Very often people complain that their back hurts in the shoulder blades. Attributing this to fatigue, work involving prolonged sitting or moving heavy objects, they postpone a visit to the doctor.
However, any pain can signal the presence of serious diseases of the spine, threatening the development of complications.
The main reasons
The pain in the spine in the area of the shoulder blades is explained by the fact that this is where a large number of receptors are located, which react to any pathological changes. With the inflammatory process, the production of leukocytes increases, edema is formed, the nerve endings are compressed, which causes pain.
When the back hurts in the lumbar region, the shoulder blades, the possibility of a disease that requires a therapeutic course is not excluded. Often, diseases affecting such important organs as the heart and lungs cause severe pain.
Exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - posture disorders, overweight, lack of physical activity. If your back hurts under your shoulder blades, this may be one of the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.
Most often the main cause is illness, injury, psychological state of a person.
Do not try to eliminate the unpleasant symptom yourself by using different paws and ointments. It is necessary to identify the reasons why the back hurts in the shoulder area, for which you will need to see a doctor and undergo an examination.
Injuries to the shoulder blade
This bone is located on the side of the spine, is protected by many muscles and is damaged in very rare cases. Her injury is often combined with a fracture of the ribs, so it is not always possible to diagnose in time.
In this case, the victim experiences severe pain in the shoulder blades, sometimes bleeding and development of shoulder hemarthrosis is possible.The cause of the damage is a fall, a traffic accident, a collision.
If your back hurts under your shoulders or on top, redness and swelling occur, you should see a doctor immediately. This can be an inflammation of the synovial sac, which is often accompanied by a crunch, a feeling of heaviness.
Dislocation, or rather the displacement of the humerus and the scapula relative to each other, is another reason why the back may hurt in the scapular area. The injury occurs with a strong push of the hand on impact. The dislocation of the scapula does not allow active movement of the upper limb.
On palpation, severe pain is felt. Visually the asymmetry of the blades is clearly visible, one of them has a noticeable protrusion of the axillary edge.
Intervertebral hernia
This is the name of a degenerative disease accompanied by deformation and destruction of the fibrous ring. Every part of the spine is susceptible to pathology.
If your back hurts under the shoulder blades, this may be a sign of a lumbar intervertebral hernia. Chest hernia causes various symptoms.
The most common of them:
- pain between the shoulder blades, which increases sharply with coughing or exercise. Its nature is different - it can be both dull and sharp back pain.
- Paresthesia.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems with raising the 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 may be a sign of osteomyelitis. This is the name of a purulent infection that affects the bone tissue.
This disease is usually very difficult. The tissues above the bone are thin enough so that symptoms at the site of the lesion appear immediately. The main sign of the pathology is the presence of a purulent wound, swelling of the soft tissues with hyperemia. A person complains that his back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, sometimes chills are added to this, the body temperature rises and the pulse speeds up.
There are several varieties of this pathology. Osteomyelitis, which occurs when bacteria enter bone tissue through the blood, is called hematogenous. Its acute form is most common in children and adolescents.
Microorganisms penetrating from the environment cause exogenous osteomyelitis. The reason for this is a wound, trauma or an open fracture. When a purulent lesion passes from the soft tissues to the bone, they speak of a contact form of the disease.
scoliosis
One of the most common causes of back pain in the shoulder blades is scoliosis of the thoracic segment of the spine. Given that this area is connected to the ribs, there is a deformation of the chest.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back hurts below the shoulders and above the waist, you should emphasize the increased fatigue, different levels of the shoulders.
The diagnosis is made only by X-ray examination. When the scene runs, the back almost constantly hurts in the area of the spine.
Osteochondrosis
Back pain in the shoulder blades is the main symptom of osteochondrosis, when the upper part of the spine is subjected to degenerative processes. The disease is often confused with pneumonia, tuberculosis.
An experienced neurologist diagnoses osteochondrosis on several cumulative grounds. The location of the pain syndrome depends on the part in which the nerve endings are compressed. Therefore, a distinction is made between left and right pathology.
If your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, you should definitely be examined to start treatment at an early stage. This ensures faster recovery.
Spondylarthrosis
This is the name of a polyetiological disease that often occurs along with osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and spondylosis. Spondyloarthritis is an arthrosis that affects the intervertebral joints and develops due to injuries, congenital malformations, excessive overload.
The suspicion of pathology causes back pain under the shoulder blades, which occurs for no apparent reason, especially when the weather changes, when moving. The advanced stage is determined by the characteristic crunch.
Subphrenic abscess
This is the name of a rare but serious complication after inflammation that captures the abdominal cavity. The main symptoms are burning in the back, especially in the shoulder blades, shortness of breath, hyperthermia, cough.
In addition to the fact that the pain in the spine is localized under the shoulder blades, it can also spread to the right hypochondrium.
Diseases of the internal organs
If the back hurts a lot in the shoulder area, it can raise suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary system and gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, these symptoms should not be ignored.. It is necessary to immediately pay attention to pulling pain, especially chest pain, which hides coronary heart disease and other equally serious diseases of the internal organs. It is important to diagnose and start treatment on time.
Intercostal neuralgia
The cause of the phenomenon when burning in the shoulder blades, there is a feeling that the back is burning, often intercostal neuralgia.
Unpleasant symptoms are formed due to the fact that pathological changes affecting the spine cause compression of the intercostal nerves.
The pain of neuralgia occurs at the level of the shoulder blades and has a different intensity. They can get worse when you cough or take a deep breath.
Psychological problems
Back pain under the shoulder blades often occurs for psychological reasons. The patient feels pressure and numbness, feels anxiety and inexplicable fear. The pain may radiate to the right arm, neck.
Diagnosis
Often the back pain under the shoulder blade is a consequence of professional activity. Machinists, drivers, seamstresses, athletes, designers are people whose work is associated with daily tension in the muscles of the back.
When the first symptoms appear, you should see a doctor and have an examination.When the disease is detected in time and treatment is started on time, very serious complications can be avoided.
If the back hurts in the shoulder blades, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods, including X-rays, computed tomography and ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of pain on your own. Given that it can often occur in a heart attack, postponing a visit to the doctor is extremely risky.
Treatment
What to do if your back hurts in the shoulder blades? Remember that the basis for the appearance of such a symptom can be various pathologies. Therefore, treatment should only be prescribed by a doctor and performed under his supervision.
The traumatic and articular origin of the pain requires specific clinical therapy, which includes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. Painful sensations are effectively eliminated with the help of corticosteroid, non-steroidal agents. They can be used externally by applying ointments recommended by a doctor in the area of the shoulder blades or by injection. Combining these methods allows you to achieve the best result.
- Chondroprotectors. They are used to treat the scapular area of the back when the pain is caused by an intervertebral hernia, a bulge. Preparations containing mucopolysaccharides, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate will help to improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and increase its elasticity.
- Physiotherapy. In case of joint tissue damage, physiotherapy procedures show good results.The most popular shock wave technique, in which infrasound acts on the tissues of the body. It is able to destroy bone growths, improve blood flow, which leads to increased cartilage nutrition, reduces muscle tone and eliminates shoulder pain. In addition, electrophoresis, massage, paraffin applications and manual therapy are widely used.
If a vertebrogenic cause of pain is found, warming compresses with a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine and alcohol will have an effective effect. By improving blood circulation, muscle spasm is relieved and pain is reduced.
Folk remedies can also be used for shoulder pain, but they perform only an auxiliary function.
Prevention
To avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the shoulder blades, following certain rules will help.
For this you need:
- Eat right. Deficiency of micronutrients needed for cartilage tissue leads to degeneration of the intervertebral discs.
- Maintain a proper posture. Uneven loading of the spine is one of the first causes of pain.
- Move more. This helps to prevent excessive muscle tone, to normalize blood circulation. Useful walks in the fresh air, sports games, gymnastics.
We must not forget about the regular passing of medical examinations, thanks to which it is possible to detect the development of any pathology at a very early stage.