Back pain in the shoulder blade area is noted by both the elderly and the young. Interstitial pain is not a manifestation of a specific disease, but is a manifestation of many abnormalities in the functioning of organs outside the pain focus area.
If the back hurts in the shoulder blade area, then the muscles, nerves, facet joints, ligaments, pathological changes in internal organs, the consequences of blows and injuries, etc. v. could be an excuse for you to be in pain.
The nature of pain
In medical practice, a rational description of the patient's pain in the lower back is important. Pain between the shoulder blades is a symptom of a number of diseases or conditions, it is only necessary to accurately describe the nature, type, frequency of appearance and disappearance to be able to know the cause of the disease. An accurate diagnosis will eliminate the burning sensation in the back, pain in the shoulder blades, the cause of which, with the help of a doctor, will be determined and future diseases will be prevented.
By the nature of back pain syndrome are:
- chronic - mild pain is typical, bothers for a long time, practically does not stop;
- acute pain - specifically, suddenly coming and going, much stronger than chronic.
When the back hurts in the shoulder area, the localization of the pain occurs in different locations. This gives reason to classify shoulder blade pain into three categories:
- pain below the shoulder blade (right or left);
- pain between the shoulder blades;
- pain in the right or left shoulder blade.
Back pain below shoulder blade
The causes of pain may be completely unrelated to the spine. If a person has lower back pain below the shoulder blade, then by a number of accompanying symptoms, without examination and analysis, one can implicitly understand that the person is suffering from typical common diseases.
Pathologies that cause pain below the left shoulder blade:
- Stomach ulcers. Characterized by pain that is frequent, increases, weakens, or disappears after vomiting. Pain in the epigastrium is localized, but infiltrates the left clavicle.
- But Van is about the heart. They cause an acute or subtle feeling of heaviness, congestion in the chest, tingling in the heart area, and compression in the chest. In some cases, such symptoms spread to the neck region, spreading below the left shoulder blade.
Causes of pain under the right shoulder blade
The manner in which a symptom manifests itself determines their cause.
The list of reasons for pain below the right shoulder blade is extensive. Examples of the most common:
- Dull, persistent, uncomfortable, persistent pain in the right side of the back can be caused by normal spasms of muscles due to prolonged uncomfortable body posture, or related to internal organs: kidneys, pancreas, gallbladder. In most cases, the pain comes on suddenly, violently turning the head, sneezing, coughing.
- Acute, penetrating, sharp or progressive pain localized to the right side in the cardiac region or in the intercostal space may result from a disease of internal organs and not involving the spine. Many body systems due to deviations from working standards cause pain below the right shoulder blade - cardiovascular, excretory, digestive, etc. v.
- The pain that pulls and cuts below the right collarbone makes people think of the onset of musculoskeletal diseases: fibrocartilage disease, osteosarcoma, spondylolisthesis, . . . This type of pain can be caused byNerve pain when nerve roots are compressed. The reason for such painful sensations can be cancerous tumors, infrequently, but such phenomena are present in medical practice.
- Patients with pain in the back muscles below the shoulder blades should think about respiratory diseases. Pain below the shoulder blades can be caused by muscle overload in this area or by the thoracic spine.
- Cervical spine tumor. It often causes dull, aching pain on one side, concentrated below the occipital part. Their peculiarity is to appear in the morning, pulling the patient out of sleep. The pain syndrome is especially strong when flexing and extending the neck. Exposure to heat on the painful surface (warm bath) will quell the pain. Patients respond to this pathology by complaining of pain below the shoulder blades, pain that flows into the arm or head.
Causes of pain between shoulder blades
Intercostal neuralgia is manifested by epigastric pain. When taking a deep breath, turning sharply, palpating the inflamed area between the ribs, the pain increases.
Lung diseases are accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades when inhaling, taking a deep breath the pain is more intense, high temperature, coughing.
In the case of increased pain accompanied by shallow breathing, often brought below the right clavicle, there may be a diaphragmatic abscess.
When tilting the head normally causes pain between the shoulder blades, this is related to inflammation in the muscles of the interscapular region, as well as damage to their tendons and ligaments.
Pain between the shoulder blades sometimes occurs when swallowing, the origin of which is diseases of the esophagus (inflammation or ulceration); inflammatory processes in the organs located between the two lungs; diaphragm damage.
A burning sensation between the shoulder blades causes renal and biliary colic, necrosis of the cervical or thoracic vertebrae, and reflux esophagitis.
Pain in the right and left shoulder blades
The reason lies in receiving a blow to the shoulder blade or falling on it. A messy fall on an arm or elbow will result in a shoulder blade fracture. Trauma causes severe pain syndrome, pain intensity increases with movement of the hand. Edema is formed.
Fish scale disease with fleshy plumes. It occurs as a result of muscle paralysis - trapezoid, rhombus, anterior jaw, or as a result of multiple bruises in the forearm region, damage to the long thoracic nerve.
Scapular crunch - crunch in the shoulder joint.
Treatments
At the beginning of treatment, you need to determine the condition of the lungs and heart. Cardiologists and therapists will most likely order an electrocardiogram or ultrasound test. After consulting with a specialist, you can rest assured that these organs are not the cause of pain between the shoulder blades.
When pain occurs when the spine moves near the shoulder blades, the cause is usually looked for in the back. The pain is sometimes so severe that it can be mistaken for symptoms of a panic attack.
Conventional x-rays in the diagnosis of the spine are often insufficient; complete images are obtained by MRI of the thoracic region. At this stage of clarifying the diagnosis, consultation with a chiropractor is required.
The pain in the right scarred area can be cured only when the causes causing its occurrence are clarified. When this pain is associated with diseases of internal organs, it is necessary to treat them. Your doctor will treat it depending on the specific organ. The pain below the right shoulder blade should go away on its own with successful treatment of the affected internal organ.
If there is a link between pain in the right back and the intervertebral region and diseases of the spine, then medical care will be focused on the focus of the inflammation. To eliminate the inflammatory process, analgesics, chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids are used.
Dull pain that does not go away for a long time, due to muscle spasms or neuralgia, is effectively treated with warming ointments that relieve pain. In addition, patches are also used, which have a warming and pain-relieving effect.
Preventive
The back in the shoulder area will not be painful if the patient moves a lot and leads a healthy lifestyle. The movements provide an even load on the muscles, proper lifting of weights, massage and various types of physical therapy. Exercise is the best preventive measure.
Avoid drafts and cool down. And, most importantly, stick to proper nutrition.