Pain under the blade of the left shoulder is a common occurrence that can occur after a sudden movement or due to an uncomfortable body position. They usually pass quickly and do not bother you anymore.
Persistent discomfort under the scapula can be a symptom of a serious illness that requires immediate treatment. Especially do not underestimate this symptom if the pain radiates from the left to the sternum, or the left arm is numb.
From the fact that a person turned to a specialist for help in time, by its nature and location, an accurate diagnosis can be made, the direction of examinations can be chosen, and the necessary treatment can be chosen to eliminate not only oneselfthe disease, but also the causes of its occurrence.
Causes of pain under the blade of the left shoulder
What does it mean? There are a number of reasons for pain under the left scapula in adults, they can be associated with problems of the scapula itself, as well as diseases of internal organs. Let's examine the most likely causes of this condition below.
Some diseases of the musculoskeletal system may be accompanied by a painful symptom in the area of the left shoulder blade. Most often it manifests itself as this:
- Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine or cervix.
- Intercostal neuralgia.
- Traumatic scapular injury (suprascapular nerve compression injury).
- Rib fracture.
- Sprengel disease (scapula alata) - pterygoid scapula.
- Myofascial syndrome.
Cardiac diseases. This does not mean that it hurts only in the blade area of the left shoulder. The pain then goes to the left hand, then goes to the clavicle, then goes down to the lower abdomen. Depending on the disease, patients experience a feeling of shortness of breath, a feeling of cardiac arrest or a sore throat. The chest at this time seems tight or caught by a feeling of heat. These are such diseases:
- Ischemic heart disease.
- Myocardial infarction.
- Pericarditis.
- Angina pectoris (unstable, stable).
- Mitral valve prolapse.
- Rarely, aortic aneurysm.
Persistent pain under the blade of the left shoulder may indicate disease of the broncho-pulmonary system. At the same time, painful sensations are always directed towards the affected lung, they have a moderate intensity and character of pain, localized below the blade of the left shoulder at a point of pain. This could be:
- Left-sided pneumonia.
- Pleurisy (dry, left).
- Tracheobronchitis with autonomic dysfunction.
- Acute bronchitis.
- Left lung abscess.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract:
- YABZH (Ulcus gastrica) - gastric ulcer.
- Duodenal ulcer - duodenal ulcer.
- Esophageal spasm.
- GERD is a disease of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Rarely - exacerbation of pancreatitis.
Typical causes of pain under the left shoulder in prevalence are as follows:
- Osteochondrosis of the cervix, which most often manifests itself as unilateral pain at the end of the occipital bone - the occipital bone. The pain is painful in nature, intensified by active head movements and constantly radiating under the scapula, to the arm.
- Another disease, the typical symptom of which is pain under the left shoulder, is intercostal neuralgia. It is a common consequence of osteochondrosis and is manifested by lumbar and intense pain of a genital nature, radiating to the right or left, including under the scapula.
- YABZH (gastric ulcer). The symptom is most often due to seasonality, depends on the nutritional factor and is characterized by paroxysmal, radiating pain.
Based on such a brief anatomical overview, all the causes of pain under the left shoulder can be divided into two major groups:
- Pain associated with pathology of internal organs (cardiovascular pathology, respiratory diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and spleen).
- Pain associated with pathology of the musculoskeletal system and muscular pain, including neurogenic nature.
To find out why it hurts under the blade of the left shoulder, you should undergo a comprehensive examination, which, based on specific complaints and examination data, will be prescribed by the attending physician. Ultimately, pain in various diseases will vary in nature, intensity, and provocative factors.
Angina pectoris
Another heart disease can appear as acute pain under the blade of the left shoulder - this is angina pectoris. With it, the pain occurs mainly in the retrosternal region, then, as if "pouring" on the left side. By the nature of the manifestation, they are sharp and tight, disappear at rest and after taking nitroglycerin. To a lesser extent, validoli helps patients.
In most cases, the disease is caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Angina attacks occur most often during physical and emotional stress, after hypothermia or sudden overheating of the body, alcohol intake, as well as spicy and heavy foods.
Osteochondrosis
The most common cause of pain under the left shoulder behind the spine is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, which is characterized by compression of the spinal nerve roots.
This disease is characterized by an attractive, dull, often unilateral pain just below the occupant region. It can also be permanent and is manifested by the lumbago, which always radiates under the shoulder on the affected side. A sharp increase in symptom occurs with head movements, after a night's sleep.
It is often the result of prolonged stress on the neck. Also, patients notice numbness in the hands, migraine, dizziness.
Pneumonia and pleurisy
With pneumonia (pneumonia) of the left side (pneumonia), moderate pain, accompanied by coughing up saliva and wheezing in the lungs, will also bother the scapula area. At the same time, temperature "candles" are often observed.
Pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura) can be dry or purulent. Both types of this pathology are associated with severe pain during breathing, while the person protects the affected side: breathing becomes shallower.
With purulent pleurisy, a puncture is required, followed by analysis of discharge and drainage of the pleural cavity.
Stomach ulcer
Gastric or peptic ulcer: It is a common disease that causes increased pain under the blade of the left shoulder blade. The sensations gradually spread throughout the chest, appearing nauseous and vomiting. Severe back pain is noticed after eating junk food: very salty, spicy and oily. It was also noted:
- skin pallor.
- frightened nervous state.
- cold sweats.
- blood clots in vomit (the main sign indicating the urgent need to call a doctor at home).
A person cannot move normally when painful sensations appear. The aching pain increases with each perfect movement. A sharp pain can be a signal that a deterioration has occurred and you should call an ambulance.
Intercostal neuralgia
This pathology often occurs in patients with complaints of pain under the blade of the left shoulder. In this case, the pain extends into a space between the ribs, is accompanied by a feeling of numbness or tingling sensation along the affected area, increases when tilted to the diseased side, i. e. to the left. In some cases, skin rashes or rashes may appear along the inflamed intercostal nerve.
Trauma
Most often, pain caused by traumatic shoulder blade injuries occurs with a direct impact on the shoulder blades or when falling on the back. The pain syndrome is intense, especially during the first hours after the injury.
In the future it appears or intensifies with movement, edema and swelling develop. Trauma pain can also be caused by a fracture of the scapula or ribs. Therefore, it is necessary to perform an X-ray.
Myocardial infarction
The heart attack is characterized by a sharp sharp pain under the left shoulder, which can also appear all over the left side of the body (in the left hand, on the left side of the neck).
The cause of an acute angina attack in a heart attack may be the most common emotional stress, so people with heart problems are advised not to be nervous.
The pain in a heart attack can be of a different nature - cutting, squeezing or crushing. But there are also non-standard cases when the pain can appear in the most sudden place and in the most non-standard way, for example, in the peritoneal region.
Pericarditis
The disease is associated with inflammation of the serous membrane of the heart. With this disease, tachycardia often develops, ie the cause of pain in the left side of the back. The pain is sharp but decreases when the person is calm or when leaning forward.
This disease is dangerous as adhesions can form and the organs shrink along with the contraction of the heart. Also, calcium salts can be deposited in the pericardium of the heart, which leads to a thickening of the heart mucosa.
Psychosomatic diseases
Often, pain under the blade of the left shoulder is observed with psychological stress and diseases of a psychosomatic nature. The reasons lie in the stress and emotional turmoil, which the body can not cope on its own and signals problems with the help of psychosomatic pain.
In addition to painful sensations in the back of the scapula, with psychosomatics, the following accompanying symptoms may appear:
- heat;
- discomfort in the chest area;
- sore throat;
- lack of air.
Diagnosing
To understand how to treat pain under the left shoulder blade in the back from the back, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination to determine the exact cause of this symptom.
First of all, these are:
- Collection of anamnesis. It is quite short, as pain under the left shoulder in the back is not considered a life-threatening pathology.
- Familiarize the doctor with a detailed description of the nature of the pain.
- Examination of the patient's back.
- Instrumental examination is performed only in case of suspicion of acute infection, oncology, trauma and with severe neurological symptoms.
First of all, the doctor performs a thorough diagnosis to exclude myocardial infarction, spinal oncology, neurological disorders that require urgent treatment. And only after that he decides how to treat this patient.
Which doctor should I go to?
Depending on how the pain sensations arise, what their characteristics are and what they are related to, you should choose a specialist to whom you will go for a consultation:
- Gastroenterologist - for pain associated with meals, the presence of indigestion.
- Therapist or pulmonologist - for pain, aggravated by breathing, accompanied by shortness of breath, cough, fever.
- Neurologist - for pain associated with movement, stress.
- Traumatologist - when it shows an injury that precedes the onset of pain.
- Cardiologist - with a burning sensation behind the sternum with radiation under the scapula, on the tongue, left arm.
- Psychologist and psychiatrist - for pain, the causes of which were not found based on the results of a detailed examination, especially if there are other signs of psychosomatic disorders and neuroses.
Diseases and pain are much easier and safer to prevent than to cure. Even if there are no health problems and discomfort, you should visit a doctor regularly and undergo a medical examination. If the pain still appears, you can not self-medicate, you should immediately contact a specialist in this area. By eliminating pain with pain relievers and without receiving complex treatment, you contribute to the development of severe diseases of the heart, gastrointestinal tract or spine.