Pain on the left under the shoulder blade immediately makes a suspicious person think of a heart attack. Of course, do not forget about this life-threatening condition, but more often back and left pain occurs for less dangerous reasons. It is worth familiarizing yourself with why it hurts under the left shoulder blade from behind from the back, to know which doctor to seek help and in which cases to call an ambulance.
1. Intercostal neuralgia
The disease is accompanied by inflammation of the nervous processes.
causes
Causes nerve irritation:
- hypothermia;
- herpes infections;
- injury to the ribs or spine;
- violation of the nerve root with thoracic osteochondrosis;
- diseases accompanied by deformation of the chest (spondylosis);
- benign neoplasms of the pleura;
- allergic reactions;
- osteochondrosis.
Under the shoulder blade on the left side, the pain of neuralgia appears suddenly and frightens a person, making him suspect the worst.
Symptoms
With intercostal neuralgia, the pain will be aching, and the intensity will depend on the severity of the pathology. The pain can be severe, almost unbearable, or the disease manifests itself as a slight aching discomfort.
Typical symptoms indicating inflammation or irritation of the nerve processes are:
- Connection with movement and breathing. The pain under the shoulder blade starts to hurt more when you move your left hand, cough, inhale sharply, or laugh.
- The influence of heat. After warming up, the pain decreases or disappears altogether.
- Palpation. When pressed, it hurts more.
If the cause is a herpes infection, the patient develops characteristic rashes along the nerves.
In addition to pain, a person may experience:
- tachycardia;
- numbness of the skin;
- increased sweating.
It is not always possible to determine whether the pain under the left shoulder blade is caused by intercostal neuralgia or heart disease. If the pain syndrome has arisen for the first time and there is no certainty that it hurts due to irritation of the nerve processes, then you should immediately seek medical help.
Treatment
Therapy for intercostal neuralgia depends on the cause of the disease.
Patients are prescribed:
- antiviral drugs and ointments (for herpes);
- pain relievers;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- ointments with a warming effect.
If the disease is accompanied by severe pain under the left shoulder blade, which cannot be stopped by taking analgesics, patients are given novocaine blockade to relieve the condition.
In the subacute phase, to improve tissue trophism and reduce the duration of the recovery period, the following are used:
- physiotherapeutic procedures;
- massage;
- acupuncture.
Treatment is aimed not only at relieving back pain under the left shoulder blade, but also at treating a provocative disease (osteochondrosis, herpes). If this is not done, the pathology becomes chronic, exacerbated by hypothermia or physical exertion.
Who to contact
If it hurts in the area of the left shoulder blade and there is no suspicion of heart pathology, then it is necessary to visit a neurologist.
2. Diseases of the bronchopulmonary system
He can injure the left shoulder blade from behind due to a disease of the lower respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, pleura).
causes
The main cause of pain in pathologies of the respiratory system are diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses:
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy.
Also, left back pain can occur due to the appearance of neoplasms in the bronchi or lungs.
Symptoms
A person has constant or aching pain under the left shoulder blade. When you cough and take a deep breath, the pain intensifies. In addition to the painful sensations in the back on the left, patients may have the following ailments:
- fever, sometimes reaching high numbers;
- dry cough or with viscous sputum secretion (there may be streaks of blood or an admixture of pus in the mucous secretions);
- weakness and apathy;
- difficulty breathing.
If back pain left under the shoulder blade causes tumors, there will be no hyperthermia, cough and breathing problems will become additional symptoms.
Treatment
If the inflammatory process causes back pain and signs of inflammation, patients are prescribed:
- antibiotics or antivirals;
- medicines to liquefy and stimulate sputum discharge;
- antipyretic drugs;
- pain relievers (if it starts to hurt badly).
For cancers, treatment depends on the nature and size of the tumor. Patients are removed tumor formation or conservative therapy.
Who heals?
Inflammatory processes in the bronchi or lungs will be treated by a pulmonologist, and in case of neoplasms, it will be necessary to visit an oncologist or surgeon.
3. Vegetovascular crises
The patient complains of a pulling pain in the left side under the shoulder blade and a feeling of fear, but no diseases that cause pain and discomfort can be detected during the initial examination.
causes
Seizures can pass on their own, and due to the lack of signs of organic pathology, these people are considered hysterical and unrestrained. But crises actually cause:
- hormonal imbalance;
- neurological pathology;
- fatigue;
- psycho-emotional overload;
- endocrine diseases;
- long-term use of antidepressants or psychotropic drugs.
Vegetative crises are often the first sign of neurological disorders. Signs of deterioration in well-being and painful discomfort under the left shoulder blade begin to appear after strong experiences or shock. Most often, children and women under 30 suffer from the disease.
Symptoms
With a vegetative-vascular crisis, not only pain on the left under the shoulder blade occurs, in addition the patient can experience:
- a feeling of suffocation;
- heart-pounding;
- tremor in the arms and legs;
- causeless anxiety;
- feeling hot or cold;
- sweating;
- headache;
- loss of consciousness.
It is characteristic that patients cannot indicate exactly where it hurts. Not only does the pain appear under the shoulder blade, but also under the ribs, often there is irradiation to the shoulder, arm or abdomen on the left.
The duration of a seizure varies from a few minutes to an hour and a half. In severe cases, a person has seizures.
An additional danger is the fear of an attack. A person is afraid of unpleasant sensations, tries to observe all kinds of rituals to avoid pain under the shoulder blade and other unpleasant symptoms. Without treatment, the condition becomes a phobia.
Treatment
The presence of seizures will be an indication for immediate hospitalization, and milder forms of vegetative vascular crisis are treated at home. As a therapy, they are used:
- sedatives for severe fear;
- herbal remedies to help calm down;
- antidepressants to reduce increased nervousness and anxiety.
If the crises are caused by neurological or endocrine diseases, then additional therapy is selected to eliminate the ailments that have arisen.
When the onset of an attack is associated with a stressor, patients are also trained to respond correctly to stressful situations and it is recommended to avoid overwork.
Which doctor to contact
When panic attacks appear, it is necessary to contact a vegetarian, but not all cities have these specialists. If you cannot get advice from a vegetarian, you should visit a neurologist or therapist. Additionally, an endocrinologist may need to be consulted.
4. Myocardial infarction
A life-threatening condition caused by acute ischemia and necrosis of the heart muscle. In this case, the pain under the shoulder blade and behind the breastbone will be severe.
Provocative factors
The reasons for such pain under the shoulder blade on the left from the back are in the complete cessation of coronary blood flow in a certain part of the myocardium, which is caused by a blockage of the vessel. The following conditions can cause a heart attack:
- atherosclerosis;
- thrombosis.
The resulting blood clot or plaque breaks down and blood flow goes to the heart. Once in the small-diameter coronary arteries, they close the vascular lumen and stop the flow of blood to the tissues. Lack of oxygen leads to the death of myocardial cells.
Symptoms
The pain is sharp and throbbing, located to the left behind the breastbone. Radiates:
- in the left hand;
- under the shoulder blade;
- in the lower jaw.
With an atypical course of a heart attack, irradiation is possible:
- in the epigastric region;
- in the back right;
- in the lower abdomen.
With a heart attack, the pain behind the shoulder blade is not relieved by taking analgesics and is slightly reduced after taking nitroglycerin.
Treatment
Therapy is aimed at eliminating obstacles in the path of blood flow, reducing the focus of myocardial necrosis and eliminating pain. To do this, apply:
- blood-dissolving agents;
- medicines with blood thinning effect;
- narcotic analgesics;
- medicines to improve vascular tone.
Other drugs are selected taking into account the violations that have arisen: these can be drugs for lowering cholesterol levels, antihypertensive drugs with hypertension, etc.
In the first few hours, surgical angioplasty can be performed to reduce the focus of necrosis. Surgery allows you to quickly restore impaired blood flow and reduce the post-heart attack scar.
Which doctor treats
In the event of a heart attack, emergency hospitalization in the cardiology department is indicated, where resuscitators and cardiologists will select an effective therapy. If you suspect a heart attack, you should immediately call an ambulance.
5 more reasons why the back can hurt under the shoulder blade behind
Consider why it can hurt from the back under the shoulder blade on the left:
- Angina pectoris. Short-term spasm of the coronary vessels caused by stress or physical exertion. Sharp pains appear on the left behind the shoulder blade and behind the breastbone, which disappear after taking drugs with nitroglycerin.
- Osteochondrosis or hernia of the thoracic region. If the nerve root is pinched, there will be widespread pain in the back to the left under the shoulder blade, which will intensify with movement.
- Peptic ulcer. Pain appears not only behind the shoulder blade, but also in the epigastric region. It starts to hurt more after eating or with prolonged hunger. In addition, there is heartburn, unpleasant belching, nausea. Pain discomfort is slightly reduced after vomiting.
- Disease of the pancreas or spleen. With these pathologies, the left side hurts in the area of the shoulder blade and ribs. In acute pancreatitis, it will not only hurt the back, but there will be girdle pains covering the left and right hypochondria.
- injuries. Injuries to the left back in the shoulder blade area can provoke irritation of nerve processes, and the pain syndrome can reappear several weeks after the injury with increased physical exertion or with hypothermia.
If it hurts from the back from the back under the left shoulder blade, you should not ignore this condition, even if the pain is slightly expressed. The painful discomfort can be caused by a life-threatening condition.
What to do if you have back pain left under the shoulder blade
When a pain syndrome appears from behind under the shoulder blade on the left, you shouldn't panic, but you shouldn't ignore the condition that has occurred. Before deciding which doctor to go to, you should try to find out what exactly hurts from the back left under the shoulder blade. To do this, you will need to determine additional characteristics of the pain:
- Location. If it hurts in the back under the left shoulder blade and the painful discomfort increases after eating or with a prolonged fast, the likelihood of heart disease is minimal.
- Intensity. Moderate pain syndrome often accompanies chronic diseases, but severe pain indicates a severe pathological process.
- Character. Acute pain requires immediate medical attention, and with pulled or aching pain, it is necessary to visit the clinic.
- Connection with movement and breathing. When it hurts the most when coughing, leaning forward, or when trying to move your left hand, this indicates spinal disease or intercostal neuralgia.
Back pain under the left shoulder blade is caused by various reasons and is not always safe for life and health. New-onset pain syndrome on the left under the shoulder blade requires special attention - this can be a sign of neuralgia, angina pectoris, or even a heart attack. In case of doubts about the origin of the pain syndrome, it is necessary to call an ambulance. Seeking medical attention early can help maintain health and sometimes save lives.