Pain under the left shoulder blade from the back is a fairly common pathology, especially in the older age group.
Although cases of the disease are not uncommon at a young age, sports injuries, poor posture and hereditary factors can also cause the condition in question.
If the back pain is prolonged and intense and does not go away over time, this is a serious reason to contact your doctor.
Untimely care for this disease can lead to irreversible consequences and complications.
Chest anatomy:
Vertebral column: consists of the vertebrae and spinal cord.It performs extremely important functions: support, shock absorption and protection of the spinal cord.
The scapula, both left and right, belongs to the bones of the upper girdle of the limbs.This is a flat bone that is shaped like a triangle.
Both on the external and internal surfaces, the scapula has a large number of depressions and pits - these are the attachment points of ligaments and muscles.
It itself consists of a spongy substance, particularly resistant, which is explained by the constant loads on the girdle of the upper limbs.
The clavicle is the bone that provides the joint between the shoulder blade and the sternum.
The heart is an organ that is essentially a muscular bag that ensures normal circulatory function in the body.
The lungs are paired organs located in the chest and responsible for breathing and gas exchange.
The esophagus and stomach are the digestive organs.
The ribs are flat bones attached posteriorly to the spine and anteriorly 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 in the back of the shoulder blade or in the back of the back can be hidden in diseases of the internal organs or musculoskeletal system, which most often the patient was not even aware of.
It has been noted that in some pathologies this discomfort can persist even during rest.However, this symptom does not always indicate the presence of a complex back pathology.
Among the many pathological conditions accompanied by such a symptom are serious cardiac, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases.
The main causes of pain in the back and shoulder blades behind can be divided into 5 main pathologies most common among patients:
- Pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.
- Acquired and hereditary heart disease.
- Pathology of the bronchi, pleura or 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.
Aching, intense, unbearable pain in the back of the back and shoulder blades can occur for the following reasons:
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a process of destruction of bone tissue.With it, heavily compressed nerve roots cause, at first, dull, barely perceptible pains, and over time, sharp, stabbing pains under the left shoulder blade or the area next to it, as well as in the back.
- Thoracic osteochondrosis is a process that differs from cervical osteochondrosis only in the localization of the lesion.With this osteochondrosis, not the cervical roots of the spinal nerves will 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 permanent, burning pain on the side of the left shoulder blade or the left side of the spine.If you do not provide the patient with proper care, the pain will become excruciating and sharp.
- Malignant tumors or metastases of tumors located on the scapula itself.It causes severe pain.
- Scapular rib syndrome is characterized by aching, nagging pain in the back, often radiating to the arm.
- Osteomyelitis.
- Scapular crunch – in this pathology the pain is not very pronounced in the back, only during the movement of the shoulder joint a crepitus (crunching) is heard.
- Injuries and constant stress on both the back and spine.
- Pregnancy, especially in the later stages: various types of pain are explained by the 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 epidemic and the stage of the disease, due to the constant compression of the blood vessels and thus disruption of the nutrition of the nerves, they can also cause severe back pain of different nature: burning, sharp, aching.
- Arthritis of the shoulder joint involving the scapula is accompanied not only by severe back pain, which worsens at night, but also by limited mobility of the joint and myospasm.
- Psychosomatic factors.Stress and constant emotional tension can also cause sharp, stabbing, paroxysmal back pain.
Acquired and hereditary heart disease
The left scapula and interscapular region may bother patients due to cardiac disorders.The table below shows the causes of pain and its nature.
| Angious | Severe disruption of blood circulation in the heart | Sharp pain in the back of the back radiating to the left shoulder blade, 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 out of fear of death. |
| Aortic aneurysm | Dissection of the walls of the thoracic aorta | Chest pain moves back - to the left shoulder blade area, across the back or between the shoulder blades and gradually goes down to the lower back. |
| Endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis | Inflammation of bacterial, viral or parasitic etiology | Pain syndrome that increases with the disease. |
| Heart attack | Cardiac muscle necrosis | This pathology can radiate not only to the left shoulder blade 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 | More pronounced pain syndrome may not be observed.Patients complain of tingling and burning in the left shoulder blade area or on the left back. |
Pathologies of the bronchi, pleura or lungs themselves
Often, pain in the left scapula 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 during inhalation.Patients often take a forced position: lying down, with their head raised or simply lying on the healthy side.
In pneumonia, pain in the scapular region and back is not the most important clinical sign.Such patients manifest mild fever - from 37 to 38 ° C, shortness of breath, initially dry and then with sputum discharge, cough.
In particularly advanced cases, blood and pus may be present in the pulmonary secretions.
Bronchitis is especially accompanied by a frequent barking cough.Precisely because of this, pain may arise in the area of the left shoulder blade or in the back.
Pleurisy - very often due to this pathology, pain syndrome develops in the left scapula and interscapular area.
The pain in the back and shoulder blade is initially dull and subdued, but then becomes more intense as the process progresses.
With this disease, early diagnosis is important: an x-ray of the chest circumference.
In the absence of pathologies of the lungs, pleura and bronchi, the patient is urgently advised to consult a cardiologist to exclude a 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 blade, back or interscapular space is an important clinical symptom for diseases of the digestive system.It is important to know which pathologies can be accompanied by pain in the left scapula.
Perforated stomach ulcer
A perforated ulcer of the stomach, or more precisely its upper parts, in addition to stabbing "dagger" abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, may be accompanied by sharp, aching pain in the left shoulder blade area.
Acute pancreatitis
Constant pain in the epigastric region and disorders of the digestive system - vomiting, diarrhea, accompanied by pain in the left scapula of the back in the lumbar region.
Lesion or rupture of the spleen
Spleen injuries are often invisible because of the unusual signs that appear when the organ is damaged.Symptoms may be hidden, without intense pain.
When the splenic parenchyma ruptures, a hematoma forms in the subcapsular space, accompanied by a dull pain that increases as the hematoma grows under the left scapula and behind the back, on the left side of the ribs.
Attention!The conditions described above require immediate diagnosis and, in some cases, surgery.
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 movement of the arm.
Acute pain can cause:
- Sudden movements.
- Injuries – fractures, dislocations of the scapula.The nature of the pain can be sharp or dull.You need to use painkillers to relieve the pain.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula: Pain increases as the disease progresses.
- Gunshot wounds of the scapula.Pain may persist long after the integrity of the scapula has been restored.
- Bursitis is an inflammation of the surface of the shoulder joint.
Diagnosis of diseases accompanied by pain in the left scapula
If you complain of pain in the left shoulder blade area, it is extremely necessary to promptly consult a doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.
To make an accurate diagnosis, the following research methods are needed:
- 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 necessary to rule out pleurisy, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.
- MRI - its layer-by-layer image will allow you to more thoroughly study the ongoing pathological process.The outcome of the treatment will largely depend on its results.
- To rule out heart attacks, patients are prescribed an ECG, an echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart, and a blood test to check for heart attack markers in the blood.
- Ultrasound of the internal organs will help confirm or exclude diseases of the parenchymal organs, which may present pain in the area of \u200b\u200bthe left shoulder blade and back.
- General and biochemical blood analysis, pulse measurement, pressure.
Fundamental rules of therapy
If pain in the left shoulder blade 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 establish the origin of the pain.With correct diagnosis and proper treatment, the painful attack will be stopped.
During self-medication, cases of repeated pain syndrome often occur, which compromises the patient's quality of life.
Medicines should be taken exclusively under the supervision of a specialist;in addition, patients are prescribed a regimen and diet appropriate to the diagnosis.