Suggest Treatment For Severe Pain On The Shoulder Blades

Posted on Sat, 7 May 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 7 May 2016 Answered on

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I'm experiencing severe pain in the lower part of my left shoulder blade. Its a stabbing pain that shots thru to my chest. It also hurts on the left side from the blade up to my neck. if the pain is not shooting it is still very painful in an ache type of way. It hurts more when I lay down or try to transition from any position too another. This has happened before but never so painful or long. Usually I wake up feeling this and it may cause a few shooting pains and goes away. Today it has lasted 4 hours and no sign of getting better..This maybe happens about twice a year. I do have neck problems with one fusion and another one at some point. That pain is also on the left. It also hurts to take deep breaths. It also hurts to turn my head or lift my arm left side. I'm 54, 5'!!' 190#. Im a heavy smoker and I do drink to much. I looked it up and I believe it maybe the lining of my heart filling with fluid. I cant remember the name but the symptoms sound the same. What do you think?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (56 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Your symptoms are not cardiac related.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!

I carefully passed through your question and would explain that your symptoms seem to be related to a musculo-skeletal pain.

I would exclude cardiac disorders possibly related to this symptomatology. Although you have cardio-vascular risk factors, these symptoms are not characteristic of coronary artery disease or any other cardiac disorders.

A radicular nerve pain, caused by a cervical spine disorder (probably nerve compression after the fusion) could cause such symptoms.

I would recommend consulting with a neurologist for a careful physical exam and performing a nerve conduction study to examine the nerves originating in the cervical column, travelling through the arm and chest.

I would also recommend performing other tests for inflammation:

- a chest X ray stud
- a shoulder blade X ray study
- some blood lab tests (PCR, sedimentation rate, complete blood count).

You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues. A MRI of the brachial plexus may be needed to investigate for any compression in the nerves trajectory.

Hope to have been helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar