For decades now, any occurrence of pain in left shoulder blade and chest can cause a person to panic, because these symptoms are mainly associated with a heart attack. The same reaction also applies to pain in left shoulder blade and arm. However, it is important to remember that several people experience shoulder ache and shoulder blade pain for different causes too. In some situations, a person may pull a muscle or could suffer from a physical injury, both of which are very common factors that lead to should pain. However, in several instances, the pain felt in the shoulder and especially the should blade, arise due to condition that have nothing really to do with the shoulder, which means that the pain is caused by other underlying health conditions such as frozen shoulder, pulmonary embolism, gall bladder diseases or simply sleeping in an incorrect position. However, in case a person is affected by left shoulder blade pain, the most natural reaction is to assume that the pain is related to heart problems, when in truth, most cases of pain in left shoulder and chest usually have little to do with a heart attack. Moreover, the pain is treatable in most people, but in order to adopt the appropriate treatment options, it is very important to know about the left shoulder and chest pain causes.
Nevertheless, allowing the problem of pain in left shoulder blade area when breathing to go unchecked could be a big mistake, even if the pain is not related to the heart. This is because some of the other causes could be just as dangerous as a heart attack and could require immediate medical attention.
Most people tend to rush to the doctor or even an emergency room, when they suffer from left shoulder and chest pain. While it is a good idea, to have a doctor take a look at the shoulder, not all instances of pain require emergency medical attention. Given below are some of the common left shoulder blade pain causes:
There are some women who may also experience pain in left shoulder blade and breast during the course of their pregnancy. This could be because of pressure that is applied on a particular nerve or organ, because of the growing baby. Doctors should be made aware of the problem of left shoulder blade pain in pregnancy as they may also suggest some simple remedies to relieve the pain.
In case a person experience episodes of left shoulder blade pain after eating, it could be an indication of gastrointestinal problems. Most doctors need to investigate exactly what condition is inducing pain in left shoulder after eating and then suggest the appropriate treatment options therefore, it is absolutely imperative to consult a doctor in case of pain in left shoulder blade after eating.
Adopting the right shoulder blade pain treatment at the right time can save a person a lot of tension and discomfort.
Pain that is associated with a heart attack or a mistaken case of indigestion usually occurs with a closing in feeling in the frontal part of the chest and not in the back. However, this is not an absolute. Considering the symptoms that you have just described, there is possibility that you might be suffering some kind of lung damage. This lung damage could be because of a lung infection, fibroid tissue growing in your lung or a tumor growing in your lung. Any or all of these conditions require that you seek immediate medical attention.
Some of the infections that could be associated with a shortness of breath are tuberculosis, emphysema, COPD and pneumonia. All of these are serious conditions and apart from emphysema and COPD, can be treated mostly with the use of advanced antibiotics. Emphysema and COPD are typically “smoker” diseases and occur due to years of prolonged smoking, destroying the elastic nature of the lungs. In this condition, the alveoli of the lungs are affected by continuous smoking, and fill-up with carbon deposits as well. However, the pain that you mentioned is not a typical symptom and this disease would make you cough up blood every now and then, along with severe coughing and sputum. If these are not part of your symptoms, you probably do not have these health conditions. Tuberculosis and pneumonia are lung infections that are caused by bacteria. These diseases cause inflamed lungs and that means lungs that are filled with liquid and mucus. Again, you should have some kind of cough and if you cough up blood, you most probably have tuberculosis.
The final possibility lies in cancer or cystic fibrosis, but these also require that you have coughed up blood, suffered weight loss, and a host of other problems, which do not correspond to your problem. There are chances that your condition might not be serious at all and perhaps it is time that you start to increase your lung capacity. Start to increase your lung capacity by jogging or cycling; steadily, increasing the amount of distance that you cover each day. You should also try breathing exercise by inflating your lung to full capacity and exhaling slowly. Do this exercise for an hour every day. You should start feeling the difference in a few days time. Increase your dietary intake of all the vitamins by using supplements that are available in your local drugstore. Remember to consult your doctor as well, to ensure that there are no major problems with your lungs.