Pain, regardless of its location, intensity and cause, always signals a malfunction of the body. If it appears regularly, you should not immediately self-medicate, because the causes of the pathology can be different. You first 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 the discomfort in the area of the shoulder blades, you need to understand that they have a different character. Back pain should be classified as follows:
- Pulling or aching.It appears due to severe compression of the nerve roots, changes in muscle tone, and damage to the spine.
- Long lasting, very intense.It is provoked by neuralgia, a traumatic lesion of the scapula.
- Severe and unexpected pain.It is typical for complications of stomach ulcers, spastic contraction of the gallbladder muscles, and heart attack.
- Paroxysmal painwith a gradual increase in intensity. It is also provoked by an ulcer.
- If there is no back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, but the patient feelsnumbness, pressure, then this may be the result of excessive emotional or inadequate physical stress.
As for the localization of 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 recurs periodically, and its intensity increases, then it is better not to hesitate and urgently consult a doctor. The following causes of pain exist:
- Cardiac muscle 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 to 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.
- Perforation of a gastric ulcer.It represents the appearance of a hole in the wall of the organ, which opens into the abdominal cavity. Here the person requires emergency surgery. Symptoms of pathology are clearly expressed. The patient experiences unexpected acute pain under the shoulder blades, a state of shock, and the abdominal muscles sharply tense. Cold sweat appears on the face, and the skin turns pale. The patient's breathing becomes rapid, and upon palpation of the abdomen he feels severe discomfort.
- Spasm of the gallbladder muscles.Pain in the scapula area is cutting or stabbing. The unpleasant sensations do not last long. 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 area. 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 tugging, but during the development of renal colic it becomes acute. The patient cannot go to the toilet normally.
- Pneumonia or pleurisy.This pathology is characterized by increased pain when coughing.
- Neuralgia.Here, pain is mainly felt 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.
- Pathologies of muscles and ligaments.Back pain is aching and appears periodically. After rest, comfort disappears.
Separately, psychological problems should be highlighted, which also provoke pain under the shoulder blade. Severe stress or emotional tension, neurosis or increased anxiety are a clear cause of discomfort. The fact is that a person’s back muscles tense, so spasms occur, leading to pinching 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 area of the shoulder blades. 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 a lot of spinal diseases that cause back pain in the area of the shoulder blades. The most common of them are:
- Osteochondrosis of the neck.It provokes periodic pain that radiates to the area of the shoulder blades. 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 aching, intensifying with any movement. The neck area of a person begins to go numb.
- Disc protrusionin the cervical region.
- Radiculitis.
All these diseases cause quite severe pain and prevent a person from moving normally and leading a working life. Naturally, it is necessary to fight them, but this should be done at the initial stages of development. If your back hurts often, 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 the processes occurring directly inside the joint itself. Here are the reasons for discomfort:
- Injury.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 experiences sharp pain in the back, hematoma, and swelling. The functionality of the limb and shoulder joint deteriorates or is completely absent.
- Pterygoid blade.It develops due to weakness of the muscle corset. The shoulder girdle completely loses its functionality, the pain in the back of the shoulder blades is aching. When moving, the discomfort intensifies.
- Scapular crunch.This is a congenital anomaly of the scapula structure. Rarely does it develop as a result of abnormal physical activity. In this case, pain in the shoulder blades is considered an additional symptom.
- Osteomyelitis.This is an infectious bone lesion, which is accompanied by inflammation and the appearance of pus. It provokes a slight displacement of the scapula, severe pain, inflammation and redness of the skin over the joint, a change in basal temperature, and impaired mobility.
It is better not to delay in finding out the causes of pain, since this is a serious pathological process, the prognosis of treatment for which 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:
- Malignant neoplasm.
- Tuberculosis of bones.
- Polio.
- Myositis.
- Mechanical injury to the back, constant adherence to incorrect sitting posture.
- Pregnancy.
- Various types of posture disorders: kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis.
- Spondyloarthrosis.
- Intervertebral disc herniation.
In order to start treatment, and it was effective, it is necessary to be examined. Based on laboratory tests and instrumental techniques, a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis of pathology
The first thing you simply need to do is consult with different specialists. So, if your back hurts, then regardless of whether the discomfort is dull or acute, 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 examination includes the following procedures:
- MRIorCT.
- If your back hurts under your shoulder blades, you should definitely dox-ray, which allows you to identify spinal disorders.
- Lab tests, making it possible to detect the inflammatory process.
- ECG.
Specialists will also conduct neurological tests. If after a night's sleep your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, you need to change your mattress first. If the problem does not go away, then the problem may be a disease.
Treatment of pathology
If your back begins to hurt after sleep or some kind of movement, and coughing or taking a shallow breath only aggravates the situation, you must definitely begin treatment for the pathology that caused the discomfort. Moreover, therapy should be comprehensive, for example:
- In case of injuries, pain is relieved with painkillers. It is also necessary to limit mobility, which is provided by various bandages or orthopedic devices. Additionally, 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 medications, massage, and electrical stimulation.
- If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades due to osteomyelitis, the patient will have to take antibacterial agents. Surgery is often used to eliminate a purulent focus.
- Tuberculosis requires specific treatment, which is carried out in special institutions.
- If a patient is diagnosed with a malignant bone disease, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without surgical intervention.
- If the shoulder blades hurt badly due to osteochondrosis, then the treatment should be comprehensive and comprehensive. To eliminate the source of inflammation, non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Manual therapy is considered useful. A good effect is achieved with the help of acupuncture and a needle applicator.
- If a myocardial infarction is suspected, the patient is urgently hospitalized. Here he receives complete rest and appropriate treatment with anticoagulants and fibrinolytic drugs. Glucocorticosteroids are usually used to eliminate pain.
Disease Prevention
In order for pain under the shoulder blades, the main causes of its occurrence were discussed earlier, not to appear, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:
- Give up a passive lifestyle and bad habits.
- Regularly perform gymnastics or a complex of physical therapy after sleep and throughout the day.
- Take periodic courses of therapeutic or preventive massage.
- 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 in the early stages.
- A pregnant woman should wear a support corset or bandage to reduce stress on the spine.
Thanks to such preventive measures, you can prevent the occurrence of pain in the shoulder blades. But if it already exists, then you cannot delay a visit to the doctor.