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What Causes Left-sided Chest And Arm Pain With Shortness Of Breath?
Question: hi since I started having the upper left side chest pain and left arm together with the shortness of breath ,every time I woke up in the morning both my arms feel very numb specially the left side one plus I can't breath normally only deep breath and sometimes I feel like my deep breaths don't pass all the through, help please
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome back again on HCM!
Your symptoms seem to be related to a musculo-skeletal problem.
That is why, you can not breath deeply. The muscles of the thoracic space do not expand as they should, probably because of inflammation.
The numbness in both arms, could be related to a pinched nerve. As it is in both arms it raises suspicions of a possible cervical spine problem, like a bulging intervertebral disk (in this region the nerves of both arms and thoracic muscles originate).
That is why, I would recommend consulting with your family physician for a physical exam. You should perform some tests to investigate for the possible underlying causes:
- a chest X ray study and respiratory function tests
- a cervical spine X ray study
- a resting ECG
- complete blood count
- blood electrolytes (numbness could be related to an electrolyte imbalance)
- PCR, ESR for inflammation.
A nerve conduction study and a cervical spine CT scan may be needed if suspicions of a cervical bulging disc would be raised during physical exam.
Meanwhile, I would recommend trying to correct your posture, avoid looking all the time to your smartphone (it causes your neck to bound all the time) and use an orthopedic pillow (in order to avoid pinched nerves during sleep).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome back again on HCM!
Your symptoms seem to be related to a musculo-skeletal problem.
That is why, you can not breath deeply. The muscles of the thoracic space do not expand as they should, probably because of inflammation.
The numbness in both arms, could be related to a pinched nerve. As it is in both arms it raises suspicions of a possible cervical spine problem, like a bulging intervertebral disk (in this region the nerves of both arms and thoracic muscles originate).
That is why, I would recommend consulting with your family physician for a physical exam. You should perform some tests to investigate for the possible underlying causes:
- a chest X ray study and respiratory function tests
- a cervical spine X ray study
- a resting ECG
- complete blood count
- blood electrolytes (numbness could be related to an electrolyte imbalance)
- PCR, ESR for inflammation.
A nerve conduction study and a cervical spine CT scan may be needed if suspicions of a cervical bulging disc would be raised during physical exam.
Meanwhile, I would recommend trying to correct your posture, avoid looking all the time to your smartphone (it causes your neck to bound all the time) and use an orthopedic pillow (in order to avoid pinched nerves during sleep).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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