Back pain around the shoulder blades is reported by both older and younger people. Pain in the interscapular region does not indicate a specific disease, but is a manifestation of numerous abnormalities in the work of organs located outside the zone of pain concentration.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, muscles, nerves, facet joints, ligaments, pathological changes in internal organs, consequences of blows and injuries, etc. can be a likely excuse for pain.
The nature of pain
In medical practice, the patient's rational description of their lower back pain is of great importance. Pain between the shoulder blades is a symptom of a number of diseases or pathologies; it is possible to find out the cause of occurrence with an accurate description of its nature, nature, frequency of occurrence and disappearance. Properly diagnosed will eliminate a burning sensation in the back, pain in the shoulder blades, the causes will be determined with the help of a doctor and prevent diseases in the future.
The nature of back pain syndrome is:
- chronic - slight pain is typical, disturbs for a long time, practically does not stop;
- acute - specific pain, suddenly noticeable and subsiding, much stronger than chronic.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, then the localization of painful sensations occurs in different places. This gives rise to classifying pain in the shoulder blades into three types:
- Pain under the shoulder blades (right or left);
- pain between the shoulder blades;
- Pain in the shoulder blade to the right or left.
Back hurts under the shoulder blades
The causes of pain can have absolutely nothing to do with the spine. If a person has back pain under the shoulder blades, a number of accompanying symptoms can indicate the presence of typical widespread diseases without examinations and analyzes.
Pathologies that cause pain under the left shoulder blade:
- Stomach ulcer. Characterized by regular, increasing pain that decreases or disappears after vomiting. Pain sensations in the epigastrium are localized, but penetrate the left shoulder blade.
- Psychological problems. They cause barely perceptible or acute feelings of heaviness, congestion in the chest, tingling in the heart area, compression in the chest. There are cases when such symptoms seize the neck area and spread under the left shoulder blade.
What caused the pain under the right shoulder blade?
The way a symptom manifests itself determines its causes.
The list of reasons for the pain under the right shoulder blade is extensive. Examples of the most common:
- Dull, persistent annoying, persistent pain in the right side of the back can be caused by the usual muscle spasms due to prolonged uncomfortable posture or associated with internal organs: kidneys, pancreas, gallbladder. In most cases, the pain occurs unexpectedly, with a sharp turn of the head, sneezing, coughing.
- Acute, stabbing pain, stabbing or growing, localized to the right in the heart area or in the interscapular space, can be the result of a disease of the internal organs and are not related to the spine. Many body systems cause pain under the right shoulder blade due to deviations from the norms of function - cardiovascular, excretion, digestion, etc.
- Pulling and cutting pain under the right shoulder blade suggests the onset of diseases of the musculoskeletal system: chondrosis, osteochondrosis, spondylosis, etc. Pain of this kind can result from neuralgia when the nerve roots are pinched. The reasons for such painful sensations can be oncological tumors, not often, but such phenomena are present in medical practice.
- The patient has pain in the muscles of the back under the shoulder blades, then you should think about diseases of the respiratory system. Pain under the shoulder blades can be caused by either muscle overload in this area or the thoracic spine.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. It often provokes unilateral aching, dull pains that are concentrated below the occiput. Their peculiarity is to appear in the morning and wake the patient out of sleep. The pain syndrome is especially strong with sharp flexion - extension of the neck. The effect of heat on the painful surface (warm bath) clears the pain. Patients respond to this pathology with a complaint of pain under the shoulder blades, the flow of pain in the arm or head.
Causes of pain between the shoulder blades
Intercostal neuralgia is manifested by pain in the girdle shooting. With a deep breath, a sharp turn of the body, with palpation of the inflamed area between the ribs, the pain increases.
Diseases of the lungs are accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades when inhaling, with a deep inhalation the pain intensifies, there is a high temperature, coughing.
With an increase in pain with shallow inhalation, it is more often given under the right shoulder blade, a diaphragmatic abscess may develop.
If the usual tilt of the head causes pain between the shoulder blades, it is associated with an inflammatory process in the muscles of the interscapular region, as well as damage to its tendons and ligaments.
When swallowing, there is sometimes pain between the shoulder blades caused by disease of the esophagus (inflammation or ulcer); inflammatory processes in the organs between the two lungs; Damage to the membrane.
A burning sensation between the shoulder blades causes attacks of kidney and biliary colic, osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic vertebrae, and reflux oesophagitis.
Pain in the right and left shoulder blades
The reason is because of receiving a blow on the shoulder blade or falling on it. An awkward fall on the arm or elbow will result in a broken shoulder blade. Trauma causes severe pain syndrome, the intensity of the pain increases with movement of the hands. Edema forms.
Scapula pterygoideus. It occurs as a result of muscle paralysis - trapezoidal, diamond-shaped, anterior dentate, or is the result of numerous bruises in the forearm area, damage to the long pectoral nerve.
Scapular Crunch - crunching in the shoulder joint.
Treatment methods
At the beginning of treatment, you need to determine the condition of the lungs and heart. The cardiologist and therapist will most likely prescribe an EKG or ultrasound procedure. After consulting with specialists, you can certainly not consider these organs as the causes of pain between the shoulder blades.
If pain occurs when the spine moves near the shoulder blade, the cause is usually sought in the back. The pain is sometimes so severe that it can be mistaken for symptoms of a panic attack.
The usual x-ray in spinal column diagnostics is often not sufficient, the complete picture is obtained by the MRI of the chest area. Consultation with a vertebrologist is required at this stage of the diagnostic work-up.
Pain in the area of the right shoulder blade can only be eliminated by treatment if the causes of its occurrence are clarified. If this pain is related to diseases of the internal organs, then they need to be treated. Which doctor is treated depends on the organ in question. The pain under the right shoulder blade will go away on its own if the treatment of the affected internal organ is successful.
If there is a connection between back pain on the right and in the interdulobular area with diseases of the spine, then medical care is focused on the focus of inflammation. To eliminate the inflammatory process, analgesics, chondroprotectors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids are used.
Dull pains that do not go away for a long time, as a result of muscle spasms or neuralgia, are effectively treated with warming ointments with an analgesic effect. Plasters are also used, which have a warming and analgesic effect.
prophylaxis
The back in the area of the shoulder blades does not hurt when a person moves around a lot and follows a healthy lifestyle. The movements ensure even strain on the muscles, correct lifting of weights, massages and various types of physiotherapy. Sport is the best prevention measure.
It is recommended to beware of drafts and hypothermia. And above all, pay attention to the right diet.