What Causes Left Arm Tingling? How To Treat It?

A tingling, painful sensation in the left arm is often seen as a sign of a heart attack. While that might be the case sometimes, it’s not always that serious. Also known as paresthesia, left arm tingling happens when something restricts the blood flow or compromises the nerves. Many factors can cause this, including strenuous exercises, muscle spasms, and fatigue.

During paresthesia, you may feel many pins and needles in your left arm. Soon, the arm pain turns into numbness. Sometimes, you may also feel a burning sensation. It’s better to consult a healthcare professional as quickly as possible because left arm tingling can also indicate a severe health issue.

Mild left arm tingling cases can easily be treated at home with conservative care. But orthobiologic treatments, such as PRP and cell-based therapies, also show wonders in treating the condition.

Causes of Left Arm Tingling

Left arm tingling and numbness are common symptoms in many health conditions. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol are more likely to experience left arm tingling. It can be caused by multiple factors, such as:

Poor Circulation

When your body has poor blood circulation, it can lead to a tingling sensation in your left arm. Improper sitting or standing positions are the primary reasons for this condition, but tight clothes and jewelry can also cause it. Poor circulation can also occur when you sleep on your left arm for hours.

You may also feel clammy, tingling, and numbness in your left arm. In some instances, your hands may also become chilly. Poor circulation can also indicate atherosclerosis or venous stasis ulcers.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs from repetitive hand and wrist motions or improper joint positioning. The primary factor of this condition is insufficient blood circulation in your wrists due to constricted tissues in the joint. In CTS, you may feel left arm tingling and numbness.

Nerve Damage

Nerve injury or trauma in your neck, back, and arm can also cause intense left arm tingling. Nerve damage can also indicate different conditions, such as ruptured vertebrae and bulging spinal discs.

Strokes

Strokes occur due to decreased blood flow between the brain and the heart. The common symptoms include left arm tingling, speech problems, and light-headedness. Strokes are usually caused by plaque build-up in your arterial walls, resulting in blood clots.

Vitamin Deficiency

To function correctly, our body needs nourishment and essential vitamins, such as B12 and D. Our brain and nerves rely on these nutrients to develop healthily. When our body doesn’t receive proper nourishment, it causes numbness and tingling in the left arm.

Vascular Disorders

Left arm tingling can also occur due to distorted functioning of the blood vessels, indicating many vascular disorders. You will gradually feel the numbness radiating through your left arm to your fingers. It can also make your fingertips look blue and your muscles weak, mainly because of a lack of essential nutrients in the blood.

Treating Left Arm Tingling

Tingling in the left arm can be easily treated at home with lifestyle changes and conservative care. Depending on the intensity and cause of your condition, your doctor will develop a suitable treatment plan for you.

Typically, at-home treatments are the first line of defense against left arm tingling, but if they don’t work, you can try orthobiologic treatments.

Conservative Care

The most-effective treatments for left arm tingling include:

• Vitamin Supplements. You must take vitamin and mineral supplements and a healthy, balanced diet.
• Improved Wrist Position. You can also avoid improper use of wrists and hands. Arm stretches, and wrist rotation exercises also help relieve pressure from the wrist joints.
• Physical Therapy. You should attend regular physical therapy sessions to treat nerve damage in different parts of the body. Exercising also helps improve blood circulation between the brain, heart, and nerves.
• Compress and Arm Elevation. Using a compress or arm elevation can also help treat inflammation. A warm cloth or heating pad is recommended, as it works wonders in relaxing muscles and nerves and promoting blood flow. You can check out this page for recommended heating options. For arm elevation, you can use books or pillows.
• Massage. Try massaging your left arm whenever you feel a tingling or burning sensation. You can use mustard, olive, or coconut oil and keep massaging until the pain disappears.

Some lifestyle changes and at-home remedies for left arm tingling include:

• Apply turmeric and water paste on the affected area and massage for several minutes. Repeat the process regularly.
• Stay hydrated
• Curb down alcohol and caffeine consumption to enhance blood circulation
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and avoid processed, carbonated, and sugary foods
• Avoid smoking and other tobacco products to prevent nerve damage
• Do cardio and aerobic exercises for half an hour five days a week

Orthobiologic Methods

When none of the above treatments works, you must try orthobiologic treatments, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and cell-based therapies. These treatments are based on regenerative medicine, meaning they help your body heal with the help of its healthy tissues or “autologous” tissues.

These methods have a short recovery period and are less painful and invasive than surgical procedures. At CELLAXYS, our healthcare professionals will first evaluate your condition to identify the cause of the tingling in your left arm. Then, they will opt for either of the orthobiologic methods.

• Cell-based Therapies. Also known as stem cell therapies, these processes harvest healthy cells from your adipose tissue (Minimally Manipulated Adipose Tissue Transplant or MMAT) or bone marrow (Bone Marrow Concentrate or BMAC). These cells are processed and reinjected into your injury site to promote healing. Both MMAT and BMAC are performed within 1.5 to 2 hours.

• Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy. In PRP, the doctor will take your blood sample, isolate platelets, and reinject them into the injury site. Platelets are healing components in our blood that perform three primary functions to promote healing. First, they release 10 Growth Factors to boost new tissue development. Second, they attract healing components from the blood, and third, they develop a web-like scaffolding called fibrin to support new, healthy cells. Many platelets in the injury site promote healing and early recovery. PRP takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Cell-based and PRP therapies have shown effective results for various injuries and health conditions. They are outpatient procedures so you can go home right after the procedure on your doctor’s instructions.