The pain on the left side below the shoulder blade makes the suspicious person immediately think of a heart attack. Of course, don't forget this life-threatening situation, but more often, back and left side pain occurs due to less dangerous reasons. It is necessary to understand why the left shoulder blade hurts from behind from behind, in order to know which doctor to seek for help and under what circumstances to call an ambulance.
1. Intercostal neuralgia
This disease is accompanied by inflammation of the nerve process.
reason
Cause nerve stimulation:
- Low temperature;
- Herpes infection;
- Injury to the ribs or spine;
- Thoracic osteochondrosis invades the nerve root;
- Diseases with deformities of the chest (spondylopathies);
- Benign tumors of the pleura;
- Allergic reactions;
- Osteochondrosis.
The sudden neuralgia under the left scapula makes people fearful and suspects it is the worst.
symptom
For intercostal neuralgia, the pain can be very painful, and the intensity depends on the severity of the pathology. The pain may be severe and almost unbearable, or the disease may appear as mild pain and discomfort.
Typical symptoms that indicate inflammation or irritation of nerve processes are:
- The connection with exercise and breathing. When you move your left hand, cough, inhale vigorously, or laugh, the pain under the shoulder blade starts to get more painful.
- The influence of heat. After rewarming, the pain is relieved or disappears completely.
- palpation. It is more painful when pressed.
If the cause is herpes infection, the patient will develop a characteristic rash along the nerves.
In addition to pain, a person may experience:
- Tachycardia;
- Skin numbness;
- Increased sweating.
It is not always certain whether the pain under the left scapula is caused by intercostal neuralgia or heart disease. If the pain syndrome appears for the first time and you are not sure that it is caused by the stimulation of the nerve process, you should seek medical help immediately.
treat
The treatment of intercostal neuralgia depends on the cause of the disease.
The patient is prescribed:
- Antiviral drugs and ointments (for herpes);
- painkiller;
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- An ointment with a warming effect.
If the disease is accompanied by severe pain under the left scapula and taking analgesics cannot be stopped, the patient will be given nocaine blockers to relieve the condition.
In the subacute phase, in order to improve tissue nutrition and reduce the duration of the recovery period, the following methods are used:
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- massage;
- acupuncture.
The purpose of treatment is not only to relieve back pain under the left scapula, but also to treat induced diseases (osteochondrosis, herpes). If this is not done, the pathology will become chronic and worsened by hypothermia or physical exertion.
Who to contact
If there is pain in the left scapula area and there is no suspicion of heart disease, then you need to see a neurologist.
2. Bronchopulmonary system diseases
Due to diseases of the lower respiratory tract (bronchi, lung, pleura), it may damage the left scapula from behind.
reason
The main causes of pathological pain in the respiratory system are diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses:
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy.
In addition, there may be left back pain due to tumors in the bronchi or lungs.
symptom
A person has constant pulling or soreness under the left shoulder blade. The pain will increase when you cough and breathe deeply. In addition to the pain in the left back, the patient may have the following main complaints:
- Fever, sometimes reaching high numbers;
- Dry cough or discharge of viscous sputum (may be bloodshot or mucus mixed with pus);
- Weakness and indifference;
- Difficulty breathing.
If the back pain on the left under the shoulder blade causes a tumor, then there will be no hyperthermia, and cough and breathing problems will become additional symptoms.
treat
If the inflammatory process causes back pain and signs of inflammation, the patient is prescribed:
- Antibiotics or antiviral drugs;
- Drugs used to liquefy and stimulate sputum discharge;
- Antipyretic
- Analgesics (if it starts to hurt badly).
For tumors, treatment depends on the nature and size of the tumor. The patient was removed for tumor formation or conservative treatment.
Who heals
The inflammatory process in the bronchi or lungs will be treated by a pulmonologist. If it is a tumor, you need to see an oncologist or surgeon.
3. Plant vascular crisis
The patient complained of traction pain and fear under the left scapula, but during the preliminary examination, no pain or discomfort was found.
reason
Crises can pass on their own, and due to the lack of signs of organic pathology, these people are considered hysterical and unrestrained. But in reality, the crisis resulted in:
- hormone imbalance;
- Neuropathology
- pressure;
- Psychological tension is excessive;
- Endocrine diseases;
- Long-term use of antidepressants or psychotropic drugs.
A vegetative crisis is usually the first sign of a neurological disease. After a strong experience or impact, signs of worsening health and pain and discomfort under the left scapula began to appear. In most cases, children and women under 30 years of age suffer from this disease.
symptom
For vegetative vascular crisis, not only will there be pain on the left side below the scapula, in addition, the patient may experience:
- A feeling of suffocation;
- Palpitations;
- Shaking hands and feet;
- Unprovoked anxiety;
- Feeling hot or cold;
- Sweating;
- Headache;
- Loss of consciousness.
The patient’s inability to pinpoint the location of pain is its characteristic. Not only will there be pain under the shoulder blades, but also under the ribs, there is often radiation on the left shoulder, arm or abdomen.
The duration of the crisis ranges from a few minutes to an hour and a half. In severe cases, a person will have seizures.
Another danger is the fear of being attacked. A person is afraid of unpleasant feelings and tries to observe various rituals to avoid pain under the shoulder blades and other unpleasant symptoms. If not treated, the condition will become phobia.
treat
Seizures will be an indication for immediate hospitalization, while milder vegetative vascular crises will be treated at home. As a therapy, they are used to:
- Sedatives for severe fear;
- Herbs that help calm;
- Antidepressants to reduce the increase in tension and anxiety.
If the crisis is caused by a nervous system or endocrine disease, choose additional treatments to eliminate the disease that has already appeared.
When the onset of the episode is related to stress factors, additional training will be given to the patient to correctly cope with the stressful situation, and it is recommended to avoid overwork.
Which doctor to contact
When there is a panic attack, you need to contact a vegetarian, but not all cities have these experts. If you cannot get advice from a vegetarian, then you should see a neurologist or therapist. In addition, you may need to consult an endocrinologist.
4. Myocardial infarction
A life-threatening disease caused by acute myocardial ischemia and necrosis. In this case, the pain under the scapula and behind the breastbone can be intense.
Predisposing factors
The cause of the pain under the scapula on the left side of the back is that the coronary blood flow completely stops flowing to a certain part of the heart muscle, which is caused by blood vessel blockage. The following pathologies can cause a heart attack:
- Atherosclerosis;
- Thrombosis.
The resulting blood clot or plaque falls off and blood flows to the heart. Once they enter the smaller diameter coronary arteries, they close the vessel lumen and prevent blood flow to the tissues. Hypoxia can cause the death of cardiomyocytes.
symptom
The pain is severe and pulsating, located on the left side of the sternum. Irradiation:
- On the left hand
- Below the scapula;
- In the lower jaw.
For atypical heart attacks, radiotherapy can be performed:
- In the epigastric area;
- At the rear right
- In the lower abdomen.
During a heart attack, taking analgesics will not relieve the pain behind the scapula, and the pain will be slightly reduced after taking nitroglycerin.
treat
The purpose of treatment is to eliminate obstacles in the blood flow path, reduce the focus of myocardial necrosis, and eliminate pain. To do this, please apply:
- Medicaments that dissolve blood;
- Drugs with blood thinning effect;
- Narcotic analgesics;
- Drugs that improve the tone of blood vessels.
The choice of other drugs should take into account the violations that have occurred-these drugs can be drugs to lower cholesterol levels, antihypertensive drugs for high blood pressure, etc.
In the first few hours, in order to reduce the focal point of necrosis, surgical angioplasty can be performed. Surgical intervention allows you to quickly restore damaged blood flow and reduce scars after infarction.
Which doctor treats
In the case of a heart attack, the cardiology department requires urgent hospitalization, and the resuscitator and cardiologist will choose an effective treatment method. If you suspect a heart attack, you should call an ambulance immediately.
5 other causes of injuries to the back below the shoulder blades
Think about why it hurts from the back under the left shoulder blade:
- Angina. Short-term spasm of coronary blood vessels caused by stress or physical exertion. There was severe pain under the left scapula and behind the breastbone, and the pain disappeared after taking nitroglycerin.
- Thoracic osteochondrosis or hernia. If the nerve root is compressed, there will be diffuse pain in the left back under the scapula, which intensifies with exercise.
- Peptic ulcer disease. The pain is not only behind the shoulder blades, but also in the upper abdomen. It will start to hurt after eating or when hungry for a long time. In addition, there are heartburn, unpleasant belching, and nausea. Pain and discomfort are slightly relieved after vomiting.
- Diseases of the pancreas or spleen. Due to these pathologies, the left scapula and ribs are painful. Acute pancreatitis will not only cause back pain, but also belt pain that covers the left and right side pains.
- Injuried. A back injury on the left side of the scapula area can cause irritation of nerve processes, and a few weeks after the injury, with increased physical exertion or hypothermia, the pain syndrome will reappear.
If the back from below the left shoulder blade is painful from behind, then you should not ignore the situation, even if the pain is mild. Life-threatening diseases may cause painful discomfort.
What to do if there is pain in the left back under the shoulder blade
When there is a pain syndrome under the left scapula, you don't need to panic, but you should not ignore what has already happened. Before deciding which doctor to see, you should try to find the exact pain in the left back under the scapula. To do this, you need to identify other characteristics of pain:
- localization. If it is painful in the back below the left shoulder blade, and the pain and discomfort increase after eating or long fasting, the possibility of heart disease is small.
- strength. Moderate pain syndrome often accompanies chronic disease, while severe pain heralds a serious pathological process.
- Features. Acute pain requires immediate medical attention. If there is pulling or soreness, you need to go to the clinic.
- The connection with exercise and breathing. When coughing, bending forward, or trying to move the left hand, it is more painful, which indicates that there is a disease in the spine or intercostal neuralgia.
Back pain under the left shoulder blade is caused by many reasons, and they are not always safe for life and health. New onset pain syndromes on the left side below the scapula require special attention-this can be a sign of neuralgia, angina, or even a heart attack. If you have any questions about the origin of the pain syndrome, then you need to call an ambulance. Seeing a doctor early can help maintain health and sometimes save lives.