Very often people complain of back pain in the shoulder blades.Attributing this to overwork, work involving prolonged sitting, or moving heavy objects, they postponed visiting the doctor.
However, any pain can signal the presence of serious spinal diseases that threaten the development of complications.
Main reasons
Pain in the spine in the shoulder blades is explained by the fact that it is there that a large number of receptors are located that respond to any pathological changes.During the inflammatory process, the production of leukocytes increases, swelling is formed, nerve endings are compressed, which causes pain.
When you have back pain in the lumbar region and shoulder blades, the possibility of an illness requiring therapeutic treatment cannot be excluded.Diseases that affect such important organs as the heart and lungs often cause severe pain.
Exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - poor posture, excess weight, lack of physical activity.If your back hurts below the shoulder blades, this may be one of the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.
Most often, the root cause is illness, injury, or a person's psychological state.
You should not try to eliminate an unpleasant symptom yourself with the help of various poultices and ointments.It is necessary to identify the reasons why you have back pain in the shoulder blades, for which you will need to consult a doctor and undergo an examination.
Shoulder blade injuries
This bone is located on the side of the spine, is protected by many muscles and is damaged in very rare cases.Its injury is often associated with rib fractures, so it is not always possible to make a diagnosis in time.
In this case, the victim feels severe pain in the shoulder blades, sometimes hemorrhage and the development of hemarthrosis of the shoulder are possible.Damage can be caused by a fall, road accident or impact.
If your back hurts below the shoulder blades or above, redness and swelling appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.It can also be an inflammation of the synovial bursa, which is often accompanied by a cracking sensation and a feeling of heaviness.
Dislocation, or more specifically the displacement of the humerus and shoulder blade relative to each other, is another reason why the back can hurt in the shoulder blade area.The injury occurs when there is a strong pull on the arm or when there is a blow.A dislocated shoulder blade does not allow active movements of the upper limb.
On palpation, severe pain is felt.Visually, the asymmetry of the shoulder blades is clearly visible;one of them has a notable protrusion of the axillary margin.
Intervertebral hernia
This is the name of a degenerative disease accompanied by deformation and destruction of the annulus fibrosus.Any part of the spine is susceptible to pathology.
If your back hurts below the shoulder blades, this may be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral herniation.With a thoracic hernia, various symptoms are observed.
The most common of them:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which sharply intensifies with coughing or physical activity.Its nature can be different - it can be dull or sharp pain in the back.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Muscle weakness, difficulty raising your arms.
The intensity of the symptoms depends on the size of the hernia and the stage of the disease.
Osteomyelitis
Aching pain between the shoulder blades may be a sign of osteomyelitis.This is the name of a purulent infection that affects bone tissue.
This disease is usually very difficult.The tissue located on the bone is quite thin, so symptoms at the site of injury appear immediately.The main sign of pathology is the presence of a purulent wound, swelling of soft tissues with hyperemia.A person complains of back pain in the shoulder blades, sometimes chills are added to them, the body temperature rises and the pulse accelerates.
There are several varieties of this pathology.Osteomyelitis that occurs when bacteria enters bone tissue through the blood is called hematogenous.Its acute form is most often found in children and adolescents.
Microorganisms entering from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis.The cause is an injury, trauma or open fracture.When a purulent lesion moves from the soft tissues to the bones, it is called a contact form of the disease.
Scoliosis
One of the most common causes of back pain in the shoulder blades is scoliosis of the thoracic segment of the spine.Considering that this section is connected to the ribs, a deformation of the chest is observed.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back hurts below the shoulder blades and above the lower back, increased fatigue and different shoulder levels should be highlighted.
Diagnosis is made only by x-ray.When the stage is advanced, the back hurts almost constantly at the spinal level.
Osteochondrosis
Back pain in the shoulder blades is the main symptom of osteochondrosis, when the upper part of the spine is subject to degenerative processes.The disease is often confused with pneumonia and tuberculosis.
An experienced neurologist determines osteochondrosis based on several combined characteristics.The localization of the pain syndrome depends on which part of the nerve endings are pinched.Therefore, a distinction is made between left-sided and right-sided pathology.
If you have back pain in the shoulder blades, you should definitely have yourself examined in order to start treatment at an early stage.This ensures faster recovery.
Spondyloarthrosis
This is the name of a polyetiological disease that often occurs with osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and spondylosis.Spondyloarthrosis is osteoarthritis that affects the intervertebral joints and develops due to injuries, congenital malformations and excessive overload.
Suspicion of pathology is caused by pain in the back under the shoulder blades that appears for no apparent reason, especially when the weather changes or when moving.The advanced stage is determined by a characteristic cracking sound.
Subphrenic abscess
This is the name of a rare but serious complication after inflammation affecting the abdominal cavity.The main symptoms are a burning sensation in the back, especially in the shoulder blades, shortness of breath, hyperthermia and cough.
In addition to the fact that the pain in the spine is localized under the shoulder blades, it can also spread to the right hypochondrium.
Diseases of internal organs
If your back hurts very much in the shoulder blades, this may raise suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system or gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, these symptoms cannot be ignored.Attention should immediately be paid to throbbing pains, especially chest pains, which hide coronary heart disease and other equally serious diseases of the internal organs.It is important to make a timely diagnosis and start treatment.
Intercostal neuralgia
The cause of the phenomenon when there is a burning sensation in the shoulder blades, a feeling as if the back is on fire, is often intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms arise due to the fact that pathological changes affecting the spine cause compression of the intercostal nerves.
Painful sensations due to neuralgia occur in the shoulder blades and have varying intensity.They may get worse when you cough or breathe deeply.
Psychological problems
Back pain below the shoulder blades is often due to psychological reasons.The patient feels compression and tingling, and experiences an unexplainable feeling of anxiety and fear.The pain may radiate to the right arm and neck.
Diagnosis
Back pain under the shoulder blade is often a consequence of professional activity.Machinists, drivers, seamstresses, athletes, designers - people whose work is associated with daily tension in the back muscles.
When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor and undergo an examination.When the disease is detected early and treatment is started on time, many serious complications can be avoided.
If you have back pain in the shoulder blade area, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods, including x-ray, CT and ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to independently determine the exact cause of the pain.Since this can often occur during a heart attack, postponing a visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if you have back pain in the shoulder blade area?Remember that the cause of such a symptom can be various pathologies.Therefore, treatment should be prescribed only by a doctor and carried out under his supervision.
The traumatic and joint origin of pain requires specific clinical therapy, which includes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.Painful sensations are effectively relieved with corticosteroid and nonsteroidal medications.They can be used externally, by applying ointments recommended by a doctor to the shoulder blade area, or by injection.The combination of these methods allows you to achieve the best results.
- Chondroprotectors.They are used to treat the scapular region of the back when pain is caused by an intervertebral hernia or protrusion.Preparations containing mucopolysaccharides, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate will help improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and increase its elasticity.
- Physiotherapy.When the joint tissue is damaged, physiotherapeutic procedures give good results.The most popular is the shock wave technique, in which infrasound affects body tissues..It is able to destroy bone growth, improve blood circulation, which leads to increased nutrition of cartilage, reduces muscle tone and eliminates pain in the shoulder blades.In addition, electrophoresis, massage, paraffin baths and manual therapy are widely used.
If a vertebrogenic cause of the pain is established, warming compresses using a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine and alcohol will be effective.By improving blood circulation, muscle spasms are relieved and pain is reduced.
Folk remedies can also be used to treat scapular pain, but they only perform an auxiliary function.
Prevention
Compliance with certain rules will help you avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the shoulder blade area.
To do this you need:
- Eat well.A deficiency of microelements necessary for cartilage tissue leads to degeneration of the intervertebral discs.
- Maintain correct posture.Uneven load on the spine is one of the primary causes of pain.
- Move more.This helps prevent excessive muscle tone and normalize blood circulation.Walking in the fresh air, sports games and gymnastics are useful.
We should not forget about regular medical examinations, thanks to which the development of any pathology can be detected very early.