Sudden Pain In Forearm, Shoulder And Upper Back. Is This Related To Any Heart Issues?

Posted on Sat, 28 Jul 2012

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 Answered on

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : Yesterday I had a sudden pain that first started in my left forearm and radiated up to my left shoulder and upper back. It was most intense in the area between my spine and left shoulder blade and could be felt on the front side of my left shoulder, just above the pectoral. It lasted about 5-10 minutes and then went away. My wife says that left arm pain could signal heart issues, but I thought the pain would need to start in the chest, then move to the left arm, but mine did the reverse. Does this sound like something to be concerned about?

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (2 hours later)

Hello XXXXXX

Thanks for writing in.

Definitely it is something to be concerned about. Your wife might be right. Pain starting in the chest would be the classical way heart attack presents itself. However, there are patients who come with just jaw pain /forearm pain etc and ECG shows changes of myocardial infarction.

It would be a very wise idea to visit your physician who might examine you, do the relevant blood investigations(blood sugars, lipid profile) along with ECG, ECHO and Treadmill test.

I hope I have answered your queries .I will be happy to answer any further queries you might have.

In case you don't have any further queries, please accept my answer. Any reviews are welcome.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Dr.Divya Kuttikrishnan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (15 minutes later)

Do you think it would be ok to wait and see my physician on Monday when they open, or go to the emergency room immediately? Also, I had blood work done before my appendectomy a couple of months ago, but I don't know if they checked it for heart issues.

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (34 minutes later)

I'm sure they must have gotten an ECG done before appendectomy. I don't think an ECHO and TMT test would have been done. Maybe you could just go through your discharge summary that was given to you after the procedure was done, to see if the above tests were done.

The other possibilities are gastritis and cervical spine disorders.These are not medical emergencies.

However, the way that your symptoms have been described , I would definitely want to rule out a cardiac condition. I would advise you to go to the emergency room, if your physician is not available for consultation today.

Regards,
Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

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

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar