HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

What Causes Burning Sensation Under Left Arm?

default
Posted on Mon, 21 Sep 2015
Question: I have a burning pain under my left arm. I don't have any other heart systems. Blood pressure is good 130/76. I broke my shoulder in 1993 on same side and had to have clavicle cut back about an inch, and have problems ever sense with pain this and chest pain.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Meriton Siqeca (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Probably consequences from a remote trauma; EKG

Detailed Answer:
Greetings, sir. I am Dr. Meriton. Welcome to HCM and thank you for your question. I understand your concern.

A burning sensation of pain under the left arm is not associated with the classical angina. Angina is more like a heaviness or tenderness or "squeezing" sensation in the midden part of the chest, which radiates to both sides of the chest, left shoulder, left arm and the jaw, triggered by physical activity and stopped by ceasing it. It is the pain originated from a coronary artery blockage. The pain that you described above, with highest probability, comes from the remote trauma to the area that suffered the trauma. There are a lot of factors that can cause this recurring pain and climate changes, or varying in extreme temperatures, can trigger remote trauma pain. I can see you are already on ibuprofen for the pain, if it does not help, you can switch to another drug from the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) class. If no relief after taking a drug from this class, then another original diagnosis should be sought.

Given your age of 71 years old, even though my opinion is that this is not pain originated from the heart/coronary arteries, as a cardiologist, I would recommend you to perform an EKG and an echocardiogram. Even though my index of suspicion is very low, we cannot bypass this small suspicion without seeking to exclude it as the origin of the pain. A factor that would further raise my suspicion would be the resistance to NSAIDs to relieve the pain.

I hope I was helpful. Wish you a good health. If you have further questions, I would be happy to help. If you do not, please close the discussion and rate the answer.

Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Meriton Siqeca

Cardiologist

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 775 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
What Causes Burning Sensation Under Left Arm?

Brief Answer: Probably consequences from a remote trauma; EKG Detailed Answer: Greetings, sir. I am Dr. Meriton. Welcome to HCM and thank you for your question. I understand your concern. A burning sensation of pain under the left arm is not associated with the classical angina. Angina is more like a heaviness or tenderness or "squeezing" sensation in the midden part of the chest, which radiates to both sides of the chest, left shoulder, left arm and the jaw, triggered by physical activity and stopped by ceasing it. It is the pain originated from a coronary artery blockage. The pain that you described above, with highest probability, comes from the remote trauma to the area that suffered the trauma. There are a lot of factors that can cause this recurring pain and climate changes, or varying in extreme temperatures, can trigger remote trauma pain. I can see you are already on ibuprofen for the pain, if it does not help, you can switch to another drug from the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) class. If no relief after taking a drug from this class, then another original diagnosis should be sought. Given your age of 71 years old, even though my opinion is that this is not pain originated from the heart/coronary arteries, as a cardiologist, I would recommend you to perform an EKG and an echocardiogram. Even though my index of suspicion is very low, we cannot bypass this small suspicion without seeking to exclude it as the origin of the pain. A factor that would further raise my suspicion would be the resistance to NSAIDs to relieve the pain. I hope I was helpful. Wish you a good health. If you have further questions, I would be happy to help. If you do not, please close the discussion and rate the answer. Best regards, Dr. Meriton