What to do if your back hurts from under your left shoulder blade

Pain under the left shoulder blade in the back is a serious disorder, in which the ability to move will inevitably be impaired, the person experiences severe discomfort. In certain pathologies, even at rest, the patient feels discomfort.

But it is worth noting that pain under the left shoulder blade does not always indicate the presence of complex pathology. Sometimes it can occur due to a long stay in the same unnatural position.

Disorder overview

If you look at the human back, you will notice that the left shoulder blade is attached to the ribs that make up the chest. Nerves and blood vessels are located in the grooves between them. The ribs are connected by ligaments and muscles.

The spine, which contains the spinal cord, is located in the middle of the back, with the shoulder blades on both sides. The nerves extend from the spinal column. Well-developed back muscles surround the shoulder blade.

The purpose of the bone is to provide protection to the lungs, spleen, stomach and heart, the part of the aorta that is located in the chest.

Why there is discomfort in the subscapularis

Pain in the left shoulder blade is often caused by the following factors:

• Stomach ulcer. With this disorder, back pain often escalates. It often occurs after the next meal, but decreases if the patient vomits. To find out if the pain is really the result of an ulcer, it is necessary to monitor the presence of heartburn, belching. Unpleasant feelings, pain may begin in the subscapularis region on the left side or radiate to the sternum. At the same time, the sick person loses the ability not only to move freely, but also to breathe deeply. Breathing is complicated by the discomfort a person experiences when trying to relax. Due to such difficulties, other functional disorders can begin, disorders in the work of the nervous system. If the pain under the left shoulder blade is sharp, it appears unexpectedly, it is worth calling the medical team for help;

• Acute pancreatitis is a disorder in the body that can cause severe pain under the shoulder blade on the left side. Unpleasant sensations always have a certain character, in this disease the pain appears as sudden, surrounding;
• Vegetative crises. The symptoms appear vivid and complicate the patient’s life. In addition to the unpleasant pain in the left shoulder blade behind, there may be a feeling of tightness in the chest, the patient notices a fever in the same place, while it is not possible to accurately identify the problem area. Due to breathing problems, the sick person often feels fear, anxiety, choking gradually occurs, a feeling of the presence of a lump in the throat. Discomfort can also be felt in other parts of the body;
• Sometimes it hurts under the left shoulder blade from the back due to myocardial infarction. This condition is considered life-threatening in most cases. The sooner it is recognized, the more effective the treatment will be. The sick person feels a burning sensation in the problem area, cannot breathe deeply. The pain in the left shoulder blade is quite strong, there is no reaction to the drug nitroglycerin, this condition can last for about 10 minutes. The disease is characterized by numbness of the hand during each attack;

• Angina pectoris. A pathological condition in which the left side under the shoulder blade often hurts. The sensations are extremely uncomfortable and sharp, as if squeezing the chest. The cause of the uncomfortable condition is a change in the size of the lumen of the blood vessels. Seizures can be caused by significant physical exertion, alcoholism, hypothermia of the body. To alleviate the attack, you can use nitroglycerin;
• Pathological conditions of the respiratory organs. If it often hurts under the left shoulder blade, the cause may be dry pleurisy or pneumonia. Discomfort will be noticed with every attempt to cough, sneeze, and even take a deep breath. The direction of the pain is always rushing to the area of the affected lung. The character can change depending on the condition of the person - the feelings of pain are insignificant, and, so to speak, cutting and even piercing;
• Aortic aneurysm - characterized by increased load on the heart valve. The heart then ceases to fully perform its functions. As a result, venous blood begins to stagnate in the lungs and edema develops. Where an aneurysm attaches to a vein, the wall becomes thinner - it can rupture at any time and cause bleeding into the abdominal cavity;
• When there is pain under the left shoulder blade in the back, the cause may be a two-stage rupture of the spleen. Such a case is one of the rarest. The damage causes abdominal bleeding that cannot be stopped. The disease requires urgent surgery, especially if the pain under the shoulder blade on the left side is of strong intensity.

Pathologies of this type must be identified as soon as possible. The sooner treatment is prescribed, the more effective the fight against the disease.

Without proper help from health professionals in time, the patient will only achieve disease progression, and the outcome can be fatal.

Diseases of the supporting apparatus that cause discomfort

Pain under the left shoulder blade from the back can be caused by problems with the spine and other skeletal regions. Treatment will be determined after diagnosis. Discomfort sometimes occurs for the following reasons:

• Cervical osteochondrosis. In the early stages of the disease, feelings of discomfort are suppressed, the patient is not always able to clearly explain exactly where he is worried. In this case, the most vivid feelings are in the area of damaged nerve roots. Painful attacks can start suddenly, recede and lose in intensity if the patient spends some time in a warm bath. Vessels and nerves can then be tightened in the area of the cervical spine, which is quite painful. The course of the disease is supplemented by pain radiating to the arm. Cervical osteochondrosis mainly develops in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. The pain in the scapula on the left side may be a sting or aching;
• Intercostal nerves may be involved. This condition is called the main cause of back pain left below the shoulder blade. They can be aggravated by coughing, deep breathing, and even bending the torso to the left. They are very strong, sharp, often shooting. As the disease progresses, pain in the left shoulder blade area may become burning;
• Scapular-costal syndrome is characterized by a feeling of pain or withdrawal. The localization of discomfort is usually below the shoulders, above and below the shoulder blades. The main feature of the pathology is that when you move your shoulders and arms, you hear a squeak. The cause of the disease is severe physical stress or hand injury, and sometimes severe hypothermia;
• The skeleton can be affected by a malignant tumor, which causes discomfort. In such cases, the tumor or resulting metastases are localized on the scapula;
• Blade crunch. Such a disease belongs to the category of rare occurrences. The pain under the left shoulder blade is not severe in this case, but there is a marked squeaking when moving in the upper back area;
• Sometimes the left shoulder blade hurts due to osteomyelitis after a certain injury. For example, gun injury may be the cause;
• Periarthritis of the shoulder blade. With a simple form of development, the sensations are not particularly bright - usually the manifestations of the disease occur as a result of movement. Pathology that is in the acute stage of development can be manifested by an increase in symptoms, which tend to worsen at night. In the shoulder for this period mobility is limited, basal temperature rises, muscle cramps are noticed.

Pain under the left shoulder blade from the back can indicate severe pathological conditions, and special suspicion occurs in cases when their character is burning, stinging.

Even as a result of pregnancy, this condition can occur due to increased stress.

Attacks, when the shoulder blade hurts behind, can be caused by injuries such as fractures or cracks. The discomfort in this case is expressed as aching pain under the left shoulder blade, any unpleasant movement can intensify it.

Significant stresses of an emotional, psychological nature, which the body cannot cope with, can cause sensations. If a sick person treats symptoms with contempt, the severity of the condition may worsen.

Before treating the pathology, it is necessary to determine the reason why the painful condition occurred. For a correct diagnosis, it is important to clarify the nature of the pain syndrome.

The options are as follows:

1. Pain in the waist, in which the localization of discomfort is only in one place. One feels this constantly, the pain may intensify on inhalation. The patient's condition is aggravated by sudden movements and cough. The reason is the passage of a nerve impulse between the ribs;
2. Burning sensation under the left shoulder blade on the back, tingling, numbness of certain areas;
3. Pain caused by increased tone of the muscles of the shoulders and back can take on an increasingly strong character;
4. Acute pain - can lead to the fact that the patient can not breathe, movement is difficult, it becomes impossible to lie on his left side;
5. The cutting pain may be localized to the left, then transition to the center;
6. Painful, dull pain under the left shoulder blade in the back from the back usually occurs when raising the arms;
7. Sharp, severe pain under the left shoulder blade;
8. Feelings of withdrawal extending from the scapula to the lumbar region;
9. The pain can be constant, which does not allow you to lie down, move, breathe.

Since the types of sensations in different diseases can differ, it is unlikely that we will be able to determine the exact cause ourselves.

In case of severe pain, it is necessary to consult a doctor for an examination.

Diagnostic methods

When the back hurts on the left side below the shoulder blade, pain occurs, you must begin treatment with a complete examination of the body. The following procedures are used for diagnosis:

• X-ray of the spine in different projections. The scan can help identify lung problems at the same time;
• MRI, CT;
• ECG study - if there are appropriate symptoms;
• Ultrasound examination of organs;
• Blood test - general, biochemical;
• Assessment of blood pressure, pulse.

When the patient is examined and the cause of the pathology is determined, the choice of therapeutic measures is made. Additional consultation with narrow experts may be required.

How to treat a disease

Once it has been determined exactly why it hurts under the left shoulder blade from the back, and the patient cannot take a deep breath, it is time to start the treatment. Ways to remove the discomfort are determined depending on the factors that caused the development of pathology. Simply eliminating the symptoms is not enough - they will reappear soon.

Each disease is characterized by specific symptoms, depending on which treatment regimen is chosen. Each includes recommendations for choosing a diet and adhering to a daily regimen, if the pain is dull, treatment is carried out with the help of medication.

The use of conservative therapy may not bring positive dynamics - in this case, the patient needs surgery. With the help of surgery it is possible to treat a sufficiently large hernia, correct the situation with a ruptured spleen and cure a stomach ulcer.

You should go to the hospital immediately if the patient notices severe pain and tingling under the left shoulder blade, constant discomfort, which increases with deep breathing. To begin with, you need to contact a therapist - he will decide which specialist to refer the patient to, depending on the existing symptoms.

You cannot fully protect yourself from all existing diseases, but you can try to follow some preventative measures. Pay more attention to the choice of diet, do warm-up exercises every day.

If you find out why your back hurts under your shoulder blade, it's time to start treatment. Not all pathologies can be completely overcome, but in this case it is possible to act on them in order to slow down the course of the disease.