Very often people complain of back pain in the area of the shoulder blades. Attributing this to overwork, work associated with prolonged sitting or moving heavy objects, they postpone a visit to the doctor.
However, any pain can signal the presence of serious diseases of the spine, threatening the development of complications.
Main reasons
Pain in the spine in the region of the shoulder blades is explained by the fact that it is here that a large number of receptors are located that respond to any pathological changes. With the inflammatory process, the production of leukocytes increases, edema is formed, nerve endings are compressed, which causes pain.
When the back hurts in the lumbar region, shoulder blades, the possibility of a disease that requires therapeutic treatment is not excluded. Often, diseases affecting such important organs as the heart and lungs become the cause of severe pain.
An exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - violation of posture, overweight, lack of physical activity. If the back hurts under the shoulder blades, this may be one of the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.
Most often, the root cause is a disease, injury, psychological state of a person.
Do not try to eliminate the unpleasant symptom yourself using various poultices and ointments. It is necessary to identify the reasons why the back hurts in the area of 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. His injury is often combined with a fracture of the ribs, 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.The cause of the damage is a fall, a traffic accident, a blow.
If the back hurts under the shoulder blades or above, redness and swelling appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. It can be an inflammation of the synovial bag, which is often accompanied by a crackling, a feeling of heaviness.
Dislocation, or rather, the displacement of the humerus and scapula relative to each other, is another reason why the back can hurt in the area of the shoulder blades. The injury occurs with a strong jerk of the arm, upon impact. Dislocation of the scapula does not allow active movement of the upper limb.
When palpating, severe pain is felt. Visually, the asymmetry of the shoulder blades is clearly visible, one of them has a noticeable protrusion of the axillary edge.
Intervertebral hernia
This is the name of a degenerative disease, accompanied by deformation and destruction of the fibrous ring. Any part of the spine is susceptible to pathology.
If the back hurts under the shoulder blades, this may be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral hernia. A chest hernia causes a variety of symptoms.
The most frequent of them:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which sharply increases with coughing or physical exertion. Its nature is different - it can be both dull and sharp pain in the back.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, labored breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems lifting the arms.
The intensity of symptoms depends on the size of the hernia and the stage of the disease.
Osteomyelitis
Aching 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 tissues above the bone are thin enough that symptoms at the site of injury appear immediately. The main sign of pathology is the presence of a purulent wound, soft tissue edema with hyperemia. A person complains of back pain in the region of the shoulder blades, sometimes chills are added to it, the body temperature rises, and the pulse quickens.
There are several varieties of this pathology. Osteomyelitis that occurs when bacteria enter bone tissue through the blood is called hematogenous. Its acute form is more common in children and adolescents.
Penetrating microorganisms from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis. The reason for this is injury, trauma or an open fracture. When a purulent lesion passes from soft tissues to bone, it is called the 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. Since this section is associated with the ribs, there is a chest deformity.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back hurts below the shoulder blades and above the waist, it is worth highlighting increased fatigue, at different levels of the shoulders.
Diagnosis is made only by X-ray. When the stage is on, the back almost constantly hurts in the spinal region.
Osteochondrosis
Back pain in the region of 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, tuberculosis.
An experienced neurologist determines osteochondrosis by several cumulative signs. The localization of the pain syndrome depends on the part in which the nerve endings are pinched. Therefore, a distinction is made between left-sided and right-sided pathology.
If your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, you should definitely be examined in order to start treatment at an early stage. This ensures faster recovery.
Spondylarthrosis
This is the name of a polyetiological disease that often accompanies osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and spondylosis. Spondylarthrosis is arthrosis that affects the intervertebral joints and develops as a result of injuries, congenital malformations, excessive overloads.
Suspicion of a pathology causes pain in the back under the shoulder blades that appear for no apparent reason, especially when the weather changes, when moving. The advanced stage is determined by the characteristic crackle.
Subdiaphragmatic abscess
This is the name of a rare but serious complication after an inflammation that captures the abdominal cavity. The main symptoms are burning in the back, especially in the shoulder blades, shortness of breath, hyperthermia, cough.
Besides the fact that the pain in the spine is localized under the shoulder blades, it can also pass to the right hypochondrium.
Diseases of internal organs
If the back hurts badly in the area of the shoulder blades, this can raise suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system and gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, these symptoms should not be ignored.. One should immediately pay attention to pulling pains, especially chest pains that hide coronary heart disease and other equally serious diseases of internal organs. It is important to diagnose and start treatment in a timely manner.
Intercostal neuralgia
The cause of the phenomenon, when it burns in the area of the shoulder blades, it feels like the back is burning, it is often intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms are formed due to the fact that pathological changes affecting the spine cause compression of the intercostal nerves.
Pain in neuralgia occurs in the shoulder blades and has different intensity. They can get worse when you cough or breathe deeply.
Psychological problems
Back pain under the shoulder blades often occurs for psychological reasons. The patient feels compression and tingling, feels a feeling of anxiety and inexplicable fear. The pain may radiate to the right arm, neck.
Diagnostic
Often pain in the back under the shoulder blade is a consequence of professional activity. Machinists, drivers, seamstresses, sportsmen, designers are 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 in a timely manner, 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 the pain on your own. Since this can often happen with a heart attack, postponing a visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if you have back pain in the shoulder blades? Do not forget that the basis for the appearance 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.
Traumatic and articular origin of pain requires specific clinical therapy, which includes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. Painful sensations are effectively eliminated with the help of corticosteroids, non-steroidal agents. They can be used externally by applying doctor-recommended ointments to the shoulder blades, or by injection. The combination of these methods allows you to achieve the best result.
- Chondroprotectors. They are used to treat the scapular region of the back, when pain is caused by intervertebral hernia, protrusion. Preparations containing mucopolysaccharides, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate will help improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and increase its elasticity.
- Physiotherapy. With damage to the joint tissue, physiotherapy procedures give good results.The most popular shock wave technique, in which infrasound acts on body tissues. It is able to destroy bone growths, improve blood circulation, which leads to increased cartilage nutrition, reduces muscle tone and eliminates pain in the shoulder blades. Additionally, electrophoresis, massage, paraffin applications, and manual therapy are widely used.
If a vertebrogenic cause of pain is established, warming compresses with a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine and alcohol will have an effective effect. By improving blood circulation, muscle spasms are relieved and pain is reduced.
Folk remedies can also be used for shoulder pain, but they perform only an auxiliary function.
Prevention
To avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the shoulder blades, it is useful to follow certain rules.
For this you need:
- Eat properly. The deficiency of microelements necessary for the cartilage tissue leads to the degeneration of the intervertebral discs.
- Maintain correct posture. Uneven load on the spine is one of the first causes of pain.
- Move more. It helps to prevent excessive muscle tone, normalize blood circulation. Useful walks in the open air, sports games, gymnastics.
One should not forget about the regular passage of medical examinations, thanks to which it is possible to detect the development of any pathologies at a very early stage.