The pain on the left side below the fibula makes a suspect immediately think of a heart attack. Of course, let's not forget this life-threatening condition, but back and left side pain occurs more often for less dangerous reasons. You should familiarize yourself with the reasons for pain below the left shoulder blade from behind from behind, so that you know which doctor to seek help and in what circumstances to call an ambulance.
1. Intercostal neuralgia
This disease is accompanied by inflammation of the nervous processes.
Reason
Nerve stimulation:
- Hypothermia;
- herpes infection;
- trauma to the ribs or spine;
- nerve root invasion with thoracic osteonecrosis;
- diseases accompanied by deformities of the ribcage (spondylolisthesis);
- benign neoplasm of the pleura;
- allergic reaction;
- bone necrosis.
Below the left collarbone, the sciatica pain suddenly appears and scares the patient, suspecting the worst.
Symptom
With intercostal neuralgia, the pain will be sharp, the severity depends on the severity of the disease. The pain can be intense, almost unbearable, or the disease will manifest as mild, uncomfortable aches.
Typical symptoms that indicate inflammatory or irritated nerve processes are:
- Connect with movement and breathing. Pain below the collarbone that starts to get worse when you move your left hand, cough, inhale forcefully, or laugh.
- Effect of heat. After restarting, the pain decreased or disappeared completely.
- Touching. It hurts more when pressed.
If the cause is a herpes infection, then the patient will have a characteristic rash along the nerve.
In addition to pain, a person may experience:
- fast heart beat;
- skin numbness;
- increased sweating.
It is not always possible to determine if the pain below the left collarbone is due to intercostal neuralgia or heart disease. If the pain syndrome appears for the first time and it is not certain that it is painful due to stimulated nerve processes, then you should immediately seek medical attention.
The treatment
Treatment for intercostal neuralgia depends on the cause.
Patients are prescribed:
- antiviral drugs and ointments (for herpes);
- analgesic;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- ointment has a warming effect.
If the disease is accompanied by severe pain under the left shoulder blade that cannot be cured by taking painkillers, the patient is given novocaine blockade to relieve the disease.
In the subacute phase, to improve tissue nutrition and reduce the duration of the recovery phase, the following are used:
- physical therapy procedures;
- Massage;
- Acupuncture.
Treatment is aimed not only at relieving lower back pain on the left fibula, but also to treat an irritating disease (osteonecrosis, herpes). If this is not done, then the pathology becomes chronic, aggravated by hypothermia or exertion.
Contact who
If you have pain in your left shoulder blade and you don't suspect a heart problem, you need to see a neurologist.
2. Diseases of the bronchopulmonary system
It can be painful in the left shoulder blade from the back due to disease of the lower respiratory tract (bronchi, 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.
In addition, left-sided back pain can occur due to the presence of a tumor in the bronchi or lungs.
Symptom
A person has constant pulling or pain under the left scapula. When you cough and take deep breaths, the pain increases. In addition to pain in the left back, patients may have the following symptoms:
- fever, sometimes up to high numbers;
- cough with dry or viscous sputum (may have streaks of blood or pus in the mucus);
- weakness and lethargy;
- shortness of breath.
If left-sided back pain below the fibula is causing the tumor, then without hyperthermia, coughing and shortness of breath will become secondary symptoms.
The treatment
If back pain and signs of inflammation are caused by an inflammatory process, then the patient is prescribed:
- antibiotics or antiviral drugs;
- liquefaction and sputum stimulant;
- antipyretics;
- pain reliever (if it starts to hurt badly).
For tumors, treatment depends on the nature and size of the tumor. Patients were resected for tumor formation or treated conservatively.
Who heals?
Inflammatory processes in the bronchi or lungs will be treated by a pulmonologist, and in the case of a tumor you need to visit an oncologist or a surgeon.
3. Vegetative Vascular Crisis
The patient complains of tugging pain on the left side below the clavicle and a feeling of dread, but on initial examination, no painful illness could be detected.
Reason
Crises may pass on their own, and due to the lack of signs of organic illness, such people are considered hysterical and uncontrolled. But in reality, the crisis causes:
- hormone imbalance;
- neurological pathology;
- stress;
- psycho-emotional stress;
- endocrine diseases;
- long-term use of antidepressants or psychotropic drugs.
Nutritional crises are often the first sign of a neurological disorder. Signs of deterioration of health and painful discomfort under the left scapula begin to appear after strong experiences or shocks. Usually, children and women under the age of 30 get the disease.
Symptom
With a vegetative vascular crisis, not only pain occurs on the left side below the shoulder blade, in addition, the patient may experience:
- feeling suffocated;
- heart disease;
- tremors in the hands and feet;
- unwarranted worry;
- feeling hot or cold;
- sweat theft;
- headache;
- lose consciousness.
Characterized by the patient's inability to pinpoint the exact location of the pain. The pain occurs not only below the collarbone but also below the ribs, often radiating down 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 a seizure.
Another danger is the fear of an attack. A person who is afraid of unpleasant sensations, tries to follow all kinds of rituals in order to avoid pain under the shoulder blades and other unpleasant symptoms. If left untreated, this condition becomes a phobia.
The treatment
The presence of seizures would be an indication for immediate hospitalisation, and milder forms of vegetative crisis are treated at home. As a therapy, they are used:
- tranquilizers for severe phobias;
- herbal remedies to help calm down;
- antidepressants to relieve stress and anxiety.
If the crisis is due to neurological or endocrine diseases, then complementary therapy is selected to eliminate the disorders that have arisen.
When the onset of an episode is associated with a stress factor, patients receive additional training to respond correctly to stressful situations, and overwork should be avoided.
Which doctor to contact?
When a panic attack occurs, you need to contact a vegetarian, but not all cities have these specialists. If you can't get advice from a vegetarian, you should see a neurologist or therapist. In addition, you may need to consult an endocrinologist.
4. Myocardial Infarction
Life-threatening condition due to acute ischemia and myocardial necrosis. In this case, the pain below the collarbone and behind the sternum will be very strong.
Stimulating factor
The reason for such pains under the left shoulder blade from behind is that the coronary blood flow to a certain part of the heart muscle stops completely due to a blockage of the vessels. The following conditions can cause a heart attack:
- atherosclerosis;
- thrombosis.
As a result, the clot or plaque breaks off and blood flows to the heart. Once inside the small coronary arteries, they close the lumen and block blood flow to the tissues. Lack of oxygen leads to the death of heart muscle cells.
Symptom
Acute and stabbing pain, localized to the left posterior sternum. Irradiation:
- in the left hand;
- below the shoulder blades;
- in the lower jaw.
With an atypical heart attack, it is possible to irradiate:
- in the epigastric region;
- in the back right;
- in the lower abdomen.
During myocardial infarction, pain behind the fibula is not relieved by analgesics and is relieved by nitroglycerin.
The treatment
Therapy is aimed at removing obstacles to blood circulation, reducing the focus of myocardial necrosis, and eliminating pain. To do this, apply:
- hemolytic agent;
- drugs that have a blood-thinning effect;
- anesthetic analgesic;
- drugs that improve vascular tone.
Other drugs are selected taking into account the violations that have arisen - they can be drugs to lower cholesterol levels, antihypertensive drugs with high blood pressure, etc. v.
In the first hours, to reduce the focus of the necrosis, angioplasty can be performed. Surgical intervention allows you to quickly restore impaired blood flow and reduce scarring after surgery.
Which doctor treats?
In the case of myocardial infarction, emergency hospitalization is indicated in the cardiology department, where the cardiologist and resuscitator will select an effective therapy. If you suspect a heart attack, you should call an ambulance immediately.
5 other reasons why your back may hurt below the fibula in the back
Consider why it may be painful from behind below the left shoulder blade:
- Chest pain. Short-term coronary artery spasm caused by stress or exertion. Sharp pain occurs on the left side, below the collarbone and behind the breastbone, which disappears after taking the drug with nitroglycerin.
- Bone tumor or thoracic hernia. If the nerve root is compressed, there will be radiating pain in the left back below the collarbone, severe pain with movement.
- Stomach ulcer disease. The pain occurs not only behind the scapula, but also in the epigastrium. It starts to hurt more after eating or with prolonged hunger. In addition, there is heartburn, uncomfortable belching, nausea. Pain is mildly relieved after vomiting.
- Diseases of the pancreas or spleen. With these pathologies, the left side has pain in the hypogastrium and lower ribs. In acute pancreatitis, there is not only pain from the back but also excruciating pain that covers both the left and right sides.
- Injured. Injury to the left back in the scapula region can cause irritation of nerve processes, and the pain syndrome may reappear several weeks after injury with greater exertion or with hypothermia.
If the pain is from behind, from back to below the left shoulder blade, you should not ignore this condition, even if the pain is mild. Uncomfortable pain can be caused by a life-threatening condition.
What to do if you have pain in your left back below the shoulder blade
When pain syndrome appears from behind the left fibula, you do not need to panic, but you should not ignore the condition that has arisen. Before deciding which doctor to see, you should try to find out exactly what is causing the pain from the back left side below the shoulder blade. To do this, you will need to further determine the characteristics of the pain:
- Localization. If the pain in the lower back is below the left shoulder blade and the discomfort increases after eating or fasting for a long time, the chances of heart disease are very low.
- Intensity. Moderate pain syndrome often accompanies chronic diseases, but severe pain indicates a severe pathological process.
- Character. Acute pain requires immediate medical attention, and when pain persists or hurts, you should seek medical attention.
- Connect with movement and breathing. When you have more pain when coughing, bending forward or when trying to move your left hand, this indicates that you have a spinal problem or intercostal neuralgia.
Back pain below the left fibula is caused by many different reasons and they are not always safe for life and health. New-onset pain syndrome on the left side below the fibula requires special attention - this could be a sign of neuralgia, angina or even a heart attack. If there is any doubt about the source of the pain syndrome, you need to call an ambulance. Seeking medical attention early can help maintain health and sometimes save lives.