Pain under the left shoulder blade from behind is a fairly common pathology, especially in the older age group.
Although cases of illness at a young age are not uncommon, sports injuries, poor posture and hereditary factors can also cause the disease.
If back pain persists for a long time, is intense and does not go away over time, this is an important reason to see your doctor.
Untimely help with this disease can lead to irreversible consequences and complications.
Breast Anatomy:
Spine – consists of vertebrae and the spinal cord.It performs extremely important functions – support, shock absorption and protection of the spinal cord.
The scapula, both left and right, belongs to the bones of the upper belt of the limbs.This is a flat bone that has the shape of a triangle.
The shoulder blade has a number of depressions and dimples on both the outer and inner surfaces - these are the attachment points of ligaments and muscles.
It itself consists of a spongy substance that is particularly durable, which is explained by the constant load on the girdle of the upper limbs.
The clavicle is the bone that connects the shoulder blade and the breastbone.
The heart is an organ that is essentially a bag of muscles that ensures normal circulatory function in the body.
The lungs are a pair of organs in the chest that are responsible for breathing and gas exchange.
The esophagus and stomach are the digestive organs.
Ribs are flat bones attached to the back of the spine and to the front of the breastbone.They have a protective function for the breast.
Causes of pain under the left shoulder blade from behind
From the above list it is clear that the causes of pain on the back of the shoulder blade or on the back of the back can lie in diseases of the internal organs or the musculoskeletal system, which the patient was usually not even aware of.
It has been found that with some pathologies, such discomfort can persist even when a person is resting.However, this symptom does not always indicate the presence of complex back pathology.
Among the many pathological conditions associated with such a symptom are serious cardiac, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases.
The main causes of pain in the back and in the shoulder blades behind it can be divided into the five most common pathologies in patients:
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
- Acquired and hereditary heart diseases.
- Pathology of the bronchi, pleura or the lungs themselves.
- Acute or chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including the scapula.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system
Diseases of the skeletal system are often accompanied by severe pain.
Aching and severe, unbearable pain in the back of the back and shoulder blades can occur due to the following reasons:
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a process of destruction of bone tissue.Heavily compressed nerve roots initially cause dull and barely noticeable pain, which over time becomes stabbing and stabbing pain under the left shoulder blade or in the area next to it and in the back.
- Thoracic osteochondrosis is a process that differs from cervical osteochondrosis only in the location of the lesion.In this osteochondrosis, it is not the cervical roots of the spinal nerves that are affected, but rather the thoracic roots.The pain may be accompanied by periodic dizziness, numbness of the upper extremities, back pain in the back becomes worse in the morning.
- Damage to the intercostal nerves is the most common cause of pain.Patients notice a burning, immortal pain on the side of the left shoulder blade or left of the spine.If you do not provide the patient with proper assistance, the pain will become sharp and stabbing.
- Malignant neoplasms or metastases of tumors on the shoulder blade itself. Causes severe pain.
- Scapula-rib syndrome is characterized by aching and excruciating pain in the back that often radiates to the arm.
- Osteomyelitis.
- Crunching of the scapula - with this pathology, the pain in the back is not very pronounced, only when the shoulder joint moves, crepitation (crunching) is heard.
- Injuries and constant strain on the back and spine.
- Pregnancy, especially in the later stages – pains of various kinds are explained by the constant strain on the back due to the increase in size of the fetus.
- Tuberculosis of the bones.
- Osteophyte and hernia.Depending on the place of onset and the stage of the disease, they can also cause severe back pain of various types - burning, stabbing, aching - due to the constant compression of blood vessels and therefore disruption of nerve nutrition.
- Arthritis of the shoulder joint involving the scapula is associated not only with severe back pain that worsens at night, but also with 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 disease.The table below shows the causes of pain and their nature.
| Angiosis | Severe circulatory disorder in the heart | Stitching pain in the posterior part of the back radiating to the left scapula, interscapular area, lower jaw and left arm.Often these symptoms are accompanied by shortness of breath, causing the patient to panic for fear of death. |
| Aortic aneurysm | Dissection of the walls of the thoracic aorta | The chest pain moves backwards - to the area of the left shoulder blade, back or between the shoulder blades and gradually sinks into the lower back. |
| Endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis | Inflammation of bacterial, viral or parasitic origin | Pain syndrome that increases with the disease. |
| heart attack | necrosis of the heart muscle | This pathology can radiate not only to the left shoulder blade and back, but also to the left arm, neck and abdomen.The pain intensity 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 area of the left shoulder blade or on the left back. |
Pathologies of the bronchi, pleura or the lungs themselves
Pain in the left shoulder blade is often caused by pathological processes 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 in advanced cases, including when inhaling.Patients often assume a forced position - lying down, with the head end raised or simply lying on their healthy side.
With pneumonia, pain in the scapula area and back is not the main clinical sign.In such patients there is a slight fever - from 37 - 38 ° C, shortness of breath, initially dry, then with sputum and cough.
In particularly advanced cases, blood and pus may be present in the lung discharge.
Bronchitis is primarily accompanied by frequent, barking coughs.This can cause pain in the area of the left shoulder blade or in the back.
Pleurisy – most often, due to this pathology, pain syndrome develops in the left scapula and back in the interscapular region.
The pain in the back and shoulder blade is initially dull and subdued, but becomes more intense as the process progresses.
With this disease, early diagnosis is important - an X-ray of the chest circumference.
If there are no pathologies in the lungs, pleura and bronchi, the patient is strongly recommended to visit a cardiologist to rule out myocardial infarction.
Tuberculosis of the breast and bronchial lymph nodes
This pathology can be accompanied by pain in the posterior region, especially in the final stages.
Acute or chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Pain in the left scapula, back or interscapular space is often an important clinical symptom of diseases of the digestive system.It is important to know what pathologies can accompany pain in the left scapula.
Perforated stomach ulcer
A perforated ulcer of the stomach, more precisely its upper sections, may be accompanied by stabbing, aching pain in the area of the left shoulder blade, in addition to stabbing "dagger" abdominal pain, fever and vomiting.
Acute pancreatitis
Constant belt pain in the upper abdomen and disorders of the digestive system - vomiting, diarrhea, accompanied by pain in the left shoulder blade of the back in the lumbar region.
Spleen injury or rupture
Injuries to the spleen are often invisible due to the uncharacteristic signs that occur when the organ is damaged.The symptoms can be hidden without causing severe pain.
When the splenic parenchyma ruptures, a hematoma forms in the subcapsular space, which is accompanied by dull pain that increases as the hematoma grows under the left scapula and behind the back, on the left side of the ribs.
Attention!The diseases 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 in the shoulder joint is accompanied by pain under the left scapula, which increases with arm movements.
Sharp pain can cause:
- Sudden movements.
- Injuries – fractures, dislocations of the scapula.The nature of the pain can be both acute and dull.The use of painkillers is necessary to relieve pain.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula – pain increases as the disease progresses.
- Gunshot wounds to the shoulder blade.Even after the integrity of the scapula is restored, the pain may persist for a long time.
- Bursitis is an inflammation of the surface of the shoulder joint.
Diagnosis of diseases associated with pain in the left shoulder blade
If you complain of pain in the left shoulder blade area, it is imperative 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.
- X-ray in different projections depending on the location of the pathological process.A chest x-ray is also required for lung disease to rule out pleurisy, tuberculosis and pneumonia.
- MRI – its layer-by-layer image allows you to more thoroughly examine the ongoing pathological process.The success of treatment largely depends on its results.
- To rule out a heart attack, patients are prescribed an ECG, an echocardiogram, an ultrasound scan of the heart, as well as a blood test to check for the presence of heart attack markers in the blood.
- An ultrasound examination of the internal organs helps to confirm or exclude diseases of the parenchymal organs, which can cause pain in the left shoulder blade and back area.
- General and biochemical blood test, measurement of pulse, pressure.
Basic rules of therapy
If pain in the left shoulder blade area makes breathing noticeably difficult, this is a serious reason to see a therapist.
Self-administration of medication can only worsen the condition.
It is important to diagnose the cause and determine the origin of the pain.With correct diagnosis and adequate treatment, the pain attack is stopped.
With self-medication, repeated pain syndromes often occur, which impair the patient's quality of life.
Medicines should only be taken under the supervision of a specialist;In addition, patients are prescribed a treatment and diet appropriate to the diagnosis.