Left Back Pain When Breathing

Back pain is a common human problem whether you are young or old. People of all ages are susceptible to the problem of various pains and back pains are one of the most common types of pains. So why does back pain occur?

Understanding Back Pain

There are two main types of pains in the back. The first is due to aching bones and the second is due to aching muscles. The pain in the spine or the back bone may be due to some hectic activity involving. Suppose you had to lift something very heavy which is more than what your back can normally take, chances are that the load will fall on the back bone, causing pain. It may also be due to incorrect posture. People who have to sit on a chair for long period of time or have to ride a motorcycle or a bicycle over a long distance also complain about a back bone pain. They suffer from this problem because they sit in a wrong posture for long period of time. Back pain may also be due to some problems related to the spinal cord such as the slipped disc. And finally, one of the most common cause is spinal arthritis.

The second basic type of back pain is the muscle pain. The back is one big group of muscles. So a pulled muscle when doing exercises may be one of the most common causes. Sometimes sitting or sleeping in the wrong posture too may strain the muscles leading. Continuous strain on the muscles in the back may have led to over stressing the tendons. Other very common cause of back trouble, is nerve shingles.

Causes of this Back Pain

So which of these are the causes of this? Is it a bone-related pain or a muscle related pain?

If you have the upper or lower left back pain when you breathe, it's most probably due to a muscle spasm or a pulled muscle. The lower or upper left back pain is due to an injured muscle. When there is a muscle spasm in the body, pretty much any movement will cause pain to the injured area. Suppose you have strained the left lat muscle or the left side of your back, a movement will trigger a pain in that area. And when a person breathes, especially when a person takes a deep breath, there is movement in the back and hence the person may experience pain. Sometimes due to a blow at the diaphragm or a pulled diaphragm muscle, there may be a sharp pain. Apart from these, lower back pain may also be caused due to psychosomatic problems like Tension Myositis Syndrome. In these cases, the person feels that he or she has a back pain when it actually isn't there. It is a pain which a person 'wants to feel' rather than one which he actually has.

Back pain may also be an indicator of cardiovascular diseases or severe pulmonary conditions. But usually this pain isn't isolated to the back alone, but is also accompanied by severe chest pain.

Back pain can only be cured by giving it some rest. You can also treat it by applying an ice pack or even heat. But getting enough rest too is very important. Also isolate the exact cause of the pain to make sure that it doesn't happen again!