Pain below the left shoulder blade from behind from behind can be caused by sudden movement, an uncomfortable prolonged sitting or lying position. But in this case, it passed quickly on its own. If the pain syndrome persists for a long time, is acute in nature, stabbing or cutting, painkillers do not help, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. Such pain under the shoulder blade on the left side of the back indicates pathology and can be severe. The patient needs immediate treatment, which depends not only on the nature of the pain but also on its cause.
The main causes of pain below the left shoulder blade
There are many reasons for pain syndrome, but they can all be divided into 2 groups:
- Pain associated with pathology of the musculoskeletal system. Neck or chest osteoma, intercostal neuralgia, osteomyelitis, osteomyelitis, scapula injury, rib fracture or fracture, muscle or rib syndrome, inflammation around the shoulder blade can cause painpain under left shoulder blade.
- Pain occurs against the background of diseases of internal organs. Pain below the left shoulder blade can be a symptom of heart disease, bronchopulmonary system, gallbladder, stomach ulcer, esophageal spasm, exacerbation of pancreatitis.
Spleen rupture is a rare condition that causes pain that radiates to the shoulder blade. This pathology requires immediate surgical treatment, because massive abdominal bleeding carries a risk of death.
No less dangerous for the body is back pain on the left side below the fibula, which develops on the background of cardiovascular diseases:
- dissection of ascending aortic aneurysm;
- cardiac ischemia;
- angina pectoris;
- pericarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis;
- heart attack.
Pain in the left shoulder blade from behind, radiating down the arm and chest area, could be a sign of heart disease. Frequent numbness in hands and feet. Depending on the disease, there are accompanying symptoms: lack of air, throat spasm, chest compression, feeling that the heart stops beating.
Let's take a closer look at the main causes of pain below the collarbone in the back from the left side.
Gallbladder diseases
With cholecystitis, gallstones, more severe appear on the right, pain radiates below the left fibula. An episode of acute cholecystitis causes severe pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. If it is provoked by biliary obstruction with stones, the pain syndrome resembles biliary colic.
In chronic inflammation, the nature of the pain is excruciating. Feelings of discomfort appear after eating fatty foods, with long breaks between meals.
Recurrent seizures can occur after excessive physical or neurological stress, in the context of stress.
Subrenal abscess
It is a collection of pus under the diaphragm. Usually, an abscess forms on the right side, but it can also occur on the left side. The disease is manifested by the following symptoms:
- pain on the left side, radiating below the collarbone, to the sternum;
- sharp pain in the chest, worse when breathing in;
- high body temperature;
- hiccup;
- excessive sweating;
- dry cough;
- shortness of breath.
If left untreated, the disease can cause edema, pneumonia, and lung abscesses.
Bronchopulmonary disease
Diseases of the lower respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs and pleura) causing both chest and septal pain, always accompanied by a specific bronchopulmonary disease:
- increased body temperature;
- weakness, coma;
- Rapidly breath;
- chest pain (more often from the affected lung) of moderate intensity, which increases with coughing, inhalation;
- cough;
- wheeze.
The pain syndrome behind the left shoulder blade often occurs with pneumonia, dry pleurisy, pneumothorax, acute bronchitis, or left lung abscess.
Kidney disease
Capsular pain can be caused by problems with the right kidney, as it is located near the shoulder blade. With its inflammation, the formation of purulent or calculous infiltrates, the pain is usually localized on the right side, but it can also spread to the left side. The pain is usually dull or aching, but it is also acute in nature. This is a paroxysmal, ascending, i. e. it rises from the bottom up, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and an increase in body temperature.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system
Spinal problems and related neurological disorders are the main cause of left shoulder pain. Pain can occur with any movement, turning, sneezing, breathing, deep breathing. They may radiate to the hand, combined with a crunching sound, with limited mobility.
Often pain in the scapula is caused by the following diseases:
- cervical and thoracic bone necrosis;
- disc herniation;
- convexity;
- scoliosis;
- dental pulpitis.
Against the background of degenerative processes in the spine, not only blood vessels and nerves are compromised, but also muscle spasms. Muscle spasms cause rib syndrome.
One of the most common causes of shoulder blade pain is cervical osteonecrosis. At first, the pain syndrome is mild, but when the degenerative changes become acute, imaging is taken. Pain accompanied by dizziness, tinnitus, blurred vision, increased blood pressure.
More rare diseases of the musculoskeletal system that can cause scab pain include osteomyelitis, osteosarcoma, and malignancies.
Muscle tension and inflammation
The muscles of the back, which surround the shoulder blades, support the spine in an anatomically correct position and protect the internal organs located nearby. Their inflammation or injury is not only accompanied by pain, but also causes decreased muscle tone and instability in the shoulder.
Intercostal neuralgia
The disease is accompanied by inflammation of the nerves of the intercostal space, which occurs against the background of such provoking factors as:
- trauma to the ribs or spine;
- Hypothermia;
- excessive physical activity;
- bone necrosis.
The intensity of the pain syndrome depends on the severity of the pathology and the duration of treatment. The pain can be excruciating, sometimes so painful that you can't stand it.
It is important to see a neurologist promptly, who will provide qualified help and, most importantly, promptly, otherwise intercostal neuralgia will cause severe discomfort to the patient. person:
- pain becomes shooting, cutting;
- pain that increases with hand movement, coughing, or inhaling;
- numbness of the affected area of the body occurs;
- irregular heartbeat.
Diseases or injuries of the shoulder blades
Fractures and fractures of the shoulder blades, arthritis of the hip accompanied by pain, limited range of motion, damage to blood vessels and compression of nerve endings.
Injury to the tibia is more common in athletes, patients with osteoporosis, and osteosarcoma.
Types of pain below the left collarbone
Before embarking on diagnosis and treatment, it is important to understand the nature, location, and intensity of pain sensations, and their relationship to movement, breathing, and food intake. If the pain under the left shoulder blade after eating can be ruled out cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. It is the cause of pain due to diseases of the gallbladder, pancreas, and stomach.
According to the nature of the pain syndrome is shingles, acute, burning, growing, aching, dull, sharp.
Pain in left shoulder blade
It is constant and cyclic, indicating both pathology of internal organs and pathology of the spine. If left untreated, it can turn into a stab wound. Attacks are more likely to occur with arm elevation, exercise, or being in one position for long periods of time.
It occurs in scoliosis, chronic cholecystitis, squamous cellulitis, herniated disc, early stage of tarsal osteosarcoma, bruises and other minor trauma, sciatic nerve painside.
Acute pain below the left collarbone
This is a syndrome of severe pain in the lower back below the fibula, which limits movement and makes breathing difficult. Typical for myocardial infarction, shoulder bursitis, exacerbation of osteonecrosis, spondylolisthesis, hernia, subrenal abscess, pleurisy, acute cholecystitis, neuralgiaside.
Sharp pain in the left shoulder blade area
It can happen suddenly or be the result of long-lasting aches and pains. Shooting, sharp pain is a sign of osteosarcoma, hernia, trauma, intercostal neuralgia, lymphadenopathy, aortic aneurysm, perforated peptic ulcer, tooth pulpitis.
Stitch pain behind left shoulder blade.
Its manifestation is low back pain, this is a typical manifestation of the compression of nerve endings in musculoskeletal system diseases. If accompanied by chest compression and lack of air, it is impossible to exclude myocardial infarction, lung abscess.
Pain on the left side of the back below the shoulder blades
It is inherent in most pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, as well as bronchopulmonary diseases.
Constant pain on left side below shoulder blade
Such pain does not go away even in the supine position. It interferes with sleeping, breathing, walking. Usually, the pain is increased with exertion, coughing, and sneezing.
Persistent or persistent pain occurs with spinal or fibula trauma, rib syndrome, bronchopulmonary disease, pyelonephritis, oncology. Shingles with gastrointestinal disturbances is inherent in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Burning pain on the left side of the shoulder blade
It is simply unbearable, occurs with intercostal neuralgia, myocardial infarction, angina, muscle tension.
Important! With a burning sensation spreading to the sternum, accompanied by difficulty breathing, you need to call an ambulance immediately. This is a sign of a heart attack.
How to relieve pain under left scapula
As a result, pain below the left shoulder blade, especially if they are severe enough, impeding movement and free breathing, requires qualified assistance, as they threaten human health and life. . You can not ignore them, self-medicate. Taking pain relievers, antispasmodics, and other pain relievers may relieve pain, but will not correct the cause, which a doctor should investigate.
Important! An ambulance will be required for severe pain with increasing intensity and rapidly deteriorating health.
Who to contact for pain on the left side below the fibula
At the first painful sensations in the area of the scapula, it is necessary to consult a specialist and make a diagnosis. Since back pain is often neurological in nature, you should make an appointment with a neurologist.
The doctor will conduct a visual examination, consider the patient's complaints, draw a clinical picture: the nature and conditions of onset of the pain syndrome (in the supine position, during movement), its intensity and accompanying symptoms.
To understand exactly why the back is sick, the attending physician will appoint an additional examination:
- laboratory - a clinical analysis of blood and urine, which will show the inflammatory process;
- equipment, necessarily including MRI, since this diagnostic method provides the most accurate information about the state of the spine, muscle tissue, nerve endings and blood vessels.
If during instrumental diagnostics a pathology is detected that is not within the competence of the neurologist, the doctor will refer the patient to a therapist, pulmonologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist, traumatologist or other specialist.
Treatment of pain on the left side of the shoulder blade
All treatments aim to eliminate the root cause and relieve pain. Your doctor chooses medications based on why it hurts in the scaly area.
If diseases of the musculoskeletal system or their complications are the cause, then drug therapy should look like this:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- muscle relaxants;
- analgesic;
- local anesthetics.
Medical therapy must be supplemented with physical therapy, massage, and therapeutic exercises.
If conservative treatment does not bring the desired therapeutic effect, surgery is indicated for the patient.
What matters is which side of the pain in the shoulder blade: right or left
Heart diseases, especially serious ones such as myocardial infarction, manifest precisely by the symptoms on the left. The situation is similar with injury and rupture of the spleen. These pathologies can lead to the death of the patient, so determining the location of the pain is extremely important.
Remember, self-medication can only aggravate a health condition, contribute to the development of complications. With persistent discomfort in the left shoulder blade, professional help is required.