Very often people complain of back pain in the shoulder blade area. Attributing this to overwork, work associated with prolonged sitting, or moving heavy objects, they delay a visit to the doctor.
However, any pain can signal the presence of serious spinal diseases, threatening the development of complications.
The main reasons
Pain in the spine in the area of the shoulder blades is explained by the fact that there are a large number of receptors that respond to any pathological changes. With the inflammatory process, the production of leukocytes increases, edema is formed, and nerve endings are compressed, which causes pain.
When the back hurts in the lumbar region, the shoulder blades, the possibility of a disease that requires a therapeutic course is not excluded. Often, diseases that affect such important organs as the heart and lungs become the cause of severe pain.
Exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - violation of posture, overweight, lack of physical activity. If your back hurts under your shoulder blades, it may be one of the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.
The most common cause is illness, injury, and the mental state of the person.
Do not try to eliminate the unpleasant symptom yourself, using various dressings and ointments. It is necessary to determine the reasons why the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, which is why you will have to visit a doctor and undergo an examination.
Blade injuries
This bone is located on the side of the spine, it is protected by many muscles and in very rare cases it is damaged. Her injury is often combined with a rib fracture, 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 bleeding and the development of shoulder hemarthrosis is possible.The cause of the damage is a fall, a car accident, a blow.
If your back hurts below the shoulder blades or above, redness and swelling appear, consult a doctor immediately. This can be inflammation of the synovial sac, which is often accompanied by creaking, a feeling of heaviness.
Dislocation, ie the movement of the humerus and the scapula in relation to each other, is another reason why the back can hurt in the area of the scapulae. The injury is caused by a strong jerk of the hand, when struck. The dislocation of the scapula does not allow active movement of the upper extremity.
Severe pain is felt on palpation. The asymmetry of the blades is clearly visible visually, one of them has a noticeable protrusion of the axillary edge.
Intervertebral hernia
This is the name of a degenerative disease, followed by deformation and destruction of the fibrous ring. Any part of the spine is susceptible to pathology.
If the back hurts below the shoulder blades, it may be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral hernia. Chest hernia causes various symptoms.
The most common of them:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which increases abruptly with coughing or physical exertion. Its nature is different - it can be both dull and acute back pain.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems with raising the arms.
The intensity of the symptoms depends on the size of the hernia and the stage of the disease.
Osteomyelitis
Pain between the shoulder blades can be a sign of osteomyelitis. This is the name of a purulent infection that affects the bone tissue.
This disease is usually very severe. The tissues above the bone are thin enough so that the symptoms at the site of the lesion appear immediately. The main sign of pathology is the presence of a purulent wound, soft tissue edema with hyperemia. The person complains that his back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, sometimes chills are added to it, the body temperature rises, and the pulse speeds up.
There are several variants of this pathology. Osteomyelitis that occurs when bacteria enter bone tissue through the blood is called hematogenous. Its acute form is most common in children and adolescents.
Microorganisms that penetrate from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis. The reason for this is a wound, trauma or an open fracture. When a purulent lesion spreads from the soft tissues to the bone, they speak of a contact form of the disease.
Scoliosis
One of the most common causes of back pain in the scapular region is scoliosis of the thoracic segment of the spine. Since this part is connected to the ribs, there is a deformity of the thorax.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back hurts below the shoulders and above the waist, increased fatigue, different levels of the shoulders should be noted.
The diagnosis is made only by X-ray. When the stage is in progress, the back hurts almost constantly in the area of the spine.
Osteochondrosis
Back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is the main symptom of osteochondrosis, when the upper part of the spinal column is subject to degenerative processes. The disease is often confused with pneumonia, tuberculosis.
An experienced neurologist determines osteochondrosis by several cumulative signs. The localization of the pain syndrome depends on the part where the nerve endings are constricted. Therefore, a distinction is made between left- and right-sided pathology.
If you have back pain in the shoulder blade area, you definitely need to be examined to start treatment at an early stage. This guarantees faster recovery.
Spondylarthrosis
This is the name of a polyetiological disease that often occurs with osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and spondylosis. Spondyloarthritis is an arthrosis that affects the intervertebral joints and occurs due to injuries, congenital malformations, excessive overload.
Suspicion of pathology causes back pain under the shoulder blades that occurs for no reason, especially when the weather changes, when moving. The advanced stage is determined by the characteristic crunch.
Subdiaphragmatic abscess
This is the name of a rare but serious complication after inflammation that affects the abdominal cavity. The main symptoms are tingling in the back, especially in the area of the shoulder blades, shortness of breath, hyperthermia, cough.
In addition to the pain in the spine localized below the shoulder blades, it can also spread to the right hypochondrium.
Diseases of internal organs
If the back hurts a lot in the area of the shoulder blades, it can cause suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system and gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, these symptoms should not be ignored.. It is necessary to immediately pay attention to traction pain, especially chest pain that hides coronary heart disease and other equally serious diseases of internal organs. It is important to diagnose and start treatment on time.
Intercostal neuralgia
The cause, when burning in the shoulder blade area, there is a feeling of burning in the back, is often intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms arise due to the fact that pathological changes affecting the spine cause compression of the intercostal nerves.
The pain in neuralgia occurs at the level of the shoulder blades and is of varying intensity. They can get worse when you cough or take a deep breath.
Psychological problems
Back pain under the shoulder blades often occurs for psychological reasons. The patient feels compression and tingling, feels anxiety and inexplicable fear. The pain may radiate to the right arm, neck.
Diagnosis
Often, back pain under the shoulder blade is the result of professional activity. Machines, drivers, seamstresses, athletes, designers are people whose work is connected with everyday tension in the back muscles.
When the first symptoms appear, it is necessary to visit 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 the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods, including X-rays, computed tomography and ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of pain on your own. Since it can often occur with a heart attack, delaying a visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades? Remember that the basis for the appearance of such a symptom can be various pathologies. Therefore, treatment should be prescribed only by a physician and carried out under his supervision.
The traumatic and articular origin of pain requires specific clinical therapy that includes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. Painful feelings are effectively removed with the help of corticosteroid, non-steroidal agents. They can be used externally by applying ointment on the doctor's recommendation to the area of the shoulder blades or by injection. By combining these methods you can achieve the best result.
- Chondroprotectors. They are used to treat the scapular region of the back, when the pain is caused by an intervertebral hernia, a bulge. Preparations containing mucopolysaccharides, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate will help improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and increase its elasticity.
- Physiotherapy. In case of joint tissue damage, physiotherapeutic procedures show good results.The most popular shock wave technique, in which infrasound acts on body tissues. It is able to destroy bone growths, improve blood flow, which leads to increased cartilage nutrition, reduces muscle tone and eliminates shoulder pain. In addition, electrophoresis, massage, paraffin applications, and manual therapy are widely used.
If a vertebrogenic cause of pain is identified, heating pads using a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine and alcohol will work effectively. By improving circulation, it relieves muscle spasms and reduces pain.
Folk remedies can also be used for pain in the scapulae, but they have only an auxiliary function.
Prevention
To avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the shoulder blade area, it will help to adhere to certain rules.
For this you need:
- Eat right. Lack of microelements necessary for cartilage tissue leads to degeneration of intervertebral discs.
- Maintain proper posture. Uneven loading of the spine is one of the first causes of pain.
- Move more. It helps prevent excessive muscle tone, normalize blood circulation. Useful walks in the fresh air, sports games, gymnastics.
We must not forget to undergo regular medical examinations, thanks to which it is possible to detect the development of any pathology at a very early stage.