Very often people complain that their back hurts in the shoulder blade area.Attributing it to overwork, work that involves sitting for a long time or moving heavy objects, they postpone visiting the doctor.
However, any pain may indicate the presence of serious spinal diseases that threaten the development of complications.
Main reasons
Pain in the spine in the area of the shoulder blades is explained by the fact that a large number of receptors are located here that respond to any pathological changes.During the inflammatory process, the production of leukocytes increases, swelling forms and nerve endings are compressed, causing pain.
When your back hurts in the lumbar region and shoulder blades, the possibility of a disease that requires a therapeutic course cannot be ruled out.Often the cause of severe pain is diseases that affect such important organs as the heart and lungs.
The exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors: poor posture, excess weight, lack of physical activity.If your back hurts below your shoulder blades, this may be one of the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.
Very often, the root cause is an illness, injury, or a person's psychological state.
You should not try to eliminate an unpleasant symptom yourself using various poultices and ointments.It is necessary to identify the reasons why your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, for which it will be necessary to go to the doctor and undergo an examination.
Scapula injuries
This bone is located on the side of the spine, is protected by many muscles and is damaged in very rare cases.Their injury is often combined 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 area of the shoulder blades, sometimes bleeding and the development of hemarthrosis of the shoulder are possible.Damage can be caused by a fall, traffic accident or impact.
If your back hurts below the shoulder blades or above, redness and swelling appear, you should immediately see a doctor.It can also be an inflammation of the bursa, which is often accompanied by a crunching and heavy feeling.
Dislocation, or more precisely the displacement of the humerus and scapula relative to each other, is another reason why the back may 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 scapula does not allow active movements of the upper limb.
When palpated, intense pain is felt.Visually, the asymmetry of the shoulder blades is clearly visible;one of them has a notable protuberance of the axillary edge.
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 your shoulder blades, this may be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral hernia.With a thoracic hernia, several symptoms are observed.
The most common of them:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which intensifies sharply when coughing or performing physical activity.Its nature can be different: it can be a dull or sharp pain in the back.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems raising arms.
The intensity of 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 bone tissue.
This disease is usually very difficult.The tissue over the bone is quite thin, so symptoms at the injury site appear immediately.The main sign of pathology is the presence of a suppurating wound, swelling of soft tissues with hyperemia.A person complains that his back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, sometimes chills are added, the body temperature rises and the pulse accelerates.
There are several varieties of this pathology.Osteomyelitis that occurs when bacteria enter bone tissue through the blood is called hematogenous.Its acute form occurs more frequently in children and adolescents.
Microorganisms entering from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis.The cause of this is an injury, trauma, or an open fracture.When a purulent lesion passes from soft tissue to bone, we speak of a contact form of the disease.
scoliosis
One of the most common reasons for back pain in the shoulder blade area is scoliosis of the thoracic segment of the spine.Taking into account that this section is connected to the ribs, deformation of the chest is observed.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back hurts below the shoulder blades and above the lumbar area, it is worth highlighting increased fatigue and different levels of the shoulders.
The diagnosis is made only by x-ray.As the stage progresses, the back hurts in the spinal area almost constantly.
osteochondrosis
Back pain in the shoulder blade area 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 is pinched.Therefore, a distinction is made between left-sided and right-sided pathology.
If your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, you should definitely have an examination to start treatment at an early stage.This ensures a faster recovery.
spondyloarthrosis
This is the name of a polyetiological disease that often occurs together with osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and spondylosis.Spondyloarthrosis is an osteoarthritis that affects the intervertebral joints and develops due to injuries, congenital defects and excessive overload.
Suspected 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 crunch.
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 area of the shoulder blades, difficulty breathing, hyperthermia and cough.
In addition to the fact that 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 a lot in the area of the shoulder blades, this may raise suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system or gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, these symptoms cannot be ignored..It is necessary to immediately pay attention to persistent pain, especially chest pain, which hides 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 of a burning sensation in the area of the shoulder blades, a feeling that the back is burning, is usually intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms arise due to the fact that pathological changes affecting the spine cause compression of the intercostal nerves.
The painful sensations of neuralgia occur at the level of the shoulder blades and have variable intensity.They may worsen when coughing or breathing deeply.
Psychological problems
Back pain under the shoulder blades often arises for psychological reasons.The patient feels compression and tingling, and experiences a feeling of anxiety and inexplicable fear.The pain may radiate to the right arm and neck.
Diagnosis
Often, pain in the back under the shoulder blade is a consequence of professional activity.Machinists, drivers, seamstresses, athletes, designers - people whose work is associated with daily tension on the back muscles.
When the first symptoms appear, it is worth visiting a doctor and undergoing an examination.When the disease is detected early and treatment is started on time, many serious complications can be avoided.
If your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods, such as x-ray, CT scan and ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to independently determine the exact cause of the pain.Considering that it can often occur during a heart attack, postponing a visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if your back hurts in the shoulder blade area?Do not forget that the cause of such a symptom can be a variety of 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 medications.Painful sensations are effectively relieved by corticosteroids and non-steroidal drugs.They can be used externally, by applying ointments recommended by the 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, physiotherapy procedures show good results.The most popular is the shock wave technique, in which infrasound affects the tissues of the body..It is able to destroy bone growths, improve blood flow, which leads to increased nutrition of cartilage, reduce muscle tone and eliminate 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 with 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 for scapula pain, but they only perform an auxiliary function.
Prevention
Following 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.Deficiency of microelements necessary for cartilage tissue causes degeneration of intervertebral discs.
- Maintain correct posture.Uneven loading on the spine is one of the first 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 must not forget about periodic medical examinations, thanks to which the development of any pathology can be detected at a very early stage.