Often people complain of pain in the shoulder blade region of the back.Attributing this to overworking, sitting for long periods of time or work involving moving heavy objects, they postpone a visit to the doctor.
But any pain can indicate the presence of serious spinal diseases that threaten the development of complications.
The main reasons
Pain in the spine in the area of the shoulder blades is explained by the location of a large number of receptors that respond to any pathological changes.During the inflammatory process, the production of leukocytes increases, swelling forms, nerve endings are compressed, which causes pain.
If you have pain in your lower back 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 important organs such as the heart and lungs.
Exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - poor posture, excess weight, lack of physical activity.If your lower back hurts under your shoulder blades, this may be one of the symptoms of a peptic ulcer.
Often the root cause is illness, injury, or a person's psychological state.
You should not try to eliminate an unpleasant symptom yourself, using various ointments and salves.It is necessary to determine the causes of pain in your back in the area of shoulder blades, for this you should consult a doctor and undergo an examination.
Scapula injuries
This bone is located on the side of the spine, is protected by many muscles and is rarely injured.Its damage is often combined with rib fractures, so it is not always possible to make a timely diagnosis.
In this case, the victim feels severe pain in the area of the shoulder blades, sometimes bleeding and the development of shoulder hemarthrosis are possible.Damage can be caused by a fall, traffic accident or impact.
If your back hurts below or above the shoulder blades, redness and swelling appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.It can also be inflammation of the synovial bursa, which is often accompanied by a feeling of creaking and a feeling of heaviness.
Dislocation, or rather 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 when there is a strong pull on the arm or a blow.Protruding scapula does not allow active movements of the upper limb.
Severe pain is felt when palpated.Visually, the asymmetry of the shoulder blades is clearly visible;one of them has a noticeable protrusion of the axillary margin.
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 your back hurts below the shoulder blades, this may be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral hernia.Various symptoms are observed with a thoracic hernia.
The most common of them are:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which worsens sharply during coughing or physical activity.Its nature can be different - it can be either dull or sharp pain in the back.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems raising 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 tissue located on the bone is quite thin, so symptoms appear immediately at the site of the lesion.The main symptom of pathology is the presence of an inflammatory wound, swelling of soft tissues with hyperemia.A person complains that his back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, sometimes it is accompanied by tremors, the body temperature rises and the pulse accelerates.
There are several types of this pathology.Osteomyelitis, which occurs when bacteria enter the bone tissue through the blood, is called hematogenous.Its acute form occurs mostly in children and adolescents.
Microorganisms penetrating from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis.This is due to injury, trauma or an open fracture.When a purulent lesion passes from soft tissue to bone, they speak of the contact form of the disease.
Scoliosis
One of the most common causes of back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is scoliosis of the thoracic spine.If we take into account that this part is connected to the ribs, the deformation of the chest is observed.
In addition to the main symptom, if the back hurts under the shoulder blades and above the lower back, it is necessary to emphasize the increased fatigue and different shoulder levels.
Diagnosis is made only by X-ray.When the stage progresses, the back hurts almost continuously in the spinal region.
Osteochondrosis
Back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is the main symptom of osteochondrosis, when the upper part of the spine undergoes degenerative processes.The disease is often confused with pneumonia and tuberculosis.
An experienced neurologist determines osteochondrosis based on several combined features.The localization of the pain syndrome depends on which part of the nerve endings is compressed.Therefore, a distinction is made between left- and right-sided pathology.
If your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, you should definitely undergo an examination to start treatment at an early stage.This guarantees 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 arthrosis that affects the intervertebral joints and develops as a result of injuries, birth defects, and overuse.
The pathological suspicion is caused by the pain that appears in the back under the shoulder blades for no reason, especially when the weather changes or when moving.The advanced stage is determined by a characteristic creaking sound.
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 shoulder blades, shortness of breath, hyperthermia and cough.
In addition to the localization of pain in the spine 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 suspicions about existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system or gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, such symptoms should not be ignored.It is necessary to immediately pay attention to chest pain, especially chest pain, which hides cardiovascular diseases and other equally serious diseases of internal organs.It is important to diagnose and start treatment in time.
Intercostal neuralgia
When there is a burning sensation in the area of the shoulder blades, the cause of the phenomenon, a burning sensation in the back, is often intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms occur due to the compression of intercostal nerves caused by pathological changes affecting the spine.
Painful sensations from neuralgia occur at the level of the shoulder blades and have different intensity.It can get worse when you cough or take a deep breath.
Psychological problems
Back pain under the shoulder blades often occurs due to psychological reasons.The patient feels tightness and tingling, anxiety and inexplicable fear.The pain may radiate to the right arm and neck.
Diagnostics
Often, back pain under the shoulder blade is the result of professional activity.Machinists, drivers, tailors, athletes, designers - people whose work is related to the daily tension of the back muscles.
When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor and undergo an examination.If the disease is detected early and timely treatment is started, many serious complications can be avoided.
If your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blade, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods, including radiography, computer tomography and ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to independently determine the exact cause of pain.Considering that it can often happen during a heart attack, delaying the visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if your back hurts in the shoulder blade area?Remember that the cause of such a symptom can be various pathologies.Therefore, the treatment should be prescribed only by a doctor and should be carried out under his supervision.
Traumatic and articular origin of pain requires special clinical therapy, which includes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.Painful sensations are effectively eliminated using corticosteroids and non-steroidal drugs.They can be used externally, ointments recommended by a doctor can be applied to the area of \u200b\u200bthe shoulder blades or administered by injection.Combining these methods allows you to get 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 to improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and increase its elasticity.
- Physiotherapy.When articular tissue is damaged, physiotherapeutic procedures give good results.The most popular is the shock wave technique, where infrasound affects body tissues..It is able to destroy bone growths, improve blood flow, which leads to increased cartilage nutrition, reduces muscle tone and relieves pain in the shoulder blades.In addition, electrophoresis, massage, paraffin baths, hand therapy are widely used.
If the vertebrogenic cause of pain is determined, warming compresses using a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine and alcohol will be effective.By improving blood circulation, muscle spasms are eliminated and pain is reduced.
Folk remedies for scapula pain can also be used, but they only perform an auxiliary function.
Prevention
Following certain rules will help to avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the shoulder blade area.
To do this you need:
- Eat right.Lack of trace elements 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 and normalize blood circulation.Walking in the fresh air, sports games, gymnastics are useful.
We must not forget about regular medical examinations, thanks to which the development of any pathology can be detected at a very early stage.