Pain in Left Shoulder Blade When Taking a Deep Breath
Have you ever felt a sharp pain in your left shoulder when taking a deep breath? It can leave you wondering what is going on in your body. Is it your heart? Could it be something serious? Let us look into this issue and explore how physical therapy can be the key to finding relief and getting back to painless breathing.
What Does Pain When Breathing Mean?
When you experience pain in your left shoulder, especially when taking a deep breath, it is normal to feel concerned. This is clearly because we often associate left-side pain with heart problems. However, the truth is that this type of pain can be caused by several factors, and many of them are not related to your heart at all.
Common Causes of Left Shoulder Pain When Breathing
Muscle Strain
One of the most common reasons for feeling pain in your left shoulder when breathing deeply could be a muscle strain. The muscles in your shoulder and upper back work hard every day especially to aid your breathing and moving your hands. Sometimes they can become overworked or injured.
Poor Posture
Sitting at a desk all day or hunching over your phone is a poor posture that can lead to pain. This is because poor posture puts extra stress on your shoulder muscles and can cause pain, especially when you take a deep breath and stretch those muscles.
Pinched Nerve
A squeezed nerve in your neck or shoulder region might make your left shoulder hurt, especially when you move around or take a big breath. This happens because the nerve is being pressed or irritated, sending pain signals to your shoulder area.
Acid Reflux
Sometimes, heartburn or acid reflux can make your left shoulder hurt. This happens because the nerves in your food pipe are very close to the nerves that go to your shoulder. So, when your food pipe is irritated, your brain might think the pain is coming from your shoulder instead and cause your left shoulder to hurt.
When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention
While most of the causes of left shoulder pain when breathing are not emergency situations, there are times when you should seek immediate medical help. These indicators include: if the pain is severe and comes on suddenly; if you also experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness and if you have a history of heart problems and the pain feels different from your usual symptoms
In these cases, it is better to be safe and get checked out by a medical professional.
How Can Physical Therapy Help?
Since we have discussed the common causes of left shoulder pain while breathing, it is now time to discuss how physical therapy will help you. Shoulder pain, like most other types of pain, can be effectively managed by the use of physical therapy.
Targeted Exercises
With the help of our physical therapist, you will have access to a series of exercises and have them custom-made to suit your needs. They can also build muscles around the shoulder area and enhance both your posture as well as the range of motion.
Manual Therapy
Physical therapists are well equipped with knowledge of manual therapies that will offer comfort when clients are in pain or help them regain basic body activities. This may comprise massage, joint mobilization, or any other kind of manual therapy.
Posture Correction
If poor posture is contributing to your pain, our physical therapist can teach you how to improve your posture and show you exercises to strengthen the muscles that support good posture.
Pain Management Techniques
It is beneficial for our clients to learn such skills as breathing exercises or using heat and cold therapy to treat their pain.
Education
Understanding your condition is a big part of managing it. Our physical therapist can educate you about your body, what might be causing your pain, and how to prevent future problems.
We offer the best shoulder therapy in Aurora. Our team of experienced physical therapists is here to help.
What to Expect in Physical Therapy
It is important that you have expectations when starting with physical therapy for your shoulder pains.
In your first session, you will mostly undergo an evaluation of your symptoms. The therapist that will be working with you will request information regarding the symptoms, overall health, and activity. He will also conduct physical tests and assessments of your strength, flexibility as well as shoulder joint movement.
After the evaluation, the therapist will then develop a suitable plan for the client. This plan will explain the kind of treatment given and the kind of exercises that will be done as well as the frequency of therapy.
More often, most of the sessions will consist of active treatment. This means that you will be performing exercises and movements in the course of your therapy with your therapist. These are exercises aimed at strengthening, stretching, and improving the overall functioning of the shoulder and the muscles involved.
During your treatment, the therapist who is handling you will monitor your progress and change your therapy program if needed.
Preventing Future Shoulder Pain
Once you have addressed your current pain through physical therapy services, you will want to prevent future problems.
Maintain Good Posture
Be mindful of your posture throughout the day, especially if you spend a lot of time sitting.
Stay Active
Regular exercise helps keep your muscles strong and flexible.
Take Breaks
If you do repetitive activities that involve your shoulder joints, take regular breaks to rest your muscles.
Listen to Your Body
If you start to feel pain, do not ignore it. Address it early before it becomes a bigger problem.
Feeling pain in your left shoulder when breathing deeply is often not a serious problem. While it is important to check for major health issues, physical therapy can often help.
Feeling shoulder pain? Get the best physical therapy in Aurora.