A Few Interesting Facts About Heart Attacks:
- The loneliness factor: Those who live by themselves are twice as likely to have a heart attack versus those who live with a significant other or a roommate.
- Manic Mondays: Statistically, most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings. In the early morning, blood platelets are stickier, people are partially dehydrated, and stress hormones are at maximum levels.
- Birthdays and holidays are triggers: A person is 27 percent more likely to have a heart attack on his or her birthday. They also commonly occur on Christmas Day, Dec. 26, and New Years Day.
- Laughter helps: Laughter increases a persons blood flow by up to 20 percent, while negative feelings are a risk factor for a heart attack.
Heart disease is the number-one killer of both men and women in the United States. Heart attacks occur every 43 seconds in America, and nearly one million people in the United States have one each year.
Chest Pain Pressure Squeezing And Fullness
Picture someone having a heart attack, and chances are you imagine them gasping for air and clutching their chest before falling unconscious. While you may experience chest pain during a heart attack, it may not be as dramatic. In some cases, it may not even be described as pain. Instead, it may feel more like pressure or squeezing in the chest.
Chest pain or chest discomfort is caused by an insufficient supply of oxygen-rich blood to your heart. During a heart attack, you may feel this pain in the center of the chest. It can last for a few minutes and disappear, or it may recur after a short break.
This symptom is a warning sign of blocked or narrowed arteries. Dont hesitate to report this to your doctor, even if this and other symptoms are not intense.
Symptoms Of A Heart Attack
Symptoms of a heart attack can include:
- chest pain a sensation of pressure, tightness or squeezing in the centre of your chest
- pain in other parts of the body it can feel as if the pain is travelling from your chest to your arms , jaw, neck, back and tummy
- feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- feeling sick or being sick
- an overwhelming sense of anxiety
- coughing or wheezing
Although the chest pain is often severe, some people may only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion. In some cases, there may not be any chest pain at all, especially in women, older people, and people who have diabetes.
It’s the overall pattern of symptoms that helps to determine whether you are having a heart attack.
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Treatment Options For Left Arm Numbness
Treatment depends upon the underlying cause of the arm numbness. Left-arm numbness is a warning sign that requires attention. As noted above unexplained numbness requires immediate attention.
At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic, we are experts in the treatment of left-arm numbness due to cervical nerve irritation, cervical stenosis, thoracic outlet syndrome, and peripheral nerve injuries. When appropriate first-line treatment should involve conservative care including physical therapy and stretching. Steroid injections should be avoided as they are toxic to orthopedic tissue and can accelerate damage
Surgery for Cervical Stenosis and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is major surgery and associated with significant risks. These risks include infection, nerve damage, failure to fuse, and Adjacent Segment Disease. A previous blog details the risks and nonsurgical treatment options for Cervical Stenosis.
Treatment options include stem cells and platelets. At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic, there are different PRP treatment options for different conditions. Platelet lysate is ideal for the treatment of nerve injuries. It super concentrates growth factors found in platelets. To learn more about platelet lysate and growth factors please click on the video below.
Causes Of Pins And Needles In Left Arm
1. Poor Blood Circulation or Pressure
Improper blood circulation can happen when you sleep in awkward position and blood cannot flow properly through it. It can also occur when you are wearing a tight piece of jewelry like an arm band.
Tingling in the left arm can also occur when there is too much pressure applied to it. If it is intense enough, it may even go numb. If you have a pinched nerve in the area around your arm, you may experience tingling in your hands.
2. Vitamin Issues
Several vitamins are vital to proper nerve function, especially vitamins B1, B6, B12, and E. If you have too much vitamin B6 in your body, you can experience pins and needles in your left arm. However, if you dont have enough B12, you may have the same tingling feeling.
3. Alcoholism
Alcoholics often suffer from vitamin deficiencies because their disease causes them to follow poor diet habits. When this occurs and it affects the nerves, it is called alcoholic neuropathy. Damaged nerves can cause tingling and numbness in your arms.
4. Medicines
Sometimes certain medications can cause nerve damage, but in many situations their benefits outweigh their side effects. The good news is the damage is reversible once you cease taking the medicine. If you experienced tingling in your hands or arms, it will typically go away.
5. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
8. Stroke
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He Had Chest Pain That Got Worse During The Day
Sometimes mild pain was accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, or feeling sick. One woman had mild chest pain, which she thought might be her hiatus hernia but was sufficiently concerned to contact NHS direct. During the call she felt sick and started sweating, and the nurse agreed that it might be a heart attack and called an ambulance.
Vascular Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Sometimes, nerves or blood vessels that affect your arms become compressed. This can lead to numbness, tingling, and pain in your arms, hands, and neck. Your hands might turn pale blue or be slow to heal wounds.
Vascular thoracic outlet syndrome can be treated with medications and physical therapy. Surgery may be needed.
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Waiting For An Ambulance
If you have had a heart attack, it’s important that you rest while you wait for an ambulance, to avoid unnecessary strain on your heart.
If aspirin is available and you are not allergic to it, slowly chew and then swallow an adult-size tablet while you wait for the ambulance.
Aspirin helps to thin your blood and improve blood flow to your heart.
Signs And Symptoms Of Heart Attack
If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
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What Are The Symptoms
Symptoms of angina include chest pain or pressure, or a strange feeling in the chest. Some people feel pain, pressure, or a strange feeling in the back, neck, jaw, or upper belly, or in one or both shoulders or arms. Other symptoms of angina include shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, light-headedness or sudden weakness, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.
Some people describe their angina as pressure, heaviness, weight, tightness, squeezing, discomfort, burning, or dull aching in the chest. People often put a fist to the chest when describing their pain. Some people may feel tingling or numbness in the arm, hand, or jaw when they have angina.
It might be hard for you to point to the exact location of your pain. Pressing on the chest wall does not cause the pain.
Your symptoms might begin at a low level and then increase over several minutes to reach a peak. Angina that starts with an activity usually will decrease when the activity is stopped. Chest pain that begins suddenly or lasts only a few seconds is less likely to be angina.
Women are somewhat more likely than men to have other symptoms like nausea and back or jaw pain. This feeling can be in areas other than the chest, such as in the neck or jaw.
Do not wait if you think you are having a heart attack. Getting help fast can save your life. Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out.
Fears Of Dying Or Losing Control
It’s not surprising that the experience of having a panic attack is often terrifying. As the attack escalates, you may worry about your own personal safety and experience a fear of dying. Additionally, panic attacks can make you feel as though you’re going to lose control or possibly “go insane.”
Such thoughts and fears often increase the intensity of the attack. Do your best to acknowledge that they are a result of panic, which often times is an effective first step to quelling the attack. The simplest strategy is deep, focused breathing, but working with a healthcare professional will help you identify personalized strategies to best manage your condition.
If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
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He Had Bouts Of Severe Back And Shoulder Pain Which He Did Not Relate To His Heart
Another man had what he described as five-minute episodes of discomfort in the centre of his stomach, which he found debilitating rather than painful. Two days later he had what he thought was indigestion, becoming nauseous and experiencing an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. It was at this point that he was diagnosed as having had a heart attack. One 37-year-old woman describes the pains she had in her teeth and arms. Another man, a hospital consultant, explained that he had what felt like severe heartburn but none of the classic symptoms of a heart attack.
Occasionally, a heart attack is ‘silent’ and produces little discomfort. People may not know they have had one until they have a medical investigation for other symptoms or a routine medical examination .A few people said they had no symptoms and had felt well before their heart attack. Several described breathlessness, chest pain when walking up a hill or exercising, arm pains, or felt lethargic or more tired than usual in the lead up to having a heart attack. But many did not recognise the significance of these symptoms until after their heart attack. They had thought at the time that they were caused by asthma, indigestion or other gastric conditions.
Unexplained Swelling Especially Around Your Legs Ankles Or Feet
Swelling is your bodys natural response to inflammation or fluid buildup. From itchy bumps left by mosquito bites to pain and tightness in an injured area, swelling can be caused by a range of different conditions.
But if youre noticing that areas around your body are getting larger especially your legs, ankles or feet and you cant tie it to a known condition, medication or injury, dont ignore it.
The swelling youre experiencing may be simply annoying, like being unable to get your shoes on. However, it can also be painful. The swelling may make your skin more sensitive, and you may notice it becomes worse at the end of the day or when youre standing for a long time.
The good news is that there are treatments, such as compression socks, that can help reduce or manage swelling. But youll want to discover and treat the root cause, too.
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Numbness And Tingling In Your Left Arm Or Right Arm Isnt Always Caused By Poor Body Mechanics Read On To Learn What Medical Conditions Might Be Behind It And When You Should See A Doctor
Have you ever woken up with a pins and needles sensation on the arm you were sleeping on? Or, maybe, you were leaning back on your arm, and it went numb? These odd tingles are caused by pressure on a nerve, and luckily, they go away, when the pressure is taken off.
But, when bad posture isnt to blame for arm numbness and tingling, it could be a sign of a medical condition. Here are a few possible causes.
Is Numbness In Hands A Sign Of A Heart Attack
Numbness may occur in one or both arms and hands as blood flow to these areas decreases. Because numbness in the arms and hands is a common symptom of many less-serious conditions, it may be overlooked as a symptom of a heart attack. Arm and hand numbness may be accompanied by chest discomfort a classic symptom of a heart attack.
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Stroke Symptoms Everyone Should Know
A strokea decrease in blood flow to the brain due to a clot or bleedingis a medical emergency. And doctors often say time is brain, meaning the quicker you get treatment, the less likely it is that your brain tissue will be permanently damaged. About 80 percent of strokes are due to a clot and the rest are due to bleeding in the brain .
There are treatments available for stroke that need to be provided within the first 3-4 hours, such as clot-busting medications. That is why urgent attention is critical, Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, professor of neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, said. So dont waste time wondering if you should go to the hospital. If you or someone you know has the following symptoms, call 911.
Trouble seeing or blurry vision Stroke can cause double vision, blurred vision or loss of vision in one eye.
But it may not be as well recognized as facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech problems.
When 1,300 people in the U.K. were asked what symptoms occur in stroke, only 44 percent knew vision loss is a strong indicator.
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Difficulty speaking or confusion When former Chicago Bears coach and Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka suffered what doctors told him was a very minor stroke, one of the symptoms he experienced was difficulty speaking.
Dizziness or loss of balance If you are dizzy, nauseous or have trouble walking, people may think youre intoxicated when, in fact, youre having a stroke.
If You Suddenly Have Tingling And Numbness In Your Fingers And Have Risk Factors For A Heart Attack There May Be More To Whats Going On Than Just Some Pinched Nerve Somewhere
Yes, a heart attack can cause pain that feels like numbness and tingling in the arm, begins Momina Mastoor, MD, a board certified cardiologist with WellSpan Medical Group in Gettysburg, PA.
This sensation can travel all the way down the arm into the fingers, causing numbness and tingling, continues Dr. Mastoor.
Normally this symptom would occur along with other symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath and lightheadedness.
Tingling alone is rarely the sign of a heart attack. That said, if you are at risk for a heart attack, for example are obese, have high blood pressure or smoke, I would worry about numbness and tingling in the fingers.
But if you do not have risk factors, tingling is likely not a sign of a heart attack. Besides a heart attack, this tingling can also occur with angina.
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Causes Of Left Arm Pain
The causes of left arm pain can vary. The most well known of these is a heart attack. In this case, the arm pain may be accompanied by pain or a tightening sensation in your chest, pain in your back, neck, shoulder or jaw, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness or fatigue. Left arm pain can also be caused by angina. This has similar symptoms but they only last for a few minutes. Pain may also be the result of having tense muscles due to stress. Similarly, an injury or a problem affecting your bones, joints or soft tissue can cause arm pain, as can poor blood circulation and sleeping with an incorrect posture.
Neck Pain Or Back Pain
Neck and back pain are common ailments after injury and with arthritis. However, neck and back pain coupled with pain spreading down both arms can signal a myocardial infarction. Again, this can occur with or without chest pain. If you experience neck and back pain for no reason and don’t have a history of injury or arthritis, it’s still better to have it checked out, especially if other symptoms are involved.
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Treating Left Arm Pain
If your left arm pain is benign, you can initially treat it by resting, applying a cold compress to the painful area and elevating your arm. If the pain is caused by a fracture, your arm will have to be immobilised in a plaster cast for several weeks. If it is caused by a musculoskeletal issue , treatment may include painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs, rest, and physiotherapy. Using one of the OMRON HeatTens range of pain relievers can also help to relieve muscle and joint pain using a combination of soothing heat and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation . If the pain is caused by an underlying heart condition, the treatment may involve taking medication for pain relief, in addition to making some radical changes to your lifestyle. Finally, if someone is having a heart attack, they must receive immediate medical treatment because heart attacks can be fatal and sometimes require surgery if medication alone does not dissolve the clot that is causing the problem.
References:
Wexler, A. . Why do I have a pain in my left arm? Retrieved from www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317652.php
Pietrangelo, A. . Why is there pain in my left arm? Retrieved from www.healthline.com/health/pain-in-left-arm#takeaway
New Health Guide. What causes pain on the left arm? Retrieved from www.newhealthguide.org/Pain-In-Left-Arm.html