Painful left shoulder and abdomen

[ssfrisky]

My left should blade has a burning pain that radiates to my lower left abdomen and is very painful. when I bend over. What is it?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of the pain. Possibilities that may need to be considered include postural issues, neuro-muscular causes such as muscle sprain, nerve impingement, injuries to muscles/ ligaments, inflammations, spinal causes such as degeneration, referred pain from thoracic/ abdominal (GI) structures secondary to infection/ inflammation etc. I would suggest getting this evaluated by a primary care physician initially and depending on the cause diagnosed/ suspected, it can be managed accordingly or specialist care may be sought.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!

[Arti Sharma, M.D.]

Hi there,
It is difficult to determine the exact cause of your symptoms without a through history, clinical examinations and investigations. Based on the information shared by you the commonest possibility is acute pancreatitis. In this condition there is severe pain in the abdomen radiating to the left shoulder. It is severe when you lie directly on your back. Investigations like blood tests, ultrasound and CT abdomen may be needed to diagnose the condition. Other possibilities are GERD, gallstones, peptic ulcer disease etc.Sometimes a heart attack may present with shoulder pain, abdominal pain, sweating and palpitations. It is best to see a physician and get yourself evaluated. I hope it helps.
Take care and regards!