Pain in the left below the shoulder 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 back pain occurs for less dangerous reasons. It is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with why it hurts under the left shoulder from behind the back, to find out which doctor to seek help and in which cases to call an ambulance.
1. Intercostal neuralgia
The disease is accompanied by inflammation of nerve processes.
Causes
Causes nerve irritation:
- hypothermia;
- herpes infections;
- injuries to the ribs or spine.
- nerve root involvement with thoracic osteochondrosis.
- diseases accompanied by deformity of the chest (spondylosis).
- benign neoplasms of the pleura.
- allergic reactions?
- osteochondrosis.
Beneath the shoulder blade on the left side, the neuralgic pain suddenly appears and frightens a person, making him suspect the worst.
Symptoms
With intercostal neuralgia, the pain will ache and the intensity will depend on the severity of the pathology. The pain may be severe, almost unbearable or the disease will manifest as a slightly painful discomfort.
Typical symptoms that indicate inflammation or irritation of nerve processes are:
- Connection with movement and breathing. Pain below the shoulder begins to ache more when you move your left arm, cough, inhale sharply or laugh.
- The effect of heat. After reheating, the pain decreases or disappears completely.
- Touch. When pressed, it hurts more.
If the cause is a herpes infection, then the patient develops characteristic rashes along the nerves.
In addition to pain, a person may experience:
- tachycardia;
- skin numbness;
- increased sweating.
It is not always possible to determine if the pain below the left shoulder is caused by intercostal neuralgia or heart disease. If the pain syndrome is for the first time and there is no certainty that it hurts due to irritation of the nervous processes, then you should seek medical help immediately.
Treatment
Treatment for intercostal neuralgia depends on the cause of the disease.
Patients are prescribed:
- antiviral drugs and ointments (for herpes).
- Painkillers?
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- ointments with heating effect.
If the disease is accompanied by severe pain under the left shoulder, which can not be stopped by taking analgesics, then patients are given novocaine blockade to relieve the condition.
In the subacute stage, the following are used to improve tissue nutrition and reduce the duration of the recovery period:
- physiotherapy procedures;
- massage;
- acupuncture.
The treatment aims not only at relieving the pain in the back below the shoulder blade on the left, but also at the treatment of a provocative disease (osteochondrosis, herpes). If this is not done, then the pathology becomes chronic, aggravated by hypothermia or physical exertion.
Who to contact
If it hurts in the area of the left shoulder and there is no suspicion of cardiac pathology, then you should visit a neurologist.
2. Diseases of the bronchopulmonary system
It can hurt the left shoulder 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, back pain on the left may occur due to the appearance of tumors in the bronchi or lungs.
Symptoms
A person has a constant pulling or pain under the left shoulder. When you cough and take a deep breath, the pain intensifies. In addition to the painful sensations in the left back, patients may experience the following complaints:
- fever, sometimes reaching high numbers.
- dry cough or with a discharge of viscous sputum (there may be blood streaks or pus in the mucous discharge).
- weakness and apathy;
- difficulty breathing.
If back pain on the left below the shoulder causes tumors, then there will be no hyperthermia, coughing and breathing problems will become additional symptoms.
Treatment
If back pain and signs of inflammation are caused by the inflammatory process, then patients are prescribed:
- antibiotics or antibiotics;
- drugs to liquefy and stimulate sputum secretion.
- antipyretic drugs;
- painkillers (if it starts to hurt a lot).
For neoplasms, treatment depends on the nature and size of the tumor. Patients are removed tumor formation or conservative treatment.
Who cures
Inflammatory processes in the bronchi or lungs will be treated by a pulmonologist and in case of tumors, you should visit an oncologist or surgeon.
3. Phytovascular crises
The patient complains of traction pain in the left side below the shoulder and a feeling of fear, but at the initial examination can not detect diseases that cause pain discomfort.
Causes
Crises can go away on their own and due to the lack of signs of organic pathology, such people are considered hysterical and unrestrained. But in reality, crises cause:
- hormonal imbalance;
- neurological pathology;
- stress;
- psycho-emotional overexertion;
- endocrine diseases?
- long-term use of antidepressants or psychotropic drugs.
Stem attacks are often the first sign of neurological disorders. Signs of deteriorating well-being and painful discomfort under the left shoulder begin to appear after intense experiences or vibrations. Most often, children and women under the age of 30 suffer from the disease.
Symptoms
With a vascular crisis, not only does pain appear in the left lower back of the shoulder, in addition, the patient may experience:
- feeling suffocated;
- cardiopalmus;
- trembling in the arms and legs.
- stress for no reason.
- feeling hot or cold;
- sweating?
- headache;
- loss of conscience.
It is characteristic that patients can not indicate exactly where it hurts. Not only pain under the shoulder, but also below the ribs, there is often radiation to the left shoulder, arm or abdomen.
The duration of a 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 an attack. A person is afraid of unpleasant sensations, tries to observe all kinds of rituals to avoid pain under the shoulder and other unpleasant symptoms. Without treatment, the condition turns into phobia.
Treatment
The presence of seizures will be an indication for immediate hospitalization and milder forms of stem vascular seizures are treated at home. The following are used as treatment:
- sedatives for intense fear.
- herbal remedies to calm down;
- antidepressants to reduce increased nervousness and stress.
If the seizures are caused by neurological or endocrine diseases, then additional treatment is chosen to eliminate the disorders that have arisen.
When the onset of an attack is related to a stressor, patients are additionally trained to respond appropriately to stressful situations and it is advisable to avoid overwork.
Which doctor should I go to?
When panic attacks occur, you should contact a vegetarian, but not all cities have these specialists. If it is not possible to get vegetarian advice, then you should see a neurologist or therapist. In addition, you may need to consult an endocrinologist.
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 and behind the chest will be strong.
Challenging factors
The reasons for such pain below the scapula on the left side of the back is the complete cessation of coronary blood flow to a specific part of the myocardium, which is caused by a blockage of a blood vessel. The following pathologies can cause a heart attack:
- atherosclerosis;
- thrombosis.
The resulting clot or plaque breaks and blood flow goes to the heart. Once they enter 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 sternum. Radiates:
- in the left hand;
- under the shoulder;
- in the lower jaw.
With an atypical course of heart attack, 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
The treatment aims to eliminate obstacles in the course of blood flow, to reduce the focus of myocardial necrosis and to eliminate pain. To do this, apply:
- factors that dissolve the blood.
- drugs resulting in blood thinning.
- analgesic drugs?
- drugs to improve vascular tone.
Other medications are chosen taking into account the violations that have occurred - these can be cholesterol-lowering drugs, antihypertensive drugs, high blood pressure, etc.
In the first hours to reduce the focus of necrosis, surgical angioplasty can be performed. Surgery allows you to quickly restore reduced blood flow and reduce scarring after a heart attack.
Which doctor treats
In case of heart attack, urgent hospitalization in the cardiology department is indicated, where rejuvenators and cardiologists will choose an effective treatment. If you suspect a heart attack, you should call an ambulance immediately.
5 more reasons why your lower back pain may hurt
Think about why it can hurt from the back below the shoulder to the left:
- Angina pectoris. Short-term spasm of the coronary arteries caused by stress or physical exertion. Severe pains appear in the left back below the shoulder and behind the sternum, which disappear after taking nitroglycerin medication.
- Osteochondrosis or hernia of the chest area. If the nerve root is pinched, there will be diffuse pain in the left lower back of the scapula, which will intensify with movement.
- Peptic ulcer. The pain occurs not only behind the scapula, 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. The pain relief decreases slightly after vomiting.
- Disease of the pancreas or spleen. With these pathologies, the left side hurts in the area of the shoulder and ribs. In acute pancreatitis, it will not only hurt from the back, but there will be pain in the area covering the left and right hypochondrium.
- Injuries. Injuries to the left back in the shoulder area can irritate nerve processes and pain syndrome can recur several weeks after injury with increased physical exertion or hypothermia.
If it hurts from behind the back below the left shoulder, 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 back pain on the left below the shoulder
When a pain syndrome appears from behind the left shoulder, you do not need to panic, but you should not ignore the situation that has arisen. Before deciding which doctor to go to, you should try to find out exactly what hurts from the back to the left below the shoulder. To do this, you will need to identify additional features of pain:
- Localization. If there is pain in the back below the left shoulder and the painful discomfort increases after eating or with prolonged fasting, then the chance of heart disease is minimal.
- Intensity. Moderate pain syndrome often accompanies chronic diseases, but severe pain indicates a serious pathological process.
- Character. Acute pain requires immediate medical attention and with traction or pain, you should visit the clinic.
- Connection with movement and breathing. When it hurts the most when you cough, lean forward or try to move your left arm, it indicates spinal disease or intercostal neuralgia.
Back pain below the shoulder blade on the left is caused by several reasons and is not always safe for life and health. New left lower back pain syndrome requires special care - this can be a sign of neuralgia, angina or even a heart attack. If there is any doubt about the origin of the pain syndrome, then you should call an ambulance. Getting medical help early can help you stay healthy and sometimes save lives.