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

Pain under the left shoulder from the back to the back is a serious discomfort in which mobility is inevitably impaired, the person experiences severe discomfort. In some pathologies, even at rest, the patient experiences discomfort.

But it is worth noting that pain under the left scapula does not always indicate the presence of a complex pathology. Sometimes it can happen if you stay in the same unnatural situation for a long time.

Overview of the disorder

If you look at the person’s back, you will notice that the left shoulder blade is connected to the ribs that make up the ribs. The nerves and blood vessels are located in the grooves between them. The ribs are connected by ribbons and muscles.

The spine containing the spinal cord is located in the middle of the back, on both sides of the shoulder blades. The nerves extend from the spine. The scapula is surrounded by well-developed back muscles.

The purpose of the bone is to protect the lungs, spleen, stomach and heart, the part of the aorta in the chest.

Why is there an uncomfortable feeling in the scapular

Left scapular pain is often caused by:

• Peptic ulcer. In this disorder, back pain often worsens. It often appears after the next meal, but decreases when the patient vomits. In order to determine whether the pain is really caused by an ulcer, the occurrence of heartburn and belching should be monitored. Discomfort and pain may begin in the left scapular region or radiate to the sternum. At the same time, the sick person loses the ability to not only move freely but to breathe deeply. Inhalation is complicated by the unpleasant feeling one is trying to relax. Due to such difficulties, other functional disorders, nervous system disorders may begin. If the pain under the left shoulder blade is sharp and unexpected, you should call a medical team;

• Acute pancreatitis is a disorder of the body that can cause severe pain under the shoulder blade on the left side. Unpleasant feelings are always of a certain nature, in this illness the pain seems sudden, all-encompassing;
• Vegetative crises. Symptoms are vivid and make the patient's life difficult. In addition to the annoying pain in the back of the left shoulder, a feeling of tightness in the chest may begin, and the patient may experience a fever while the problem area cannot be accurately identified. Due to breathing problems, the patient often feels fear and anxiety, and a feeling of suffocation and lumps in the throat gradually appears. The discomfort can be felt in other parts of the body;
• Sometimes it hurts under the left shoulder from behind due to a heart attack. This condition is considered life-threatening in most cases. The sooner they recognize it, the more effective the treatment will be. The patient feels a burning sensation in the problem area, unable to breathe deeply. The pain in the left shoulder blade is quite severe, there is no reaction to the medicine nitroglycerin, this condition can last for about 10 minutes. The disease is characterized by numbness of the hand during each seizure;

• Angina pectoris. It is an abnormal condition in which it often hurts on the left side under the shoulder blade. The feelings are extremely uncomfortable and sharp, compressing the chest. The cause of the discomfort is a change in the size of the lumen of the blood vessels. Attacks can be triggered by significant physical exertion, alcoholism, and body hypothermia. You can use nitroglycerin to relieve the attack;
• Abnormal conditions of the respiratory system. If you often have pain under the left shoulder blade, it may be due to dry pleurisy or pneumonia. The discomfort is noticeable in all attempts to cough, sneeze and even take a deep breath. The direction of the pain always rushes to the affected lung area. The character can vary depending on the person’s condition - the feelings of pain are insignificant, and it’s about 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 the aneurysm adheres to the vessel, the wall becomes thinner - it can break at any time and cause bleeding into the abdominal cavity;
• If there is pain in the back under the left shoulder blade, it may be due to a two-phase rupture of the spleen. Such a case falls into the category of the rarest. The damage causes the development of abdominal bleeding, which cannot be stopped. The disease requires immediate surgery, especially if the pain under the shoulder blade on the left side is severe.

Such pathologies should be identified as soon as possible. The sooner treatment is prescribed, the more effective the fight against the disease.

If you do not get proper help from health care workers in a timely manner, the patient will only achieve disease progression, the outcome could be fatal.

Diseases of the support device that cause discomfort

Pain from the back to the back of the left shoulder can be caused by problems with the spine and other regions of the skeleton. Treatment is determined after diagnosis. Discomfort sometimes occurs for the following reasons:

• Cervical osteochondrosis. In the early stages of the disease, discomfort is suppressed, and the patient may not always be able to clearly explain where they are worried. In this case, the most vivid feelings are in the area of the damaged nerve roots. Painful seizures can start suddenly, prolong, and lose intensity if the patient spends some time in a warm bath. In the region of the cervical spine, the blood vessels and nerves can be pinched, which is quite painful. The course of the disease is complemented by pain radiating to the arm. Cervical osteochondrosis develops mainly in people with sedentary lifestyles. Pain in the left shoulder blade may be stinging or aching;
• Intercostal nerves may be affected. This condition on the left side is called the main cause of back pain under the shoulder blade. Coughing, deep breathing, and even bending the torso to the left can make them worse. They are very strong, sharp, they often shoot. As the disease progresses, the pain in the left scapular area may become burning;
• Scapula-costalis syndrome is characterized by pain or a pulling sensation. The localization of discomfort is usually located 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 crack. The cause of the disease is severe physical stress or injury to the arm, and sometimes severe hypothermia;
• The skeleton can be affected by a malignancy that causes discomfort. In such cases, tumors or the resulting metastases are localized on the scapulae;
• Crispy shoulder blades. Such a disease falls into the category of rare occurrences. The pain under the left shoulder blade is not severe in this case, but there is a definite cracking when moving in the upper back;
• Sometimes the left scapula hurts due to osteomyelitis after a particular injury. For example, a gun injury could be the cause;
• Periarthritis of the shoulder blade. In a simple form of development, the feelings are not very bright - usually the manifestations of the disease are due to movements. Pathology in the acute stage of development may manifest as exacerbation of symptoms, which usually worsen at night. Mobility in the shoulder during this period is limited, basal temperature rises and muscle cramps are observed.

Pain under the left shoulder blade from behind can indicate severe pathological conditions, with particular suspicion in cases where the character is burning, stinging.

This condition can occur even during pregnancy due to increased stress.

Attacks when the left shoulder blade hurts can be triggered by injuries such as fractures or cracks. The discomfort in this case is expressed as aching pain under the left shoulder, which can be amplified by any awkward movement.

Significant stresses of an emotional, psychological nature that the body has been unable to cope with can trigger feelings. If the patient treats the symptoms contemptuously, the severity of the condition may worsen.

The cause of the painful condition should be determined before starting treatment for the pathology. It is important to clarify the nature of pain syndrome for a correct diagnosis.

The options are:

1. Belt pain in which the discomfort is localized in only one place. The person constantly feels that the pain may intensify when inhaled. The patient's condition is aggravated by sudden movement and coughing. This is due to the passage of a nerve impulse between the ribs;
2. Burning sensation under the left shoulder from behind to back, tingling, numbness in certain areas;
3. The pain caused by the increased tone of the muscles of the shoulders and back may take on an increasing character;
4. Acute pain - may lead to the fact that the patient is unable to inhale, movement is difficult, it becomes impossible to lie on the left side;
5. The cutting pain is localized to the left and then goes to the center;
6. Painful, dull pain under the left shoulder, from behind to behind, usually when the arms are raised;
7. Sharp, severe pain under the left shoulder blade;
8. Pulling sensations from the shoulder blade to the lumbar region;
9. The pain can be constant, preventing you from lying down, moving, breathing.

Because the types of feelings that occur in different illnesses may be different, it is unlikely that the cause alone can be pinpointed.

In case of severe pain syndrome, a doctor should be consulted.

Diagnostic methods

When the back hurts under the shoulder blade on the left side, painful sensations occur, treatment should be started with a full body examination. The following procedures are used for diagnostics:

• X-ray of the spine in different projections. At the same time, taking a snapshot can help identify lung problems;
• MRI, CT;
• ECG - for appropriate symptoms;
• Ultrasound examination of organs;
• Blood test - general, biochemistry;
• Blood pressure, heart rate measurement.

After examination of the patient and determination of the cause of the pathology, the choice of therapeutic measures is made. Further narrow expert advice may be required.

How to treat the disease

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

Each disease is characterized by separate symptoms, depending on which treatment regimen is chosen. Each contains recommendations for choosing a diet and following a daily regimen, if the pain is dull, treatment is done with medication.

Conservative therapy does not necessarily bring positive dynamics - in which case the patient needs surgery. With the help of surgery, it is possible to treat a sufficiently large hernia, correct the situation with a spleen rupture, and cure a stomach ulcer.

Go to the hospital immediately if the patient experiences severe pain and a burning sensation under the left shoulder blade, a constant discomfort that is exacerbated by deep breathing. First, you need to contact a therapist - depending on your pre-existing symptoms, he or she will decide which specialist to refer the patient to.

You cannot completely protect yourself from all the diseases that exist, but you can try to follow some preventative measures. Pay more attention to diet selection, do warm-up exercises daily.

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 they can be treated to slow the course of the disease.