Back pain under the left shoulder blade is a very common condition, 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 your back pain is prolonged and severe and does not go away over time, this is a serious reason to see your doctor.
Untimely assistance for this disease can lead to irreversible consequences and complications.
Chest anatomy:
Spinal column - consists of vertebrae and spinal cord.It performs extremely important functions - support, shock absorption and protection of the spinal cord.
The scapula, left and right, belongs to the bones of the upper girdle of the limbs.This is a flat, triangle-shaped bone.
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 waist of the upper limbs.
The clavicle is the bone that provides the joint between the scapula and the sternum.
The heart is an organ that is essentially a muscular bag that ensures the normal circulatory functioning of the body.
The lungs are paired organs located in the chest, 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 in 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 the musculoskeletal system, most often about which the patient was not even aware.
It has been observed that in some pathologies this discomfort can persist even when the person is at 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 severe heart, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases.
The main causes of back and shoulder pain 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 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.
Severe and unbearable pain in the back and shoulder blades may 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, barely noticeable pains, and over time, sharp, sharp pains under the left shoulder blade or in the area close to it, as well as in the back.
- Thoracic osteochondrosis is a process that differs from cervical osteochondrosis only in the location of the lesion.With this osteochondrosis, it will not be the cervical roots of the spinal nerves that will be affected, but the thoracic ones.The pain may be accompanied by periodic dizziness, numbness in the upper extremities, back pain becomes more intense in the morning.
- Damage to the intercostal nerves is the most common cause of pain.Patients notice a burning, everlasting pain on the side of the left shoulder blade or to the left of the spine.If you do not provide adequate assistance to the patient, the pain will become sharp and sharp.
- Malignant neoplasms or metastases from tumors located in the scapula itself.It causes intense pain.
- Scapular rib syndrome is characterized by intense, dull pain in the back, often radiating down the arm.
- Osteomyelitis.
- Scapular crisis – in this pathology, back pain is not very pronounced, only during movement of the shoulder joint is crepitus (crunching) heard.
- Injuries and constant stress on 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 the size of the fetus.
- Tuberculosis of the bones.
- Osteophyte and hernia.Depending on the location of the outbreak and the stage of the disease, due to the constant compression of blood vessels and therefore the interruption of nerve nutrition, 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 diseases
The left scapula and interscapular region can bother patients due to heart disorders.The table below shows the causes of pain and its nature.
| Angiosis | Severe disturbance 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, causing the patient to begin to panic due to fear of death. |
| Aortic aneurysm | Dissection of the thoracic aortic walls | Chest pain returns - to the left shoulder blade region, behind 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 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 | The most pronounced pain syndrome may not be observed.Patients complain of tingling and burning in the region of the left shoulder blade or on the back on the left. |
Pathologies of the bronchi, pleura or lungs
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 their head raised or simply lying on their healthy side.
In pneumonia, pain in the scapular region and back is not the most important clinical sign.These patients have a low fever - from 37 to 38 ° C, shortness of breath, first dry and then with sputum discharge, cough.
In particularly advanced cases, blood and pus may be present in the lung secretion.
Bronchitis is especially accompanied by a frequent and strong cough.Pain in the region of the left shoulder blade or back may arise precisely because of this.
Pleurisy - most often due to this pathology, pain syndrome develops in the left shoulder blade and back in the interscapular region.
The pain in the back and shoulder blades is initially dull and silent, 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 advised to urgently consult a cardiologist to rule out myocardial infarction.
Tuberculosis of the thoracic and bronchial lymph nodes
This pathology can be accompanied by subsequent pain, especially in the terminal stages.
Acute or chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Often, pain in the region 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 may be accompanied by pain in the left shoulder blade.
Perforated stomach ulcer
A perforated ulcer in the stomach, or more precisely, in its upper parts, in addition to “dagger” abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, can be accompanied by sharp, aching pain in the region of the left shoulder blade.
Acute pancreatitis
Constant 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 because of the unusual 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 a 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 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.It is necessary to use analgesics to alleviate the pain.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula - pain increases as the disease progresses.
- Bullet wounds to the scapula.The 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 left shoulder blade area, 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.
- Radiography in different projections depending on the location of the pathological process.In addition, in case of lung disease, a chest x-ray is necessary to exclude pleurisy, tuberculosis and pneumonia.
- Magnetic resonance imaging - its layer-by-layer imaging will allow for a more in-depth study of the ongoing pathological process.The outcome of the treatment will largely depend on your results.
- To exclude heart attacks, patients receive an ECG, echocardiogram, ultrasound of the heart, as well as a blood test to check 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 with pain in the area of the left shoulder blade and back.
- General and biochemical blood test, pulse measurement, pressure.
Basic rules of therapy
If pain in the left shoulder blade makes breathing difficult, this is a serious reason to consult a therapist.
Self-administration of medication 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 crisis will be stopped.
When self-medicating, there are often cases of recurrent pain syndrome, which disrupts the patient's quality of life.
Medicines must be taken exclusively under the supervision of a specialist;in addition, patients receive a regimen and diet appropriate to the diagnosis.