Your left shoulder may look like an unlikely place to develop pain after eating a meal, however if you have a digestive condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, this may be more typical than you believe. Left shoulder pain is commonly related to a cardiac arrest if accompanied by shortness of breath and sweating, but if you establish only shoulder pain after consuming, talk with your doctor to receive a medical assessment.
Causes of Left Shoulder Hurts after Eating
To find out the causes of pain under left shoulder blade after eating you should understand the what are organs, muscles and bones located there.
After you chew your food and swallow it, it takes a trip down your esophagus and into your stomach, where strond stomach acids break down the food. Between your esophagus and the opening of the stomach is a flat muscle, called the sphincter. The sphincter enables food to enter the stomach and shuts to prevent acid from entering the esophagus. If your sphincter breakdowns, doesn’t close the whole way or opens without factor, acid can cause irritation and damage to the soft tissue in your esophagus, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
Pregnancy, being obese and smoking cigarettes all increase your chances of developing GERD and cause left shoulder pain every time after eating.
GERD is a gastrointestinal condition that causes reoccurring heartburn. Heartburn is a burning, painful sensation that develops in the center of the breastbone and may cause pain to radiate into your left shoulder, your neck and behind your shoulder blades. Radiated pain is pain that originates in one part of the body and is felt in another.
Specialists recommend that if you develop heartburn more than twice a week, or your symptoms end up being annoying, you must make a consultation with your doctor.
Treatment of Pain in the Left Shoulder After Eating
Treatments consist of lifestyle and dietary changes in addition to medication. Your doctor may advise preventing the usage of caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, carbonated beverages, tomatoes, citrus fruits, hot foods, fatty foods, peppermint, full-fat diary items and spearmint.
Furthermore, if you’re a cigarette smoker, stopped; eat small portion of meals; reduce stress; prevent bending over after eating; don’t rest two to three hours after eating; and reduce weight, if you’re overweight.
Typical medications that can help reduce symptoms of GERD include proton pump inhibitors, antacids, H2 antagonists and promotility agents.
Considerations
If you establish blood in your vomit or stool, or you end up being lightheaded and have trouble breathing, call your doctor right away. A minor heart attack can be misinterpreted for heartburn or GERD.
Other signs of a more major condition might consist of severe stomach pain, chest pain, fever and flushing of the skin.
