Many people experience back pain during their lifetime. They can be localized in different areas for a large number of different reasons. If a person experiences back pain in the shoulder blade area, this symptom should not be ignored.
However, it is important to understand here that momentary pain that passes quickly and is no longer felt is nothing to worry about. On the other hand, anxiety is caused by systematic pain, regardless of its intensity and nature. Consider the causes and methods of diagnosing pain, let's talk about the nature and methods of getting rid of it.
Nature of pain
Pain is not an independent disease - it is only a symptom. The appearance of back pain can be caused by various factors, from pain after sleeping in an uncomfortable position to severe pathological processes in the body.
To understand why the back hurts between the shoulder blades, it is important to know the cause of the pain. But first it is worth considering another important issue regarding the nature of the painful sensation, which helps to establish the main cause of this symptom.
Therefore, doctors distinguish the following gradations of pain according to their nature:
- Acute- sudden attacks that are different, but always very intense. Regardless of whether the back pain is below, above or between the shoulder blades, the pain appears spontaneously. At the same time, a feeling of "shooting" arises, a person can scream, twitch with his whole body, bend sharply. Such a reflex reaction is caused not only by the suddenness and intensity of painful sensations, we instinctively try to avoid unpleasant feelings.
- Dull- fundamentally different from the previous paragraph. It develops gradually and haunts the patient for a long time. Dull pain is characterized by its monotony, it varies in intensity. In some cases, the painful sensation is so pronounced that it prevents a person not only from moving or doing any action, but also from sleeping. Dull pain indicates a problem with the muscles or depends on the pathology affecting the tendons or ligaments. It tends to increase during movement or physical exercise, it is localized on both sides (in the area of both shoulder blades).
- sharp- not much different in strength, but still has certain characteristics. Sharp pain, as the name suggests, also occurs suddenly, however, it varies in intensity. It can be a sudden strong lumbago, causing the reflex action described earlier. But in some cases, sharp pain is quite weak, although it brings a lot of discomfort. Often appears when performing any action, lifting weights, awkward movements, etc.
- stab- it is not about the nature, but about the specifics of painful sensations that manifest themselves depending on a particular disease. Stitching pain is spontaneous and undulating, cyclical. It is they who often radiate, localized on the back under the shoulder blades, giving, for example, to the lower back, the level of the sacrum. Feeling stabbing pain of high intensity, the patient says that a knife or needle is stuck in a certain place.
- heartache- one of the types of pain that is boring. Such painful sensations are also characterized by constancy and duration. Painful debilitating pain, it follows a person everywhere, regardless of his actions, even without movement and physical effort. Localized between the shoulder blades in the spine, pain radiates to the chest area, the patient has the feeling that the heart hurts, although there is no heart pathology. For excruciating pain, cycles are also characteristic, they are always present, but they have a habit of changing intensity.
- Attract- this type of pain is characteristic of the structure of bones, muscles and ligaments. The specificity of the pain is associated with the name, the patient has the feeling that someone or something is pulling the muscle or bone in the place of localization of the unpleasant sensation. Severe pain of a pulling nature brings a lot of discomfort, hinders movement, often radiating to nearby areas.
- Burning or burning pain- a relatively rare type of pain, which is usually referred to as "burning the back. "Such a sensation is characteristic of some forms and stages of osteochondrosis, it also burns the back with cardiac ischemic pathology. In the second case, the pain that manifests itself in the area of the scapula is radiating;
- strong or weak- This indicator is the key and most controversial for any doctor. If the back hurts badly, it brings maximum discomfort, exhausts the person, makes him incapacitated. Weak pain is easier to bear and does not complicate life, but in most cases it is the most protracted and difficult to treat. The subjective indicator of the intensity of painful sensations is because each person has a different level of sensitivity to pain, a different pain threshold. In such cases, it is better to pay attention to the painful place, in the middle, closer to the left or right shoulder blade.
We must not forget that it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis only by the nature of the pain. Moreover, even the concept of "character" is subjective, because each person has an individual sensitivity threshold and the same disease can be accompanied by different symptoms.
In addition, pain in various pathological processes is often accompanied by other symptoms. Now we will consider what clinical signs may be present along with the pain:
- Numb back- clinical signs indicating a neurological disorder. It is often observed with intercostal neuralgia, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, spondyloarthrosis.
- Back to freezing- Another symptom of some neurological, which is combined with painful sensations. According to medical reference books, such clinical signs exist only in two pathologies. In the first case, we are talking about a violation of the nerve root of the spinal cord, in the second case, the symptoms are associated with an inflammatory disease, pyelonephritis.
- Increased body temperature- with inflammation of internal organs, sometimes the pain is accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades. Most of these symptoms indicate pneumonia or tuberculosis.
- In some cases, pain in the scapular region is accompanied bynausea, but such clinical signs usually occur with very strong painful sensations.
In most cases, pain between the shoulder blades indicates a disease of the spine. However, there is always a possibility that painful sensations radiate due to the development of other pathologies, for example, diseases of internal organs, among which heart and lung pathologies are the most likely.
Why back pain in the shoulder blade area
Despite taking into account all the diversity of the character of back pain in the shoulder blade area, it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based on these symptoms alone. At the same time, in order to completely eliminate pain, and not relieve them temporarily with painkillers, it is necessary to find out the true cause of their appearance.
To understand why there is back pain in the shoulder blade area, it is necessary to highlight the main causes of its occurrence:
- Mechanical damage to the spineespecially in the cervical or thoracic region. This is not just about recent injuries, including bruises, dislocations, sprains and fractures. Old injuries can remind themselves years later or serve as the development of other pathologies in which the spine hurts between the shoulder blades.
- Osteochondrosis- one of the most common causes of pain in different parts of the back. Of course, when it comes to pain in the shoulder blade, it means osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic region, that is, the upper back.
- Postural disorders, that is, any pathology that can lead to curvature of the spine. First of all, scoliosis is implied in its various manifestations, but curvature can occur even due to shallow flat feet. The most severe forms of spinal curvature are kyphosis and kyphoscoliosis;
- Herniated discin the thoracic spine also causes the development of pain. At the same time, the pain increases with movement, and the pathological process itself is dangerous by pinching the nerves with the addition of neurological symptoms to the clinical picture.
- Periarthrosis of the shoulder or scapular joint- diseases of the musculoskeletal system, characterized by inflammatory processes in the periarticular tissue. Pathology is accompanied by symptoms of acute pain in the area of the scapula and upper limbs, significantly hindering hand movement.
- Intercostal neuralgia- the pathological process is caused by a disorder of nerve origin, pinching the nerve in the rib area (chest). At the same time, the pain is girdle, touching including shoulder blade.
- Migrating or radiating pain in the shoulder blade area is often found withheart pathologyamong which ischemia and myocardial infarction are often distinguished. In such cases, the pain "radiates" from the heart to the back.
- Pregnancy- Another cause of back pain, including between the shoulder blades. The appearance of painful sensations is explained by the growth of the fetus, during which the center of gravity shifts and the load on all parts of the spine increases. Usually, the pain appears closer to the third trimester, when the fetus reaches a large size.
- Pain may occurafter vaccinationunder the shoulder blade This area is very easy to inject, and the fact that the vaccine is given at the same time only increases the pain syndrome, which lasts for 1-2 days.
It is difficult to choose all the causes of pain between the shoulder blades, because there are many of them. This list contains only the main ones. For less common causes, most are symptoms of other diseases. We are talking about diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver, kidneys, in each of these cases the pain radiates.
We must also not forget that there is pain associated with heavy physical exertion. They can be pathological or muscular, in the second case, you just need to relax the back muscles, with pathological pain it is important to consult a doctor.
Diagnostics
Doctors can accurately determine the cause of pain and make a diagnosis only based on obtaining diagnostic data. Due to various reasons, diagnostics involves many procedures, among which the following are the most necessary:
- Preliminary examination and history taking- the doctor asks the patient about the localization, frequency, nature and intensity of painful sensations. This is followed by an examination of the patient with palpation of the indicated painful area and functional diagnostics, including hand movements, inclinations, etc.
- Radiography- if a person experiences pain in the spine below, above or in the middle of the shoulder blade, the easiest way to identify the cause is an x-ray. This examination method allows you to determine the shape of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, identify curvature, violation, etc.
- CT scan- modern and more informative diagnostic methods that provide a more comprehensive picture with the presence of spinal pathology.
- Magnetic resonance imaging- this examination method is needed in cases where X-ray and CT do not provide the necessary information. MRI can detect pathologies affecting the spinal cord and its branches.
If, during the examination of the spine, the cause of the pain is not identified, pathological diagnostics of the cardiovascular system, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. are required.
What to do if the back hurts between the shoulder blades
If a person feels a sharp pain in the spine between the shoulder blades for a long time, the painful sensation does not go away, or the intensity is so high that there is no strength to endure, see a doctor immediately.
The fight against most pathological processes with such symptoms does not tolerate self-treatment, the fight against the disease takes place only under the guidance of a specialist. In addition, it is important to understand that in most cases, doctors use conservative treatment methods.
The basis of treatment is drug therapy:
- The first task is to reduce the intensity of the pain or stop the pain in the back completely. For this, painkillers of analgesic or antispasmodic action are prescribed.
- The best treatment for various diseases of the musculoskeletal system is drugs from the NSAID group (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). They are prescribed in the form of ointments, injections, tablets. Thanks to the ointment, the analgesic effect is achieved quickly, in addition, these drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect, and also allow you to reduce the local temperature.
- In certain pathological processes, to overcome the cause of pain, in combination with NSAIDs, group B drugs are prescribed. They help normalize metabolic processes in tissues, improve nerve conduction, and are excellent for osteochondrosis neuralgia.
If the back hurts below the shoulder blade, in addition to drug treatment, a course of physiotherapy is required, including the following procedures:
- Electrophoresis.
- Laser therapy.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Ultrasound.
The decision on the appointment of each treatment method is made together with the doctor. The duration of therapy depends on the disease itself, its level of development and other factors, but a full course includes at least 10 procedures. Only then can significant improvements be noticed.
To overcome the problem more effectively and faster, a course of massage is added to the complex of therapeutic measures. It must be carried out by an experienced specialist. This procedure helps with shoulder blade injuries and most back ailments. However, massage is recommended in the presence of positive dynamics of drug treatment and physiotherapy. The course of treatment normalizes blood circulation, accelerates metabolism, reduces pain, restores muscle tone and elasticity.
After that, the massage is replaced by physiotherapy exercises, which allows you to consolidate the progress of rehabilitation and prevent the development of back diseases. Patients do exercises that are associated with small physical exercises, the main emphasis is on stretching the muscles and keeping them in good condition. It is important to remember here that the intensity of training increases gradually, the patient should not experience discomfort. A systematic approach is also very important, but if you again feel pain in your back below the shoulder blade, seek the advice of a physiotherapist.
Prevention
The back hurts under the shoulder blades or between them - this feeling is very unpleasant, especially if it is associated with the development of any pathological process. To protect yourself from illness and back pain, follow these simple prevention tips:
- Always control physical activity, whether it is heavy sports or heavy physical work at work. You can not lift too much weight, overload the back.
- If heavy lifting is unavoidable, do it properly. Lift weights only with a straight back.
- Maintain an active lifestyle and exercise to maintain back muscles. It is most useful to do daily exercises, go swimming and hang on the horizontal bar.
- When sitting, try to keep your back straight, rest every 1-2 hours, walk or warm up by doing a set of bends and squats.
- To avoid muscle back pain, osteochondrosis and other diseases, sleep on a flat and hard surface. Buy an orthopedic mattress and pillow that conforms to the shape of your head and neck.
By following these simple rules, you can significantly reduce the chances of getting diseases and back pain. But remember, if pain appears, they do not disappear for more than a week or become too strong, be sure to see a doctor. Timely diagnosis and initiation of treatment can minimize damage to the body and defeat the disease faster.