The most common diseases that cause pain under the left shoulder blade from behind are osteonecrosis, angina, pneumonia, peptic ulcer, and panic attacks. Along with the pain syndrome, patients may experience disturbances in nausea, vomiting, heartburn, cough, and sputum production, as well as disturbances in sensory and motor functions. Diagnosis of the patient's condition is based on a survey, examination, laboratory and instrumental studies. Treatment tactics depend on the underlying cause of the disease.
Reason
Pain under the left shoulder blade from behind from behind is a serious symptom that can be observed in diseases of the spine or severe violation of the functions of internal organs. At the same time, in 7% of cases, such a pain syndrome occurs due to a surgical pathology that requires urgent surgical intervention.
Among the main causes of left shoulder blade pain are:
- Diseases of the spine (birth defects, ankylosing spondylitis, spondylosis, osteochondrosis, disc herniation, . . . ), causing compression on the spinal roots;
- Muscular pathologies (dermatomyositis, fibromyalgia, etc. ), causing characteristic pain - myalgia;
- Neurological disorders (Guillain-Barré syndrome, polyneuritis, intercostal neuralgia, etc. ), characterized by the occurrence of specific neuropathic pain;
- Diseases of internal organs:
- Heart - angina, arrhythmia, heart attack;
- Lungs - bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, pleurisy;
- Stomach - gastritis, ulcers, polyps;
- Spleen - rupture and other pathologies.
- "Blood cancer" (leukemia), so pain is noted in the thickness of the bone containing the bone marrow (pelvis, sternum, shoulder blades, tubules).
Sometimes pain syndrome is caused by disorders of the autonomic nervous system, the system that regulates the work of all organs and systems. In such cases, we are talking about an exacerbation of vascular dystonia - that is, about a panic attack.
Symptom
The most common causes of pain below the left shoulder blade are osteonecrosis, angina, pneumonia, peptic ulcer, or panic attack.
Bone tumor
This disease is caused by the destruction of the discs that normally "soften" movement in the spine. Most often, the pathology occurs against the background of excessive physical exertion and the natural aging process of the body.
As a result, the damaged disc (usually in the cervical spine region) protrudes and invades the spinal roots. For this reason, the patient (on the same side of the lesion) is concerned with acute pain in the back of the head and neck, radiating down to the shoulder blades and shoulders. Over time, superficial sensitivity is disturbed in these areas, so that the patient does not feel heat and vibration on the skin.
With the progression of the disease, the brachial plexus participates in the pathological process, which complicates shoulder mobility. At the same time, the strength of the muscles of the arms is significantly weakened, which in severe cases leads to immobility.
angina pectoris
Angina is a pain syndrome that occurs in the chest, also known as "angina pectoris". The cause of the pain is a violation of the blood supply to the myocardium due to vasoconstriction or the formation of cholesterol plaques in their lumen. Incites the onslaught of stress, emotional and physical overload.
Often, patients worry about a sudden sharp or burning pain in the chest area. In this case, the pain usually radiates down the left shoulder blade, as well as along the ulcerated surface of the left hand to the little finger. Often the pain syndrome is associated with a feeling of interruption in the work of the heart and a fear of death.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an illness, usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. As a rule, patients complain of a significantly increased temperature (up to 39. 5-40 ° C), fever and "stabbing" pain in the chest or shoulder blades from the affected lung. In this case, the pain is aggravated by intense sneezing, coughing, or breathing.
With the development of the disease, coughing occurs and separation of purulent sputum, which sometimes acquires a "rusty" character (due to impurities in the blood). Patients often feel shortness of breath and shortness of breath despite little physical activity.
stomach ulcers
The cause of the disease is local destruction of the gastric mucosa with the formation of a peptic ulcer (that is, an ulcer). Dysplasia is a bacterial infection (Helicobacter), hypersecretion and disturbance of gastric motility.
The main complaint of peptic ulcer disease is paroxysmal pain in the upper abdomen (epigastric) that occurs or increases after eating. Often, exacerbations of the disease are associated with nausea and vomiting, which should provide relief. In the severe stage, the patient presents with heartburn, belching, bloating and a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen after eating.
Nutritional crisis
The cause of the pain may be a vascular dystonia, also known as a panic attack. Often, patients are concerned about "migrating" pain, occurring in the heart area, below the collarbone, or in the abdomen, etc. v.
At the same time, the patient complains of fever, sweating, shivering, lack of air, fear of going crazy or wandering thoughts.
Such crises can be manifestations of both organic (adrenal adenoma, heart disease) and mental (phobia, depression, post-traumatic syndrome). In some cases, panic attacks are the result of medication.
Diagnose
Diagnostic measures usually include:
- A survey that allows you to determine the conditions of occurrence and nature of the pain;
- Physical examination with localization of pain and identification of pain points;
- Laboratory tests to detect infections (with pneumonia or ulcers), inflammatory changes in the blood or protein levels in the muscles, showing their destruction (troponin in myocardial infarction);
- Instrumental methods use X-ray, ultrasound, CT, or MRI.
Also, in the case of a heart attack, an electrocardiogram is performed, and in the case of a peptic ulcer, a gastroscopy with an endoscope (examination of the stomach with an endoscope).
The treatment
If there is pain under the left shoulder blade from behind from behind, the patient should urgently seek medical attention, because. Such a pain syndrome may indicate an emergency (myocardial infarction, spleen rupture, ulcer perforation, etc. ). In this case, it is not recommended to take painkillers, because. Painkillers can mask symptoms and complicate subsequent diagnoses!
- Bone tumor. Basic therapy includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. Muscle relaxants are used to reduce muscle spasms. As a long-term treatment aimed at slowing the destruction of the disc, chondroprotectors are prescribed.
- Chest pain. Acute relief of attacks is carried out with the help of nitrates. However, general therapy is based on lifestyle changes, which use acetylsalicylic acid (to "thin" the blood), as well as statins to lower cholesterol levels.
- Pneumonia. The main drug in the treatment of pneumonia is antibiotics, the choice of which depends on the causative agent of the infection.
- Stomach ulcers. Treatment of ulcers involves killing the provoking bacteria (Helicobacter pylori). For this purpose, a number of antibacterial agents are prescribed, as well as drugs that reduce the level of acidity of substances in the stomach.
- nutrition crisis. In most cases, treatment for panic attacks can be limited to psychotherapy sessions. At the same time, the appointment of psychotropic substances (antidepressants, sedatives) is often unreasonable.
Precautions
Prevention of pain under the left shoulder blade from behind from behind is based on:
- timely diagnosis of congenital and acquired diseases of the spine (cervical spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, bone tumor, disc herniation, trauma);
- early detection of myopathies (dermatomyositis, fibromyalgia);
- recovery of neurological disorders (intercostal neuralgia, polyneuritis);
- Treatment of diseases of internal organs:
- heart - angina, arrhythmia, heart attack;
- lungs - bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis pleurisy;
- stomach - gastritis, ulcers, polyps;
- spleen - rupture and other pathologies.
- Screening blood tests to diagnose the symptoms of leukemia.
Remember, left shoulder blade pain can be a sign of an acute condition that requires urgent treatment or surgery!