Tingling in the Left Arm

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Generally speaking, the medical term “tingling” means the abnormal sensation of prickling, vibrating, numbness, buzzing, or pins and needles feeling that occur in your arm with or without an apparent cause. The medical term for this feeling is paresthesia and can be classified into two categories, which are:

  • Chronic — this is when the tingling is intermittent and comes and goes rapidly over a long period of time
  • Acute — this is when the tingling is temporary and quickly disappears.

Many times when a person has tingling in left arm, their first thoughts are heart attack. Yes, that is a sign of having a heart attack but it can also something as simple as excessive stress or fibromyalgia. When you have tingling in left arm that is accompanied by other symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, it is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention. To ensure what is causing your tingling in left arm you should see your physician as soon as possible to find out what the cause is and get the proper treatment. The one important thing that you do not do is ignore the tingling in left arm because it can be a sign of a serious medical condition.

Causes of Tingling in the Left Arm

As mentioned there are many different reasons why you might experience tingling in the left arm that range from serious to mild and can be acute or chronic.

Chronic Causes of Tingling sensation in Left Arm

This type is normally linked to more serious nerve damage or neurological diseases and includes:

  • Nerve damage — when you have a bulging intervertebral disc or the displacement of a vertebrae it is called disc prolapse. It can cause nerve damage at the level of the roots of the nerves that lead to the tingling in left arm. Another type of degenerative osteoarthritis called cervical spondylitis can cause a narrowing of your neural foramina that can lead to tingling in left arm along with pain and muscle weakness. A pinched nerve can also cause tingling in left arm.
  • Stroke — this is also a warning sign of a stroke and should be medically evaluated immediately. It is when you can have loss of brain function because of an impaired blood supply to your brain.
  • Mini-stroke — these are also referred to as transient ischemic attack (TIA) and are a temporary loss of brain function that is caused by a blockage in the blood supply for a short period of time to a particular area of an organ or limb. This condition does not last for more than twenty-four hours but if you think you are having one seek immediate medical attention.
  • Heart attack — this is just one of the symptoms of a heart attack and if it is accompanied by chest pains you should seek immediate medical attention.
  • Brachial plexus injury — this is a bundle of nerves that transports signals from your spinal cord to your hands, arms, and shoulder.
  • Vascular disorders — as you get older atherosclerosis can cause damage to a blood vessel wall that results in abnormal vasoconstriction, which means that there is less blood supply to your left arm and cause a tingling sensation.
  • Vitamin deficiency — the one vitamin in particular that can cause tingling in left arm if you are deficient in it is vitamin B12. It can cause abnormal lipid to accumulate in your nerve sheaths and lead to a condition called peripheral neuropathy. One of the symptoms of this medical condition is tingling in left arm. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause anemia, which can further exacerbate this condition.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome — when you have this medical condition the median nerve, which supplies your hand is compressed at your wrists and can cause tingling in left arm.
  • Autoimmune diseases — some of them, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can involve the damage of the small joints of your hands and cause this type of pain.
  • Metabolic diseases — these can include hypothyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, and diabetes can all lead to an improper supply of nutrients to your nerve cells and can be a contributing factor for tingling in left arm.
  • Fibromyalgia — this medical condition is characterized by widespread joint pain that is believed to be caused by overactive nerves and sometimes tingling in left arm can occur as a symptom or flare.
  • Thoracic outlet syndrome — this is related to the compression of your nerves that travel through the narrow opening in your arms, armpits, and back of neck. The compression can occur because of poor posture when you are sleeping, extra ribs, pregnancy, obesity, trauma, etc.
  • Malfunctioning or disorders related to your spine — this can include ruptured or dislocated vertebrae in your neck, herniated discs, bulging discs, pinched or damaged nerves in your neck can all affect the blood circulation in your left arm.
  • Multiple sclerosis — this medical condition is where the protective sheath that cover nerves, called myelin, is damaged and disturbs the connection between the nerves of your left arm and brain.
  • Pressure on your nerves due to enlarged blood vessels or tumor

Acute Causes of Left Arm Tingling

These causes are very common and include:

  • Obdormition — this is a medical term that describes numbness in a life caused by lack of movement or constant pressure on nerves and can cause tingling in left arm
  • Hyperventilation — this can cause an alkaline shift in your blood and lead to a disturbance of the concentrations of different ions that are required for nerve condition.
  • Panic attacks — the tingling in left arm can happen in severe conditions because of a psychological effect.
  • Seizures — there are some seizures like a tonic-clonic seizure that can lead to tingling in left arm. Sometimes this feeling will occur after someone has a partial seizure.
  • Dehydration — this feeling will generally happen with a five percent water loss of the cumulative water in your body.
  • Acute arterial occlusion — this is generally caused by a circulating embolus, which is a plug or blockage that obstructs your blood vessels such as a detached blood clot or clumps of foreign material, that is lodged in one of your main blood vessels or arteries that supply your left arm.
  • Poor circulation — this is a common reason for tingling in left arm and can be caused by a variety of things such as a piece of jewelry worn on the arm, a tight outfit, or sleeping awkwardly on your arm so the blood cannot flow sufficiently through your arm.
  • Excess stress — this can happen if there is excess pressure or stress is applied to your left arm causing it to tingle or go numb.

Other causes can include:

  • Medications — this could be a symptom or a sign that you are allergic to this medication, especially if it is one that you have never taken before
  • Migraines
  • Low blood sugar
  • Decompression sickness
  • Menopause
  • Broken left shoulder
  • Ganglion cysts
  • Narrowed blood vessels in your left arm

When to Seek Immediate Medical Help

You should seek medical help if you experience tingling in left arm along with any of these other symptoms if:

  • You lose consciousness, are feeling confused, feel weak, or unable to see clearly
  • The tingling in left arm happens after a fall, after some head, back, or neck injury
  • You feel you cannot control your bowel movements or feel you are losing control over your body parts
  • The tingling in left arm increases when you walk or move your arm
  • You feel uneasy, notice your are urinating more often or feel dizzy

Treatment

In most cases of tingling in left arm that does not signal a possible heart attack or stroke you will need to see your physician to be diagnosed as to what is causing this problem. Some of the treatments that your physician may prescribe can include:

  • Vitamin B12 deficiency — to find out if this is the cause of tingling in left arm your physician will have blood work done to monitor the levels of this vitamin in your body. If there is a deficiency your physician will give you a prescription for vitamin B12 or have you take an over-the-counter supplement. It depends on how deficient your body is. You should also start eating foods that are rich in vitamin B12 such as meat, cheese, fish, eggs, and fortified cereals.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome — your physician will have you wear a brace or splint to help alleviate some of the pain. You should also try to avoid any postures that twist your wrist along with doing particular exercises to help with the tingling in left arm.
  • Medication — if you have tingling in left arm you need to notify your physician immediately so he can change the medication to something else.
  • If there is swelling due to an injury your physician may recommend that you use a cold compress for ten to twenty minutes each day to help reduce the inflammation.
  • If tingling in left arm is due to a muscle injury using a heating pad will help.
  • If it is due to metabolic disease such as diabetes your physician will work with you to keep your blood sugar under control.
  • If it is due to an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, your physician may prescribe immunosuppressant medication like Prednisone.

It has been suggested that bending your elbow a few times or unclenching and clenching your fist can get the sensation in your left arm back to normal. Sometimes exercise may help to stimulate the circulation in your arm. Even if these do help, you still need to see your physician for a formal diagnosis as to the cause.

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