What to do if the back hurts from the back under the left shoulder blade

Pain under the left shoulder blade in the back from the back is a serious nuisance, in which the ability to move will inevitably be impaired, the person experiences severe discomfort. With certain pathologies, even at rest, the patient experiences discomfort.

But it is worth noting that pain under the left shoulder blade does not always indicate the presence of a complex pathology. Sometimes it can appear due to a long stay in the same unnatural position.

Overview of the disorder

If you look at the human back, you will notice that the left shoulder blade is attached to the ribs that make up the ribcage. Nerves and blood vessels are located in the grooves between them. The ribs are connected using ligaments and muscles.

The spine, containing the spinal cord, is located in the center of the back, with the shoulder blades on either side of it. Nerves extend from the spinal column. Well-developed back muscles surround the shoulder blade.

The purpose of the bone is to provide protection to the lung, spleen, stomach and heart, the portion of the aorta located in the chest.

Why there is discomfort in the subscapularis

Pain in the left shoulder blade is often caused by the following factors:

• Gastric ulcer. In this disorder, back pain is often escalating. It often appears after the next meal, but decreases if the patient vomits. To find out whether the pain is really due to an ulcer, it is necessary to trace the presence of bouts of heartburn, belching. Unpleasant sensations, pains can begin in the subscapularis region on the left side or radiate to the sternum. At the same time, the sick person loses the ability not only to move freely, but also to breathe deeply. Breathing in is complicated by the discomfort that a person experiences when trying to relax. Due to such difficulties, other functional disorders, malfunctions of the nervous system may begin. If the pains under the left shoulder blade are sharp, appear unexpectedly, it is worth calling a medical team for help;

• Acute pancreatitis is a disorder of the body that can cause severe pain under the scapula on the left side. Uncomfortable sensations always have a certain character, with this ailment the pain appears as sudden, encircling;
• Vegetative crises. Symptoms appear vividly and complicate the patient's life. In addition to annoying pain in the left scapula behind, a feeling of chest tightness may begin, the patient notes a fever in the same place, while it is not possible to accurately identify the problem area. Due to breathing problems, the sick person often feels fear, anxiety, suffocation gradually appears, a feeling of the presence of a lump in the throat. Discomfort can also be felt in other parts of the body;
• Sometimes it hurts under the left shoulder blade from behind due to myocardial infarction. This condition in most cases is regarded as life-threatening. The sooner it is recognized, the more effective the treatment will be. The sick person feels a burning sensation in the problem area, he cannot breathe deeply. The pain in the scapula on the left is quite high in intensity, there is no reaction to the nitroglycerin drug, this condition can last about 10 minutes. The disease is characterized by numbness of the hand during each attack;

• Angina pectoris. A pathological condition in which it also often hurts on the left side under the scapula. Sensations are extremely unpleasant and sharp, which seem to compress the chest. The cause of the unpleasant condition is a change in the size of the lumens of the blood vessels. Attacks can be triggered by significant physical exertion, alcoholism, hypothermia of the body. In order to ease the attack, you can use nitroglycerin;
• Pathological conditions of the respiratory organs. If it often hurts under the left shoulder blade, the cause may be dry pleurisy or pneumonia. Discomfort will be noted with every attempt to cough, sneeze, and even take deep breaths. The direction of pain always rushes to the area of the affected lung. The character can change depending on the state of the person - pain sensations are insignificant, and, as it were, cutting and even piercing;
• Aortic aneurysm - characterized by an increased load on the heart valve. The heart then ceases to fully perform its functions. Because of this, venous blood begins to stagnate in the lungs, and edema develops. Where the aneurysm attaches to the vessel, the wall becomes thinner - it can break at any time and provoke bleeding into the abdominal cavity;
• When it hurts under the left scapula in the back, the cause may be a biphasic rupture of the spleen. Such a case belongs to the category of the most rare. The damage provokes the onset of abdominal bleeding, which cannot be stopped. The disease requires immediate surgery, especially if the pain under the scapula on the left side is of great intensity.

Pathologies of this kind must be recognized as soon as possible. The sooner treatment is prescribed, the more effective the fight against the disease.

Not receiving proper help from health workers in due time, the patient will achieve only the progression of the disease, the outcome can be fatal.

Diseases of the supporting apparatus, provoking discomfort

Pain under the left shoulder blade from the back from the back can be caused by problems with the spine and other skeletal regions. Treatment will be determined after diagnosis. Discomfort happens sometimes for the following reasons:

• Cervical osteochondrosis. In the early stages of the disease, the sensations of discomfort are muffled, the patient is not always able to clearly explain exactly where he is worried. In this case, the most vivid sensations are in the area of the damaged nerve roots. Painful attacks can begin suddenly, they are pulling and lose intensity if the patient spends some time in a warm bath. In the region of the cervical spine, vessels and nerves can then be pinched, this is quite painful. The course of the disease is supplemented with pain that radiates to the arm. Cervical osteochondrosis mainly develops in people with a sedentary lifestyle. Pain in the scapula on the left may be stabbing or aching;
• Intercostal nerves may be affected. This condition is called the main cause of back pain on the left under the scapula. They can be aggravated by coughing, deep breaths, and even bending of the trunk to the left. They are very strong, sharp, often - shooting. With the progression of the disease, pain in the area of the left scapula may become burning;
• The scapular-costal syndrome is characterized by aching or pulling sensations. Localization of discomfort is usually 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 crunch. 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 malignant tumor, which causes discomfort. On the scapula, in such cases, a tumor or the resulting metastases is localized;
• Crunching scapula. Such a disease belongs to the category of rare occurrences. The pains under the left shoulder blade in this case are not strong, but when moving in the area of the upper back there is a distinct crunch;
• Sometimes the left scapula hurts due to osteomyelitis after a specific injury. For example, a weapon injury may be the cause;
• Periarthritis of the shoulder scapula. With a simple form of development, the sensations are not particularly bright - usually the manifestations of the disease occur as a result of movements. A pathology that takes an acute stage of development can manifest itself as an increase in symptoms, which tend to worsen at night. In the shoulder for this period, mobility is limited, the basal temperature rises, muscle spasms are noted.

Pain under the left shoulder blade from the back may indicate severe pathological conditions, special suspicion arises in cases when their character is burning, stabbing.

Even as a result of pregnancy, this condition may appear due to increased stress.

Attacks, when the scapula on the left behind hurts, can be triggered by injuries, such as fractures or cracks. Discomfort in this case is expressed as aching pain under the left shoulder blade, any awkward movement can intensify it.

Significant stresses of an emotional, psychological nature, which the body could not cope with, are capable of provoking sensations. If the sick person treats the symptoms with disdain, the severity of the condition may worsen.

Before proceeding with the treatment of pathology, one should determine the reason why the painful condition has arisen. It is important for correct diagnosis to clarify the nature of the pain syndrome.

The options are as follows:

1. Girdle pain, in which the localization of discomfort in only one place. A person can feel it all the time, pains can intensify when inhaling. The patient's condition is aggravated by sudden movements and coughing. The reason is the passage of a nerve impulse between the ribs;
2. Burning sensation under the left scapula from behind from the back, tingling, numbness of certain areas;
3. Pain caused by an increased tone of the muscles of the shoulders and back can take on an increasing character;
4. Acute pain - can lead to the fact that the patient is not able to inhale, movement is difficult, it becomes impossible to lie on the left side;
5. The cutting pain can be localized to the left, then goes to the center;
6. Aching, dull pain under the left shoulder blade in the back from the back occurs, as a rule, when raising the arms;
7. Sharp, severe pain under the left shoulder blade;
8. Pulling sensations extending from the scapula to the lumbar region;
9. The pain can be constant, which does not allow you to lie down, move, breathe.

Since the types of sensations in different diseases may differ, it is unlikely that it will be possible to accurately determine the cause on our own.

In case of severe pain syndrome, it is necessary to consult a doctor for an examination.

Diagnostic methods

When the back hurts on the left under the scapula, aching sensations appear, you have to start treatment with a complete examination of the body. For diagnostics, the following procedures are used:

• X-ray of the spine in different projections. The snapshot can simultaneously help identify problems with the lungs;
• MRI, CT;
• ECG study - if there are appropriate symptoms;
• Ultrasound examination of organs;
• Blood test - general, biochemistry;
• Assessment of blood pressure, pulse.

When the patient is examined and the cause of the pathology is established, the selection of therapeutic measures is made. Additional consultation of narrow specialists may be required.

How is the disease treated

When it has already been precisely established why it hurts under the left shoulder blade from the back, and the patient cannot take a deep breath, it is time to start treatment. Ways to eliminate discomfort are determined depending on the factors that caused the development of pathology. Simply eliminating the symptoms is not enough - they will reappear soon.

Each disease is characterized by separate symptoms, depending on which a treatment regimen is selected. Each includes recommendations for the selection of a diet and adherence to the daily regimen, if the pain is dull, treatment is carried out with the help of medications.

The use of conservative therapy may not bring positive dynamics - in this case, the patient needs an operation. With the help of surgery, it is possible to treat a sufficiently large hernia, correct the situation with a ruptured spleen, and cure a stomach ulcer.

You should immediately go to the hospital if the patient notes severe pain and burning under the left shoulder blade, constant discomfort, which increases with deep breathing. To begin with, you should contact a therapist - he will decide which specialist to refer the patient to, depending on the existing symptoms.

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

If it becomes known why it hurts in the back on the left under the scapula, it's time to start treatment. Not all pathologies can be conquered completely, but in this case it is possible to act on them in order to slow down the course of the disease.