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Causes of back pain in the shoulder blade area and treatment methods

Back pain in the shoulder blade region caused by illness or injury

Pain, regardless of its location, intensity and cause, always signals a malfunction in the body. If it appears regularly, you should not immediately self-medicate, as the causes of the pathology may be different. First you need to find out why your back hurts in the shoulder blade area.

What is the nature of the pain?

If you pay attention to what causes discomfort in the shoulder blade area, you need to understand that they have a different character. Back pain should be classified as follows:

  • Pulling or hurting.It appears due to strong compression of the nerve roots, changes in muscle tone and damage to the spine.
  • Long lasting, very intense.It is caused by neuralgia, a traumatic injury to the scapula.
  • Intense and unexpected pain.It is typical of complications of stomach ulcers, spastic contraction of the gallbladder muscles, and heart attack.
  • Paroxysmal painwith gradual increase in intensity. It is also caused by an ulcer.
  • If there is no back pain in the shoulder blade region, but the patient feelsnumbness, pressure, then this may be a result of excessive emotional or inappropriate physical stress.

As for the location of the pain, it can be interscapular, subscapular, and can also be located inside the joint. Now you can find out why the discomfort occurs.

Diseases of internal organs as a provoking factor

If discomfort appears in the back, under the shoulder blade, it may be normal muscle tension. However, if it occurs periodically and its intensity increases, it is better not to hesitate and consult a doctor urgently. There are the following causes of pain:

  • Cardiac muscular infarction.The pain under the shoulder blade in this case is strong and sharp. Additional signs are: spread of discomfort over a wide area, increased sweating, increased heart rate. A distinctive feature of a heart attack is that even taking nitrates does not help calm the attack.
  • Gastrointestinal ulcer.In this case, the pain syndrome has an increasing and paroxysmal character. Discomfort often appears after eating in the epigastric region. The pain radiates to the sternum, lower back and heart. The patient also feels heartburn and belching. He becomes nauseous and may vomit.
  • Gastric ulcer perforation.It represents the appearance of a hole in the wall of the organ, which opens into the abdominal cavity. Here the person needs emergency surgery. Symptoms of pathology are clearly expressed. The patient feels an unexpected sharp pain under the shoulder blades, a state of shock, and the abdominal muscles become extremely tense. Cold sweat appears on the face and the skin becomes pale. The patient's breathing becomes rapid and, upon palpation of the abdomen, he feels severe discomfort.
  • Spasm of the gallbladder muscles.The pain in the scapula region is cutting or stabbing. The unpleasant sensations do not last long. The pain appears in the back, on the right, under the ribs, which then radiates to the neck, collarbone and jaw.
  • Subphrenic abscess.It is characterized by the accumulation of pus in the diaphragm region. The pain gradually increases, general weakness and loss of appetite appear, and the temperature may rise. There is pallor of the skin, as well as increased sweating.
  • Kidney pathologies.Here the pain is localized not only in the back area, under the shoulder blades, but also in the lower back. The nature of the sensations is pulling, but during the development of renal colic it becomes acute. The patient is unable to go to the bathroom normally.
  • Pneumonia or pleurisy.This pathology is characterized by increased pain when coughing.
  • Neuralgia.Here the pain is felt mainly under the shoulder blade, more often on the left. The nature of the sensations is paroxysmal and they become stronger with any physical activity. The pain syndrome can also be burning. When coughing, it becomes shingles.
  • Muscle and ligament pathologies.Back pain is aching and appears periodically. After rest, comfort disappears.

Separately, psychological problems should be highlighted, which also cause pain under the shoulder blade. Severe stress or emotional tension, neurosis or increased anxiety are a clear cause of discomfort. The fact is that the muscles of a person's back tense, causing spasms, causing compression and inflammation of the nerve processes. The pain is pressing, radiating to other parts of the body. There is a feeling of pressure and stiffness in the shoulder blade area. A person is worried about fear for his life, he lacks air, his heart begins to pound and a lump appears in his throat.

Skeletal diseases as a cause of pain

There are many spinal diseases that cause back pain in the shoulder blade area. The most common of them are:

  1. Osteochondrosis of the neck.It causes periodic pain that radiates to the shoulder blade region. The disease develops gradually and is incurable. Additional symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are: stiffness of movements, painful turns of the head. The nature of the sensations is painful, intensifying with any movement. A person's neck area begins to feel numb.
  2. Disc protrusionin the cervical region.
  3. Radiculitis.

All of these diseases cause very intense pain and prevent the person from moving normally and leading a professional life. Naturally, it is necessary to combat them, but this must be done in the early stages of development. If your back hurts frequently and the syndrome itself does not go away for a long time, try to see a doctor as soon as possible. Self-medication is dangerous.

Damage to the scapula as a cause of pain

Often, pain in the shoulder blade is an independent phenomenon and is not accompanied by other pathologies. The main cause of discomfort is processes occurring directly within the joint itself. Here are the reasons for the discomfort:

  • Wound.It appears very rarely, since this part of the skeleton is maximally protected by muscles. A fracture or other type of injury most often occurs as a result of an accident or a fall from a height or a very strong blow. Immediately after receiving the injury, the victim feels severe back pain, bruising and swelling. The functionality of the limb and shoulder joint deteriorates or is completely absent.
  • Pterygoid plate.It develops due to weakness of the muscular corset. The shoulder girdle completely loses its functionality, the pain in the back of the shoulder blades is hurting. When moving, the discomfort intensifies.
  • Scapular crisis.This is a congenital anomaly of the structure of the scapula. It rarely develops as a result of abnormal physical activity. In this case, pain in the shoulder blades is considered an additional symptom.
  • Osteomyelitis.It is an infectious bone lesion, accompanied by inflammation and the appearance of pus. It causes slight displacement of the scapula, intense pain, inflammation and redness of the skin over the joint, changes in basal temperature and difficulty in mobility.

It is better not to delay in discovering the causes of the pain, as it is a serious pathological process, whose treatment prognosis depends on the timeliness of diagnosis.

Other causes of pain

In addition to the presented pathologies, other causes of pain under the scapula can be identified:

  1. Malignant neoplasm.
  2. Tuberculosis of the bones.
  3. Polio.
  4. Myositis.
  5. Mechanical back injury, constant adherence to incorrect sitting posture.
  6. Pregnancy.
  7. Various types of postural disorders: kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis.
  8. Spondyloarthrosis.
  9. Intervertebral disc herniation.

To start treatment and be effective, it is necessary to undergo an examination. Based on laboratory tests and instrumental techniques, a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnosis of pathology

The first thing you need to do is consult several experts. Therefore, if your back hurts, regardless of whether the discomfort is dull or sharp, you need to contact the following doctors: therapist, neurologist, cardiologist, orthopedist and traumatologist, as well as a pulmonologist. Consultation with a surgeon is important. The exam includes the following procedures:

  1. MRIorTC.
  2. If your back hurts under your shoulder blades, you should definitely doX-ray, which allows you to identify spinal disorders.
  3. Laboratory Tests, making it possible to detect the inflammatory process.
  4. ECG.
Patient with pain in shoulder blades during medical consultation

Specialists will also perform neurological tests. If after a night's sleep your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, you first need to change the mattress. If the problem does not go away, then the problem may be an illness.

Pathology treatment

If your back starts to hurt after sleeping or some kind of movement, and coughing or shallow breathing only aggravates the situation, you should definitely start treating the pathology that caused the discomfort. In addition, therapy must be comprehensive, for example:

  • In case of injuries, pain is relieved with analgesics. It is also necessary to limit mobility, which is provided by various bandages or orthopedic devices. In addition, physiotherapeutic procedures are used for treatment: electrophoresis with the use of medications, ultrasound.
  • To resolve neurological problems, it is necessary to consult an appropriate specialist. He will prescribe medication, massage and electrical stimulation.
  • If the back hurts in the shoulder blade area due to osteomyelitis, the patient must take antibacterial drugs. Surgery is often used to eliminate a purulent focus.
  • Tuberculosis requires specific treatment, carried out in special institutions.
  • If a patient is diagnosed with a malignant bone disease, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without surgical intervention.
  • If the shoulder blades hurt a lot due to osteochondrosis, treatment should be comprehensive and comprehensive. To eliminate the source of inflammation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Manual therapy is considered helpful. A good effect is achieved with the help of acupuncture and a needle applicator.
  • If myocardial infarction is suspected, the patient is urgently hospitalized. Here he receives complete rest and adequate treatment with anticoagulants and fibrinolytics. Glucocorticosteroids are generally used to eliminate pain.

Disease prevention

So that pain under the shoulder blades, the main causes of its occurrence, discussed earlier, does not appear, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:

  • Give up a passive lifestyle and bad habits.
  • Regularly do gymnastics or a physiotherapy complex after bed and throughout the day.
  • Take periodic therapeutic or preventive massage courses.
  • Watch your posture.
  • Strengthen the body's defenses.
  • Avoid nervous stress and strong emotional experiences.
  • Manage your working time correctly so that you have the opportunity to rest.
  • Buy an orthopedic mattress.
  • Sleep should last at least 8 and no more than 10 hours a day.
  • If a person has health problems, they need to be treated early.
  • A pregnant woman should wear a supportive corset or bandage to reduce stress on the spine.

Thanks to these preventive measures, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of pain in the shoulder blades. But if it already exists, you cannot delay a visit to the doctor.