Back pain in the shoulder blades: causes, diagnosis, full description of the problem

Many people experience back pain throughout their lives. They can be located in different areas for a huge number of different reasons. If a person has back pain in the shoulder blade area, this symptom should not be ignored.

However, it is important to understand here that a momentary pain that quickly passed and is no longer felt is not a cause for concern. On the contrary, anxiety is caused by systematic pain, regardless of their intensity and nature. Consider the causes and methods of diagnosing pain, let's talk about its nature and methods of getting rid of it.

The nature of the pain

Pain is not an independent disease, it is just a symptom. The occurrence of back pain can be due to a number of factors, ranging from pain after sleeping in an uncomfortable position to serious pathological processes in the body.

To understand why the back hurts between the shoulder blades, it is important to find out the cause of the pain. But first it is worth considering one more significant question regarding the nature of painful sensations, which helps to establish the root cause of this symptom.

So, doctors distinguish the following gradation of pain according to their nature:

• Acute- several sudden onsets, but always very intense. Regardless of whether the back hurts below, above or between the shoulder blades, the pain appears spontaneously. At the same time, a certain feeling of "shooting through" arises, a person can scream, twitch with the whole body, bend over sharply. Such a reflex reaction is caused not only by the suddenness and intensity of the painful sensation, we instinctively try to avoid unpleasant feelings.
• Boring- is substantially different from the previous paragraph. It develops gradually and haunts the patient for a long time. Dull pain is characterized by its monotony, varies in intensity. In some cases, the painful sensation is so vivid that it prevents a person not only from moving or performing actions, but also from sleeping. Dull aches indicate problems with the muscles or depend on pathologies affecting the tendons or ligaments. It tends to intensify during movement or physical exertion, is localized on both sides (in the region of both shoulder blades).
• sharp- not much different from strong, but still has some features. Sharp pain, as the name suggests, also occurs suddenly, however it varies in intensity. It can be sudden severe low back pain, causing the reflex actions described earlier. But in some cases, the sharp pains are quite weak, although they bring a lot of discomfort. It often appears when performing any action, lifting weights, awkward movements, etc.
• stabbed- it is rather not about the nature, but about the specifics of painful sensations that arise depending on a particular disease. Shooting pains are spontaneous and wave-like, cyclical. It is they who are most often radiating, localized in the back under the shoulder blades, give, for example, to the lower back, the level of the sacrum. Feeling a shooting pain of high intensity, patients say that a knife or needle has been stuck in a certain place.
• In pain- one of the types of pain of a dull nature. Such painful sensations are also characterized by constancy and duration. Aching pain is debilitating, it follows a person everywhere, regardless of his actions, even in the absence of movement and physical exertion. Localized between the shoulder blades in the spine, aching pains radiate to the chest, patients have a feeling that the heart hurts, although there are no heart pathologies. Aching pains are also characteristic of cyclicity, they are constantly present, but have a habit of changing intensity.
• Pull- this type of pain is characteristic of bone, muscle and ligament structures. The specificity of the pain is associated with the name, the patients have a feeling that someone or something is pulling a muscle or bone in the place of localization of unpleasant sensations. Severe pain of a pulling nature brings a lot of discomfort, hinders movement, often radiates to neighboring areas.
• Burning or burning pain- a rather rare type of pain, which is usually referred to as "burning in the back". Such sensations are characteristic of some forms and stages of osteochondrosis, it also cooks the back with ischemic pathologies of the heart. In the second case, the pain that occurs in the area of the shoulder blades radiates;
• strong or weak- it is this indicator that is both key and the most controversial for any doctor. If the back hurts badly, it brings maximum discomfort, exhausts the person, incapacitates him. Weak pains are easier to bear and do not complicate life as much, but in most cases they are the most prolonged and difficult to treat. Subjective indicators of the intensity of painful sensations are due to the fact that each person has a different degree of pain sensitivity, a different pain threshold. In such cases, it is better to pay attention to where it hurts - in the center, closer to the left or right shoulder blade.

We must not forget that it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis by the nature of the pain alone. After all, even the concept of "character" is subjective, since each person has an individual sensitivity threshold and even the same disorder can be accompanied by different symptoms.

Also, pain in various pathological processes is often accompanied by other symptoms. Now we will consider what clinical signs may be present along with pain:

• Numb back- a clinical sign indicating neurological disorders. It is often observed with intercostal neuralgia, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, spondylarthrosis.
• Freezing back- Another symptom of a number of neurological, which is combined with painful sensations. According to medical reference books, such a clinical sign is inherent in only two pathologies. In the first case, we are talking about a violation of the nerve roots of the spinal cord, in the second case, the symptom is 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 a clinical sign usually occurs with very strong painful sensations.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, pain between the shoulder blades indicates diseases of the spine. However, there is always the possibility that painful sensations will radiate due to the development of other pathologies, for example, diseases of internal organs, among which the most likely are pathologies of the heart and lungs.

Because the back hurts in the shoulder blade area

Even taking into account all the variety of characters of back pain in the shoulder blade region, it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based on this symptom alone. At the same time, in order to completely get rid of the pain and not temporarily relieve it with painkillers, it is necessary to find out the true cause of their occurrence.

To understand why there are back pains in the shoulder blades, it is necessary to highlight the main causes of their occurrence:

• Mechanical damage to the spineespecially in the cervical or thoracic region. It's not just recent injuries, including bruises, dislocations, sprains and fractures. Old injuries can remind themselves years later or serve as a 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 blades, it means osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic region, that is, the upper back.
• postural disorder, 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 also occur due to banal flat feet. The most severe forms of spinal curvature are kyphosis and kyphoscoliosis;
• Slipped discin the thoracic spine it also causes the development of pain. At the same time, the pain intensifies with movements, 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- a disease of the musculoskeletal system, characterized by an inflammatory process in the periarticular tissues. Pathology is accompanied by sharp pain symptoms in the area of \u200b\u200bthe scapula and upper extremities, significantly hinders hand movements.
• Intercostal neuralgia- the pathological process is caused by disorders of neurological origin, pinching of the nerves in the region of the ribs (chest). At the same time, the pains are girdle, touching including the shoulder blades.

• Migratory or radiating pain in the shoulder blade area is often foundheart pathologiesamong 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, in 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 scapula. This area is very convenient for injections, and the fact that the vaccine is administered at the same time only increases the pain syndrome, which lasts 1-2 days.

It is difficult to single out all the causes of pain between the shoulder blades, as there are many of them. This list contains only the main ones. As for the less common causes, most of them are signs of other diseases. We are talking about diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver, kidneys, in any of these cases the pain radiates.

We must also not forget that there are pains associated with heavy physical exertion. They can be pathological or muscular, in the second case it is enough to rest the back muscles, with pathological pains it is important to consult a doctor.

Diagnostics

The doctor can accurately establish the causes of pain and make a diagnosis only on the basis of obtaining diagnostic data. For a variety of reasons, diagnostics involves many procedures, among which the most demanded are the following:

• First visit and medical history- 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 areas and functional diagnostics, including hand movements, tilts, and so on.
• Radiography- if a person has pain in the spine below, above or in the middle of the shoulder blades, the easiest way to identify the cause is an X-ray. This method of examination allows you to determine the shape of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, identify curvatures, infringements, etc.
• CT- a modern and more informative diagnostic method that gives a more complete picture in the presence of spinal pathologies.
• MRI- this method of examination is necessary in cases where X-ray and CT did not give the necessary information. MRI can detect pathologies affecting the spinal cord and its branches.

If, during the examination of the spine, the causes of the pain are not identified, diagnostics of the pathologies of the cardiovascular system, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. is required.

What to do if your back hurts between the shoulder blades

If a person feels severe pain in the spine between the shoulder blades for a long time, the painful sensations do not go away, or their intensity is so high that there is no strength to withstand it, urgently consult a doctor.

The fight against most pathological processes with such symptoms does not tolerate self-treatment, the fight against diseases occurs only under the guidance of a specialist. In addition, it is important to understand that in most cases, doctors resort to conservative methods of treatment.

The basis of treatment is drug therapy:

• The first task is to completely reduce the pain intensity or completely stop the pain in the back. For this, painkillers of analgesic or antispasmodic action are prescribed.
• The best treatment for various diseases of the musculoskeletal system are drugs from the group of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). They are prescribed in the form of ointments, injections, tablets. Thanks to the ointments, the analgesic effect is quickly achieved, in addition, these drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect, and also allow you to bring down the local temperature.
• In some pathological processes, to cope with the root cause of pain, in combination with NSAIDs, drugs of group B are prescribed. They help to normalize metabolic processes in the tissues, improve nerve conduction, and are especially useful for osteochondrosis neuralgia .

If the back hurts under the shoulder blades, 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 method of treatment is made jointly with the doctor. The duration of therapy depends on the disease itself, the degree of its progression and other factors, but the full course includes at least 10 procedures. Only then can significant improvements be observed.

To cope with the problem even more effectively and quickly, a course of massage is added to the complex of therapeutic measures. It must be performed by an experienced specialist. This procedure helps with shoulder blade injuries and most back diseases. However, massages are recommended in the presence of positive dynamics of drug treatment and physiotherapy. The course of treatment normalizes blood circulation, speeds up metabolism, reduces pain, restores muscle tone and elasticity.

Subsequently, massages are replaced by physiotherapy exercises, which allow you to consolidate recovery progress and prevent further development of back diseases. The patient performs exercises associated with minor physical exertion, the main emphasis is on stretching the muscles and keeping them in good shape. It is important to remember here that the intensity of the exercises increases gradually, the patient should not experience any discomfort. A systematic approach is also very important, but if you feel back pain under the shoulder blades again, seek advice from 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 back pain and illness, follow these simple preventative tips:

• Always monitor physical activity, be it heavy sports or hard physical work at work. You cannot lift too much weight, overloading your back.
• If heavy lifting is unavoidable, do it right. Only lift weights with a straight back.
• Maintain an active lifestyle and play sports to maintain your back muscles. It is very useful to do exercises every day, swimming and holding on to the horizontal bar.
• When sitting, try to keep your back straight, take a break every 1-2 hours, walk around, or warm up by doing a series of bends and squats.
• To prevent back pain, osteochondrosis and other diseases, sleep on a flat, hard surface. Purchase an orthopedic mattress and pillow that follows the shape of your head and neck.

By following these simple rules, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing back pain and illness. But remember, if the pains appear, do not go away for more than a week or become too intense, be sure to consult a doctor. Timely diagnosis and initiation of treatment can minimize the damage to the body and defeat the disease faster.