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, incorrect posture, hereditary factors can also cause the condition in question.
If the pain in the back is prolonged and intense, and does not go away over time, this is a serious reason to contact your doctor.
Untimely assistance for this disease can lead to irreversible consequences and complications.
Anatomy of the chest:
Spinal column - consists of vertebrae and the spinal cord.It carries 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 outer and inner surfaces, 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 essentially a muscular bag that ensures normal circulatory function 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 on the back of the back may 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 noted that in some pathologies such discomfort can persist even while a person is resting.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 from the back and shoulder blades behind can be divided into 5 main most common pathologies among patients:
- Disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
- Acquired and hereditary 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.
Aching and severe, unbearable pain in the back of the back and shoulder blades can occur due to the following reasons:
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a process of destruction of bone tissue.With it, strongly compressed nerve roots cause, at first, dull and barely noticeable, and over time, sharp and shooting 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, it is not the cervical roots of the spinal nerves that 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 note a burning, undying pain on the side of the left shoulder blade or to the left of the spine.If you do not provide the patient with proper assistance, the pain will become shooting and sharp.
- Malignant neoplasms or metastases of tumors located on the scapula itself.Causes severe pain.
- Scapular-rib syndrome is characterized by aching and nagging pain in the back, often radiating to the arm.
- Osteomyelitis.
- Scapular crunch – with this pathology, the pain is not very pronounced at the back, only during movement of the shoulder joint is crepitation (crunching) heard.
- Injuries and constant stress on both the back and spine.
- Pregnancy, especially in the later stages - pain of various types is explained by constant stress on the back due to the increase in size of the fetus.
- Tuberculosis of bones.
- Osteophyte and hernia.Depending on the location of the outbreak and the stage of the disease, due to constant compression of blood vessels, and therefore disruption 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 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 diseases
The left scapula and interscapular region may bother patients due to cardiac disorders.The table below shows the causes of pain and its nature.
| Angiosis | Severe disruption of blood circulation in the heart | Sharp pain in the back of the back radiating to the left scapula, 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 due to fear of death. |
| Aortic aneurysm | Dissection of the walls of the thoracic aorta | Chest pain moves back - to the area of the left shoulder blade, back or between the shoulder blades and gradually descends to the lower back. |
| Endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis | Inflammation of bacterial, viral or parasitic etiology | Pain syndrome that increases with illness. |
| Heart attack | Necrosis of the heart muscle | 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 pain is extremely high. |
| Angina pectoris | Pain and discomfort in the chest area | The most pronounced pain syndrome may not be observed.Patients complain of tingling and burning in the area of the left shoulder blade or on the back on the left. |
Pathologies of the bronchi, pleura or lungs themselves
Often, pain in the left shoulder blade 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 head end raised, or simply lying on the healthy side.
With pneumonia, pain in the scapular region and back is not the most important clinical sign.Such patients experience low-grade fever - from 37 - 38 ° C, shortness of breath, dry at first, and then with sputum discharge, 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, pain syndrome develops in the left shoulder blade and back in the interscapular area.
The pain in the back and shoulder blade is at first dull and muted, 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 may be accompanied by posterior 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 what pathologies may be accompanied by pain in the left shoulder blade.
Perforated stomach ulcer
A perforated ulcer of the stomach, or more precisely, its upper sections, in addition to stabbing “dagger” abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, can be accompanied by sharp, aching pain in the area of the left shoulder blade.
Acute pancreatitis
Constant girdling pain in the epigastric region and disorders of the digestive system - vomiting, diarrhea, accompanied by pain in the left shoulder blade of the back in the lumbar region.
Splenic injury or rupture
Injuries to the spleen are often invisible due to the uncharacteristic signs that appear when the organ is damaged.Symptoms may be hidden, without severe pain.
When the splenic parenchyma ruptures, a hematoma forms in the subcapsular space, which is accompanied by dull pain that increases as the hematoma grows under the left shoulder blade and behind the back, on the left side of the ribs.
Attention!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.
Sharp 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 painkillers to relieve pain.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula - pain increases as the disease progresses.
- Gunshot wounds of the scapula.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 accompanied by 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 correct 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 layer-by-layer image will allow you to more thoroughly study the ongoing pathological process.The outcome of treatment will largely depend on its results.
- To exclude heart attacks, patients are prescribed an ECG, echocardiogram, ultrasound of the heart, as well as a blood test to check for the presence of heart attack markers in the blood.
- Ultrasound of internal organs will help confirm or exclude diseases of parenchymal organs, which may present pain in the area of the left shoulder blade and back.
- General and biochemical blood test, measurement of pulse, pressure.
Basic rules of therapy
If pain in the area of the left shoulder blade makes it noticeably difficult to breathe, this is a serious reason to consult a therapist.
Self-administration of medications can only worsen the condition.
It is important to diagnose the cause and establish the origin of the pain.In case of correct diagnosis and adequate treatment, the pain attack will be stopped.
When self-medicating, there are often cases of repeated 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 regimen and diet appropriate to the diagnosis.