The pain on the left under the shoulder blade makes a suspicious person immediately think of a heart attack. Of course, do not forget about this life-threatening condition, but more often back and left pains occur for less dangerous reasons. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with why it hurts under the left shoulder blade from behind from behind, to find out which doctor to seek help and in what cases to call an ambulance.
1. Intercostal neuralgia
The disease is accompanied by inflammation of the nervous processes.
Reason
Provoking nerve irritation:
- hypothermia;
- herpes infection;
- injuries to the ribs or spine;
- violation of the nerve roots with thoracic osteochondrosis;
- diseases accompanied by deformation of the chest (spondylosis);
- benign neoplasm of the pleura;
- allergic reactions;
- osteochondrosis.
Under the scapula on the left side, the pain of neuralgia appears suddenly and frightens a person, making him suspicious of the worst.
Symptom
With intercostal neuralgia, the pain will be aching, and its intensity will depend on the severity of the pathology. The pain can be severe, almost unbearable, or the disease will manifest as a slightly painful discomfort.
Typical symptoms indicating inflammation or irritation of the nerve process are:
- Relationship with movement and breathing. The pain under the scapula begins to hurt more when you move your left hand, cough, take a sharp breath or laugh.
- Heat effect. After rewarming, the pain is reduced or completely gone.
- Palpation. When pressed, it hurts more.
If the cause is a herpes infection, then the patient develops a characteristic rash 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 scapula is due to intercostal neuralgia or cardiac pathology. If the pain syndrome has appeared for the first time, and there is no certainty that it hurts due to irritation of the nervous process, then you should immediately seek medical help.
Treatment
Treatment for intercostal neuralgia depends on the cause of the disease.
Patients prescribed:
- antiviral drugs and ointments (for herpes);
- painkiller;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- ointment with a warming effect.
If the disease is accompanied by severe pain under the left shoulder blade, which cannot be stopped using analgesics, then the patient is given novocaine blockade to relieve the condition.
In the subacute stage, to increase tissue trophism and reduce the duration of the recovery period, the following are used:
- physiotherapy procedures;
- massage;
- acupuncture.
Treatment is aimed not only at eliminating back pain under the scapula on the left, but also at treating provocative diseases (osteochondrosis, herpes). If this is not done, then the pathology becomes chronic, exacerbated by hypothermia or physical exertion.
Who to contact?
If the pain is in the area of the left shoulder blade, and there is no suspicion of cardiac pathology, then you need to visit a neurologist.
2. Diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system
There can be pain in the left shoulder blade from behind due to diseases of the lower respiratory tract (bronchus, lungs, pleura).
Reason
The main causes of pain in pathologies of the respiratory system are diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses:
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy.
Also, back pain on the left can occur due to the appearance of neoplasms in the bronchi or lungs.
Symptom
A person has a persistent pulling or aching pain under the scapula on the left. When you cough and take deep breaths, the pain increases. In addition to the sensation of pain in the left back, patients may present with the following complaints:
- fever, sometimes reaching high levels;
- dry cough or with the discharge of thick phlegm (there may be streaks of blood or a mixture of pus in the mucus fluid);
- weakness and apathy;
- hard to breath.
If back pain on the left under the shoulder blade causes a tumor, then there will be no hyperthermia, coughing and breathing problems will be additional symptoms.
Treatment
If back pain and signs of inflammation are provoked by the inflammatory process, then the patient is prescribed:
- antibiotics or antivirals;
- drugs to dilute and stimulate the discharge of phlegm;
- antipyretic drugs;
- painkillers (if it starts to hurt).
For neoplasms, treatment depends on the nature and size of the tumor. The patient was removed for tumor formation or conservative therapy.
Who heals?
Inflammatory processes in the bronchi or lungs will be treated by a pulmonologist, and in the case of neoplasms, you will need to visit an oncologist or surgeon.
3. Vegetovascular crisis
The patient complained of pulling pain on the left side under the scapula and a feeling of dread, but during the initial examination, the disease that provoked the painful discomfort could not be detected.
Reason
The crisis can pass by itself, and due to the lack of signs of organic pathology, such people are considered hysterical and out of control. But in reality, the crisis caused:
- hormonal imbalance;
- neurological pathology;
- emphasize;
- psycho-emotional tension;
- endocrine diseases;
- long-term use of antidepressants or psychotropic drugs.
Vegetative crises are often the first sign of a neurological disorder. Signs of decreased well-being and painful discomfort under the scapula on the left begin to appear after a strong experience or shock. Most often, children and women under 30 years suffer from this disease.
Symptom
With a vegetative-vascular crisis, not only pain occurs on the left under the scapula, in addition, the patient may experience:
- a feeling of suffocation;
- cardiopalmus;
- shaking in the arms and legs;
- unreasonable anxiety;
- feeling hot or cold;
- sweating;
- headache;
- lost consciousness.
It is characteristic that the patient cannot pinpoint where the pain is. Not only pain appears under the scapula, but also under the ribs, often there is radiation to the shoulder, arm or abdomen on the left.
The duration of the crisis 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 attack. A person is afraid of unpleasant sensations, tries to observe all kinds of rituals to avoid pain under the scapula and other unpleasant symptoms. Without treatment, the condition becomes a phobia.
Treatment
The presence of a seizure would be an indication for immediate hospitalization, and a less severe form of vegetative vascular crisis treated at home. As therapy, they are used:
- sedative for severe fear;
- herbal remedies to help calm down;
- antidepressants to reduce increased nervousness and anxiety.
If the crisis is caused by a neurological or endocrine disease, then additional therapy is chosen to eliminate the disorder that has arisen.
When an attack begins with a stress factor, the patient is also trained to respond to stressful situations properly, and is advised to avoid overwork.
Which doctor to contact?
When a panic attack appears, you need to contact a vegetarian, but not all cities have this specialist. If it is not possible to get advice from a vegetarian, then you should visit a neurologist or therapist. In addition, you may need to consult an endocrinologist.
4. Myocardial Infarction
Life-threatening condition caused by acute ischemia and necrosis of heart muscle. In this case, the pain under the shoulder blades and behind the sternum will be strong.
The provoking factor
The reason for such pain under the scapula on the left from the back is due to the complete cessation of coronary blood flow to a certain part of the myocardium, which is caused by a blockage of the blood vessel. The following pathologies can provoke a heart attack:
- atherosclerosis;
- thrombosis.
The resulting blood clot or plaque ruptures, and blood rushes to the heart. Once in the coronary arteries of small diameter, they close the lumen of the blood vessels and stop the flow of blood to the tissues. Lack of oxygen causes the death of myocardial cells.
Symptom
The pain is acute and throbbing, localized to the left behind the sternum. shine:
- in the left hand;
- under the shoulder blades;
- in the lower jaw.
With unusual heart attacks, irradiation is possible:
- in the epigastric region;
- on the right back;
- in the lower abdomen.
With a heart attack, the pain behind the scapula is not relieved by taking analgesics and is slightly reduced after taking nitroglycerin.
Treatment
Therapy is aimed at removing obstructions in the path of blood flow, reducing foci of myocardial necrosis and relieving pain. To do this, apply:
- blood-dissolving agents;
- drugs with blood-thinning effects;
- narcotic analgesics;
- drugs to increase 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 high blood pressure, etc.
In the first hours, to reduce foci of necrosis, operative angioplasty can be performed. Surgical intervention allows you to quickly restore impaired blood flow and reduce post-infarction scarring.
Which doctor treats?
In case of cardiac arrest, emergency hospitalization is indicated in the cardiology department, where resuscitation and cardiologists will select the effective therapy. If you suspect a heart attack, you should immediately call an ambulance.
5 more reasons why your back can hurt under the shoulder blades in the back
Consider why it can hurt from the back under the scapula on the left:
- Angina pectoris. Short-term spasm of the coronary vessels caused by stress or physical exertion. Sharp pain appears in the left back under the scapula and behind the sternum, which disappears after taking drugs with nitroglycerin.
- Osteochondrosis or hernia in the thoracic region. If the nerve root is pinched, there will be a radiating pain in the left back under the scapula, which will increase with movement.
- Peptic ulcer disease. The pain appears not only behind the scapula, but also in the epigastric region. It begins to hurt more after eating or with prolonged hunger. In addition, there is heartburn, unpleasant belching, nausea. Pain discomfort is slightly reduced after vomiting.
- Diseases of the pancreas or spleen. With this pathology, the left side hurts in the area of \u200b\u200bthe scapula and ribs. In acute pancreatitis, not only pain from the back, but also pain in the corset covering the left and right hypochondria.
- Injury. Injury to the back to the left in the area of \u200b\u200bthe scapula can provoke irritation of the nerve processes and the pain syndrome may reappear several weeks after the injury with increased physical exertion or with hypothermia.
If it hurts from the back from behind under the left shoulder blade, then you should not ignore this condition, even if the pain is slightly expressed. Painful discomfort can be caused by a life-threatening condition.
What to do if you have pain in the left back under the scapula?
When a pain syndrome appears from the back under the shoulder blade on the left, you should not panic, but you should not ignore the emerging condition. Before deciding which doctor to go to, you should try to find out what exactly hurts from the left back under the scapula. To do this, you need to determine the additional characteristics of the pain:
- localization. If pain in the back under the left shoulder blade and painful discomfort increase after eating or with prolonged fasting, then the chances of heart disease are 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 pulling pain or tenderness, you need to visit a clinic.
- Relationship with movement and breathing. If it hurts more when coughing, bending forward, or when trying to move the left hand, this indicates a disease of the spine or intercostal neuralgia.
Back pain under the shoulder blade on the left is caused by various reasons and is not always safe for life and health. New onset pain syndrome on the left under the scapula requires special attention - it may be a sign of neuralgia, angina pectoris or even a heart attack. If there is any doubt about the origin of the pain syndrome, then you need to call an ambulance. Seeking medical attention early can help maintain health and sometimes save lives.