Very often people complain that their back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades.Attributing it to overwork, work that involves prolonged sitting or moving heavy objects, they postpone a visit to the doctor.
However, any pain can signal 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 fact that there are a large number of receptors that respond to any pathological changes.During the inflammatory process, leukocyte production increases, swelling is formed, nerve endings are compressed, which causes 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.Diseases that affect important organs such as the heart and lungs are often the cause of severe pain.
Exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - bad posture, excess weight, lack of physical activity.If your back hurts below your shoulder blades, it could be one of the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.
Most often, the underlying cause is an illness, injury or psychological condition of the person.
You should not try to remove the unpleasant symptom yourself with various compresses and ointments.It is necessary to determine the reasons why your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, for which you will need to visit a doctor and undergo an examination.
Shoulder blade injuries
This bone is located on the side of the spinal column, it is protected by many muscles and in very rare cases it is damaged.His injury is often combined with a rib fracture, 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, car accident or impact.
If your back hurts below or above the shoulder blades, redness and swelling appear, consult a doctor immediately.This can also be inflammation of the synovial bursa, which is often accompanied by a feeling of creaking and heaviness.
Dislocation, more precisely the movement of the humerus and shoulder blade in relation 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 hand or when there is a blow.A dislocated scapula does not allow active movements of the upper limb.
During palpation, a strong pain is felt.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 your shoulder blades, it could be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral hernia.Various symptoms are observed in case of thoracic hernia.
The most common of them:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which suddenly increases with coughing or physical activity.Its nature can be different - it can be dull or acute back pain.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems raising arms.
The intensity of the 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 affecting bone tissue.
This disease is usually very severe.The tissue above the bone is quite thin, so symptoms appear immediately at the site of the lesion.The main sign of pathology is the presence of a purulent wound, swelling of soft tissues with hyperemia.The person complains that his back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, sometimes chills are added to it, the body temperature rises, and the pulse quickens.
There are several variants of this pathology.Osteomyelitis that occurs when bacteria enter the bone tissue through the blood is called hematogenous.Its acute form is most often found in children and adolescents.
Microorganisms penetrating from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis.The cause is injury, trauma or an open fracture.When the purulent lesion moves from the soft tissue to the bone, it is called the contact form of the disease.
Scoliosis
One of the most common reasons why back pain occurs in the area of the shoulder blades is scoliosis of the thoracic spine.Given that this section is connected to the ribs, the deformation of the chest can be observed.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back hurts below the shoulder blades and above the lower back, increased fatigue and different shoulder levels should be noted.
The diagnosis is made only by radiography.When the stage is advanced, the back hurts almost constantly in the region of the spine.
Osteochondrosis
Back pain in the area 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 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- and right-sided pathology.
If you have back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, you should definitely get yourself examined in order to start treatment at an early stage.This guarantees a faster recovery.
Spondyloarthrosis
This is the name of a polyetiological disease that often occurs with osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and spondylosis.Spondyloarthrosis is an arthrosis that affects the intervertebral joints and is caused by injuries, congenital defects and excessive overload.
Suspicion of pathology is caused by back pain under the shoulder blades that occurs for no apparent reason, especially when the weather changes or when moving.The advanced stage is determined by a characteristic crunching sound.
Subphrenic abscess
This is the name given to a rare but serious complication after inflammation that affects the abdominal cavity.The main symptoms are burning in the back, especially in the area of the shoulder blades, difficulty breathing, hyperthermia and cough.
In addition to the pain in the spine being 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, it may cause suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system or gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, such symptoms cannot be ignored.It is necessary to immediately pay attention to excruciating pains, especially chest pains, behind which coronary disease and other equally serious diseases of internal organs are hidden.It is important to diagnose and start treatment in time.
Intercostal neuralgia
The cause of the appearance when there is a burning sensation in the area of the shoulder blades, a feeling as if the back is on fire, is often intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms arise due to the fact that pathological changes affecting the spine cause compression of the intercostal nerves.
Painful sensations from neuralgia appear at the level of the shoulder blades and have different intensity.They can get worse when you cough or take a deep breath.
Psychological problems
Back pain below the shoulder blades often occurs due to psychological reasons.The patient feels compression and tingling, and feels anxiety and inexplicable fear.The pain may radiate to the right arm and neck.
Diagnostics
Often back pain under the shoulder blade is a consequence of professional activity.Machines, drivers, seamstresses, athletes, designers - people whose work is associated with daily tension in the back muscles.
When the first symptoms appear, it is necessary to visit a doctor and undergo an examination.When the disease is detected early and treatment is started in time, many serious complications can be avoided.
If your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods, including radiography, computed tomography and ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to independently determine the exact cause of the pain.Given that it can often occur during a heart attack, delaying a visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades?Do not forget that the cause of such a symptom can be various pathologies.Therefore, treatment should only be prescribed by a doctor and carried out under his supervision.
Traumatic and articular origin of pain requires specific clinical therapy that includes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.Painful sensations are effectively alleviated by the use of corticosteroids and non-steroidal drugs.They can be used externally, by applying ointment as recommended by a doctor to the area of the shoulder blades or by injection.You can achieve the best results by combining these methods.
- Chondroprotectors.They are used to treat the scapular region of the back when the pain is caused by an intervertebral hernia or protrusion.Preparations containing mucopolysaccharides, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate will help improve cartilage tissue nutrition and increase its elasticity.
- Physiotherapy.In case of joint tissue damage, physiotherapeutic procedures show good results.The most popular is the shock wave technique, in which infrasound affects body tissues..It is able to destroy bone growths, improve blood flow, which leads to increased nutrition of cartilage, reduces muscle tone and eliminates pain in the shoulder blades.In addition, electrophoresis, massage, paraffin baths and manual therapy are widely used.
If a vertebrogenic cause of pain is determined, heating compresses using a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine and alcohol will be effective.Improving blood circulation relieves muscle spasms and reduces pain.
Folk remedies can also be used for pain in the scapulae, but they have only an auxiliary function.
Prevention
Adherence to certain rules will help you avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the area of the shoulder blades.
For this you need:
- Eat right.Lack of microelements 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.This helps prevent excessive muscle tone and normalize blood circulation.Walks in the fresh air, sports games and 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.