Pain under the left shoulder blade in the back is a fairly common pathology, especially in the older age group.
Although cases of the disease are not rare even at a young age - sports injuries, incorrect posture, hereditary factors can also cause the condition in question.
If the back pain is long-lasting and severe and does not go away with time, this is a serious reason to contact your doctor.
Untimely help with 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, cushioning and protection of the spinal cord.
The scapula, both on the left and on the right, belongs to the bones of the upper girdle of the limbs.It is a flat bone that is shaped like a triangle.
Both on the outer and 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 of the belt on the upper limbs.
The clavicle is the bone that provides the articulation between the scapula and the sternum.
The heart is an organ that is essentially a muscular bag that provides 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 to the back of the spine and 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 is clear that the causes of pain from the back of the scapula or behind the back can be hidden in diseases of the internal organs or the musculoskeletal system, most often of which the patient does not even suspect.
It is noted that in some pathologies such discomfort can continue even when a person is resting.However, this symptom does not always indicate the presence of complex back pathology.
Among the many pathological conditions accompanied by such a symptom are serious heart, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases.
The main causes of pain from the back and shoulder blades behind can be divided into 5 main pathologies most common 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 bone 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, the strongly compressed nerve roots cause initially dull and barely noticeable, and after time sharp and shooting pains under the left shoulder blade or in 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.In 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 limbs, 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, unrelenting pain on the side of the left shoulder blade or on the left side of the spine.If you do not provide proper assistance to the patient, the pain will become shooting and sharp.
- Malignant neoplasms or metastases of tumors located on the scapula itself.It causes severe pain.
- Scapular rib syndrome is characterized by aching and nagging pain in the back, often radiating to the arm.
- Osteomyelitis.
- Scapular crunch - in this pathology, the pain in the back is not very pronounced, only during movement of the shoulder joint, crepitation (crunching) is heard.
- Injuries and constant stress on both the back and the spine.
- Pregnancy, especially in the later stages - various types of pain are explained by constant stress on the back due to an increase in the size of the fetus.
- Tuberculosis of the bones.
- Osteophyte and hernia.Depending on the location of the focus and the stage of the disease, due to constant pressure on the blood vessels and therefore disruption of the nutrition of the nerves, they can also cause severe pain in the back of a different nature - burning, sharp, pain.
- 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, piercing, paroxysmal back pain.
Acquired and hereditary heart diseases
The left scapula and the interscapular area can bother patients due to heart disease.The table below shows the causes of pain and its nature.
| Angiosis | Severe circulatory disorder in the heart | Sharp pain in 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 due to fear of death. |
| Aortic aneurysm | Dissection of the walls of the thoracic aorta | Chest pain moves backwards - in the area of the left shoulder blade, back or between the shoulder blades and gradually descends to the lower back. |
| Endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis | Inflammation with bacterial, viral or parasitic etiology | A pain syndrome that increases with the disease. |
| a 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 the 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 numbness and burning in the area of the left scapula or on the back on the left. |
Pathologies of the bronchi, pleura or the lungs themselves
Often, pain in the left shoulder is caused by pathological processes occurring in the lungs.These diseases are mostly of viral or bacterial etiology.
Some of them are described below:
Pneumonia - patients report pain when coughing, sneezing, and in an advanced process even when inhaling.Patients often occupy a forced position - supine, with the head elevated or simply lying on the healthy side.
In pneumonia, pain in the scapula and back is not the most important clinical sign.Such patients get a subfebrile temperature - from 37 - 38 ° C, shortness of breath, initially dry, and then with the release of sputum, cough.
In particularly advanced cases, there may be blood and pus in the discharge from the lungs.
Bronchitis is especially accompanied by a frequent barking cough.Pain in the area of the left scapula or in the back can occur precisely because of this.
Pleurisy - most often due to this pathology, a pain syndrome develops in the left shoulder blade and back in the interscapular area.
The pain in the back and scapula is initially dull and dull, but 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 recommended to consult a cardiologist to rule out myocardial infarction.
Tuberculosis of the thoracic and bronchial lymph nodes
This pathology can be accompanied by pain in the back, especially in the terminal stages.
Acute or chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Often, pain in the area of the left scapula, back or interscapular space is an important clinical symptom of diseases of the digestive system.It is important to know what pathologies can be accompanied by pain in the left shoulder.
Perforated gastric ulcer
The perforated ulcer of the stomach, or more precisely of its upper parts, in addition to piercing "dagger" abdominal pain, high fever, vomiting, may be accompanied by sharp, painful pain in the area of the left shoulder blade.
Acute pancreatitis
Constant throbbing 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.
Injury or rupture of the spleen
Injuries to the spleen are often imperceptible due to the uncharacteristic signs that appear when the organ is damaged.Symptoms can be hidden, without severe pain.
When the parenchyma of the spleen is ruptured, a hematoma is formed in the subcapsular space, which is accompanied by a 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.
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 affecting the shoulder joint will be accompanied by pain under the left scapula, which intensifies when the arm is moved.
Acute pain can cause:
- Sudden movements.
- Injuries – fractures, dislocations of the scapula.The nature of the pain can be either sharp or dull.To relieve pain, it is necessary to use painkillers.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula - pain increases as the disease progresses.
- Gunshot wounds to shoulder blade.Pain may persist for a long time even after the integrity of the scapula is 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 scapula, it is extremely necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner in order to make a diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the following research methods are necessary:
- Computed tomography.
- X-ray in different projections depending on the localization of the pathological process.Also, in the case of lung disease, a chest x-ray is needed to rule out pleurisy, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.
- MRI - its layered image will allow you to more thoroughly study the ongoing pathological process.The outcome of the treatment will largely depend on his results.
- To rule out heart attacks, patients are prescribed an ECG, an echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart, as well as a blood test to check the presence of heart attack markers in the blood.
- Ultrasound of the internal organs will help to confirm or exclude diseases of the parenchymal organs, which can manifest with pain in the area of the left scapula and back.
- General and biochemical blood test, measurement of pulse, pressure.
Basic rules of therapy
If the pain in the area of the left shoulder blade noticeably makes breathing difficult, this is a serious reason to consult a therapist.
Self-medication can only worsen the condition.
It is important to diagnose the cause and establish the origin of the pain.With a correct diagnosis and adequate treatment, the pain attack will be stopped.
With self-treatment, 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 regimen and diet tailored to the diagnosis.