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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Pinching Sensation In The Left Armpit Region?

Outer left underside of my left arm (by armpit area ) feels a slight pinching feeling. Almost like loss of circulation but my veins look fine. I was carrying guitar with a strap around that shoulder and did carry equipment for long period of time with left arm. Not sure what it is..
posted on Thu, 22 Jun 2017
Twitter Sun, 30 Jul 2017 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 31 Jul 2017 Last reviewed on
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Your question is a very good one and I will try to work on some good recommendations for you.

You state in your question that you are experiencing a pinching sensation. There are a couple of things which could explain this type of sensation. The first category which comes to mind is nerve impingement. If you somehow strained a nerve in your shoulder or in your neck it could give you a sensation of pinching in the armpit. If this is the case the sensation is often reproduced with certain movements of the upper extremity.

The other category which we must consider would be some type of infection under the skin. Sometimes a very mild infection could trigger this type of sensation. Along the same lines you would probably have some pain and maybe some redness in that area which would explain the source of infection. I think this is unlikely in your case.

The last category which we should consider would be lymph nodes. If there is any inflammation or swelling in lymph nodes in that area of the body. It could create a sensation of pinching in that area. If a lymph node is swollen you could certainly feel it by just rubbing your fingers along the inside of your armpits.

I am more inclined to think your symptoms are due to a mild degree of nerve impingement. At this time I recommended that you continue to watch things for a period of time including at least 7 to 10 days. At the same time I recommend you consider taking some anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen two or three times per day for the next week or so. Finally it would be helpful as well for you to perform some range of motion exercises and stretching in order to help maintain mobility of that area of your body. If you are not experiencing any degree of symptomatic improvement after 10 days I think you should see your doctor for a discussion.

I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
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What Causes Pinching Sensation In The Left Armpit Region?

Your question is a very good one and I will try to work on some good recommendations for you. You state in your question that you are experiencing a pinching sensation. There are a couple of things which could explain this type of sensation. The first category which comes to mind is nerve impingement. If you somehow strained a nerve in your shoulder or in your neck it could give you a sensation of pinching in the armpit. If this is the case the sensation is often reproduced with certain movements of the upper extremity. The other category which we must consider would be some type of infection under the skin. Sometimes a very mild infection could trigger this type of sensation. Along the same lines you would probably have some pain and maybe some redness in that area which would explain the source of infection. I think this is unlikely in your case. The last category which we should consider would be lymph nodes. If there is any inflammation or swelling in lymph nodes in that area of the body. It could create a sensation of pinching in that area. If a lymph node is swollen you could certainly feel it by just rubbing your fingers along the inside of your armpits. I am more inclined to think your symptoms are due to a mild degree of nerve impingement. At this time I recommended that you continue to watch things for a period of time including at least 7 to 10 days. At the same time I recommend you consider taking some anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen two or three times per day for the next week or so. Finally it would be helpful as well for you to perform some range of motion exercises and stretching in order to help maintain mobility of that area of your body. If you are not experiencing any degree of symptomatic improvement after 10 days I think you should see your doctor for a discussion. I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.