Pain under the left shoulder from the back is a fairly common pathology, especially in the older age group.
Although cases of the disease are not rare at a young age - sports injuries, incorrect posture, hereditary factors can also cause the condition in question.
If back pain is prolonged and intense and does not go away over time, this is a serious reason to contact your doctor.
Premature help for this disease can lead to irreversible consequences and complications.
Anatomy of the chest:
Spinal column - consists of vertebrae and spinal cord.It carries extremely important functions - support, shock absorption and protection of the spinal cord.
The scapula, left and right, belongs to the bones of the upper limb.This is a flat bone that is shaped like a triangle.
Both on the outer and on the inner surface, the scapula has a large number of depressions and pits - these are the places of attachment of ligaments and muscles.
It itself consists of a spongy substance, which is particularly durable, which is explained by the constant loads on the belt of the upper limbs.
The clavicle is the bone that provides articulation between the shoulder blade and the sternum.
The heart is an organ that is basically a muscular bag that ensures the normal function of blood circulation in the body.
The lungs are paired organs located in the chest that are responsible for breathing and gas exchange.
The esophagus and stomach are the digestive organs.
Ribs are flat bones that are attached at the back to the spine and at the front to the sternum.They have a protective function for the chest.
Causes of pain under the left shoulder blade from the back
From the above list, it becomes clear that the causes of pain from the back of the shoulder blade or the back of the back can be hidden in diseases of the internal organs or the musculoskeletal system, most often of which the patient was not even aware.
It has been observed that in some pathologies such discomfort can continue even when a person is resting.However, this symptom does not always indicate the presence of a complex back pathology.
Among the many pathological conditions associated with such a symptom are serious cardiac, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases.
The main causes of pain from the back and shoulders can be divided into the 5 main pathologies most common in patients:
- Disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
- Acquired and inherited heart diseases.
- Pathology of the bronchi, pleura or the lungs themselves.
- Acute or chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including the scapula.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Diseases of the skeletal system are often accompanied by severe pain.
Severe, unbearable aches and pains in the back and shoulder blades can occur for the following reasons:
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a process of destruction of bone tissue.With it, strongly compressed nerve roots cause, initially, dull and barely noticeable, and over time, sharp and strong pains under the left shoulder blade or the area near it, as well as in the back.
- Thoracic osteochondrosis is a process that differs from cervical osteochondrosis only in the location of the lesion.With this osteochondrosis, the cervical roots of the spinal nerves will not be affected, but the thoracic ones.The pain may be accompanied by periodic dizziness, numbness of the upper extremities, back pain in the back becomes more intense in the morning.
- Damage to the intercostal nerves is the most common cause of pain.Patients notice a burning, unrelenting pain on the side of the left shoulder blade or on the left side of the spine.If you do not give the patient the right help, the pain will become strong and sharp.
- Malignant neoplasms or metastases of tumors located in the scapula itself.It causes severe pain.
- Scapular rib syndrome is characterized by nagging aches and pains in the back, often radiating to the arm.
- Osteomyelitis.
- Shoulder crack - with this pathology, the pain is not very pronounced in the back, only during the movement of the shoulder joint, crepitation (creaking) is heard.
- Injuries and constant stress on both back and spine.
- Pregnancy, especially in the later stages - pains of various types are explained by constant stress on the back due to the increase in the size of the fetus.
- Bone tuberculosis.
- Osteophytes and hernias.Depending on the location of the eruption and the stage of the disease, due to the constant compression of the blood vessels, and consequently the interruption of nerve nutrition, they can also cause severe pain in the back of a different nature - burning, sharp, aching.
- Arthritis of the shoulder joint involving the scapula is accompanied not only by severe back pain, worse at night, but also by limited joint mobility and myospasm.
- Psychosomatic factors.Constant emotional stress and tension can also cause sharp, stabbing, paroxysmal back pain.
Acquired and inherited heart diseases
The left scapula and the interscapular region may disturb patients due to cardiac disorders.The table below shows the causes of pain and its nature.
| Angiosis | Severe interruption of blood flow to the heart | Severe pain in the back of the back radiating to the left shoulder, interscapular area, lower jaw, left arm.Often these symptoms are accompanied by shortness of breath, as a result of which the patient begins to panic for fear of death. |
| Aortic aneurysm | Dissection of the walls of the thoracic aorta | Chest pain moves back - in the area of the left shoulder blade, back or between the shoulders and gradually descends to the lower back. |
| Endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis | Inflammation of bacterial, viral or parasitic etiology | Pain syndrome that increases with the disease. |
| Heart attack | Heart muscle necrosis | This pathology can radiate not only to the left shoulder and back, but also to the left arm, neck and abdomen.The intensity of the pain is extremely high. |
| Angina pectoris | Pain and discomfort in the chest area | The most pronounced pain syndrome may not be noticed.Patients complain of tingling and burning in the area of the left shoulder or on the back on the left. |
Pathologies of the bronchi, pleura or lungs themselves
Often, pain in the left shoulder is caused by pathological processes occurring in the lungs.These diseases are mainly of viral or bacterial etiology.
Some of them are described below:
Pneumonia - patients report pain when coughing, sneezing and when the process is advanced, even when inhaling.Patients often take a forced position - lying down, with the end of the head raised or simply lying on the healthy side.
With pneumonia, pain in the back and back is not the most important clinical sign.Such patients experience low-grade fever - from 37 - 38 ° C, shortness of breath, dryness at first, and then with sputum flow, cough.
In particularly advanced cases, blood and pus may be present in the discharge from the lungs.
Bronchitis is especially accompanied by a frequent barking cough.Pain in the area of the left shoulder blade or in the back can arise precisely because of it.
Pleurisy - most often due to this pathology, the pain syndrome develops in the left shoulder blade and in the back in the interscapular area.
The pain in the back and shoulder blade is dull and silent at first, but then as the process progresses it becomes more intense.
With this disease, early diagnosis is important - an x-ray of the chest circumference.
In the absence of pathologies in the lungs, pleura and bronchi, the patient is urgently advised to consult a cardiologist to rule out myocardial infarction.
Tuberculosis of the thoracic and bronchial lymph nodes
This pathology can be accompanied by back pain, especially in the terminal stages.
Acute or chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Often, pain in the area of the left shoulder, back or interscapular space is an important clinical symptom for diseases of the digestive system.It is important to know which pathologies can be associated with pain in the left shoulder blade.
Perforated stomach ulcer
Perforated ulcer of the stomach, or rather, its upper parts, in addition to "dagger" abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, can be accompanied by sharp and painful pain in the left shoulder area.
Acute pancreatitis
Constant belt pain in the epigastric region and disorders of the digestive system - vomiting, diarrhea, accompanied by pain in the left shoulder of the back in the lumbar region.
Injury or rupture of the spleen
Spleen injuries are often invisible due to non-characteristic signs that appear when the organ is damaged.Symptoms may be hidden, without severe pain.
When the spleen parenchyma is ruptured, a hematoma forms in the subcapsular space, which is accompanied by dull pain that increases with the growth of the hematoma under the left shoulder blade and behind the back, on the left side of the ribs.
Watch out!The conditions described above require immediate diagnosis, and in some cases, surgical intervention.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including the scapula
In this case, any pathological process involving the shoulder joint will be accompanied by pain under the left shoulder blade, which intensifies with arm movement.
Severe pain can cause:
- Sudden movements.
- Injuries – fractures, dislocations of the scapula.The nature of the pain can be either acute or dull.It is necessary to use sedatives to relieve the pain.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula - the pain increases with the progression of the disease.
- Gunshot wound of the shoulder.Pain may persist for a long time even after the integrity of the scapula has been restored.
- Bursitis is an inflammation of the surface of the shoulder joint.
Diagnosis of diseases associated with pain in the left shoulder blade
If you complain of pain in the area of the left shoulder blade, it is extremely necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner to make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
To make an accurate diagnosis, the following research methods are required:
- Computed tomography.
- X-ray in different projections depending on the location of the pathological process.Also, in case of lung disease, a chest x-ray is required to exclude pleurisy, tuberculosis and pneumonia.
- MRI - its image layer by layer will allow you to more fully study the ongoing pathological process.The outcome of the treatment will largely depend on its results.
- To exclude heart attacks, patients are prescribed an EKG, echocardiogram, ultrasound of the heart, as well as a blood test to check the presence of heart attack markers in the blood.
- Ultrasound of internal organs will help to confirm or exclude diseases of parenchymal organs, which can present pain in the area of the left shoulder blade and back.
- General and biochemical analysis of blood, measurement of pulse, pressure.
Basic rules of therapy
If the pain in the left shoulder area makes breathing noticeably difficult, this is a serious reason to consult a therapist.
Self-administration of drugs can only worsen the condition.
It is important to diagnose the cause and determine the origin of the pain.In case of correct diagnosis and adequate treatment, the pain attack will stop.
When self-medicating, there are often cases of recurrent pain syndrome, which disrupts the patient's quality of life.
Medicines should be taken exclusively under the supervision of a specialist;in addition, patients are prescribed a regime and diet suitable for the diagnosis.