, & hand injuries. In: Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 5th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2013. http://accessmedicine. com. Accessed Jan. 16, 2016.

Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/arm-pain/basics/when-to-see-doctor/sym-20050870

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