Pain, regardless of its location, intensity and cause, always signals a malfunction of the body. If it appears regularly, you should not self-medicate immediately, because the causes of the pathology can be different. You must first find out why your back hurts in the shoulder blade area.
What is the nature of pain?
If you pay attention to what causes discomfort in the shoulder blade area, you need to understand that they have a different character. Back pain should be classified as follows:
- Pull or hurt.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 caused by neuralgia, a traumatic injury to the scapula.
- Strong and unexpected pain.It is typical for complications of gastric ulcers, spastic contraction of the gallbladder muscles and heart attack.
- Paroxysmal painwith a gradual increase in intensity. It is also caused by an ulcer.
- If there is no back pain in the shoulder blade area, but the patient feels itnumbness, pressure, then this could be the result of excessive emotional or inadequate physical stress.
As for the location of the pain, it can be interscapular, subscapular and can also be localized 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 could be normal muscle tension. However, if it recurs periodically and its intensity increases, it is better not to hesitate and urgently consult a doctor. There are the following causes of pain:
- Heart muscle infarction.The pain under the shoulder blade in this case is strong and sharp. Additional signs are: spread of discomfort over a large 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 experiences heartburn and belching. He feels 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 needs emergency surgery. Symptoms of the pathology are clearly expressed. The patient feels an unexpected sharp pain under the shoulder blades, a state of shock, and the abdominal muscles are severely tense. Cold sweat appears on his face and his skin becomes pale. The patient's breathing becomes rapid and upon palpation of the abdomen he feels severe discomfort.
- Spasm of the gallbladder muscles.The pain in the shoulder blade area is cutting or stabbing. Unpleasant sensations do not last long. The pain appears in the right back 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 paleness of the skin and increased sweating.
- Renal disorders.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 excruciating, 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.In this case the pain is felt mainly under the shoulder blade, more often on the left. The nature of the sensations is paroxysmal and they become stronger with any physical activity. Pain syndrome can also burn. When you cough it becomes shingles.
- Muscle and ligament pathologies.Back pain is painful and appears periodically. After rest, the comfort disappears.
Separately, psychological problems should be highlighted, which also cause pain under the shoulder blade. Strong stress or emotional tension, neurosis or increased anxiety are a clear cause of discomfort. The fact is that a person's back muscles are 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 sensation of pressure and stiffness in the shoulder blade area. A person is worried about fear for his life, he can't breathe, his heart starts beating fast and a lump appears in his throat.
Skeletal diseases as a cause of pain
There are many spinal diseases that cause back pain in the shoulder blade area. The most common are:
- Neck osteochondrosis.It causes periodic pain that radiates to the shoulder blade area. The disease develops gradually and is incurable. Additional symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are: stiffness of movements, painful rotations of the head. The nature of the sensations is painful, intensifies with any movement. A person's neck area begins to become 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. Of course, it is necessary to fight them, but this should be done in the initial stages of development. If your back often hurts and the syndrome itself does not go away for a long time, try to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Self-medication is dangerous.
Damage to the scapula as a cause of pain
Often scapula pain is an independent phenomenon and is not accompanied by other pathologies. The main cause of discomfort is the processes that occur directly inside the joint itself. Here are the reasons for the discomfort:
- Injury.It appears very rarely, since this part of the skeleton is maximally protected by muscles. A fracture or other type of injury very often occurs following an accident, a fall from a height or a very strong blow. Immediately after receiving the injury, the victim feels severe 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, pain in the back of the shoulder blades hurts. When moving, the discomfort intensifies.
- Scapular crunch.This is a congenital anomaly of the structure of the scapula. It rarely develops due to 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 causes slight displacement of the scapula, severe pain, inflammation and redness of the skin over the joint, a change in basal temperature and reduced mobility.
It is better not to delay the discovery of the causes of pain, since this is a serious pathological process, the prognosis of treatment depends on the timeliness of the diagnosis.
Other causes of pain
In addition to the presented pathologies, other causes of pain under the shoulder blade can be identified:
- Malignant neoplasm.
- Bone tuberculosis.
- Polio.
- Myositis.
- Mechanical injuries to the back, constant adherence to an incorrect sitting posture.
- Pregnancy.
- Various types of posture disorders: kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis.
- Spondyloarthrosis.
- Intervertebral disc herniation.
To start treatment, and if it is effective, you need to undergo an examination. Based on laboratory tests and instrumental techniques, a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis.
Pathology diagnosis
The first thing you simply need to do is consult several specialists. So, if your back hurts, regardless of whether the discomfort is mild 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 exam includes the following procedures:
- magnetic resonance imagingORCT.
- If your back hurts below the shoulder blades, you should definitely do thisX-ray, which helps identify spinal disorders.
- Lab test, allowing you to detect the inflammatory process.
- ECG.
Specialists will also carry out neurological tests. If after a night's sleep your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, you must first change the mattress. If the problem does not go away, it could be a disease.
Treatment of the pathology
If your back starts to hurt after sleep or some kind of movement, and coughing or breathing shallowly only aggravates the situation, you should definitely start treatment for the pathology that caused the discomfort. Furthermore, therapy should be comprehensive, for example:
- In case of injuries, the pain is relieved with painkillers. It is also necessary to limit mobility, provided by various bandages or orthopedic devices. In addition, physiotherapeutic procedures are used for treatment: electrophoresis with the use of drugs, 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 shoulder blade area 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 malignant bone disease, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without surgical intervention.
- If the shoulder blades hurt very much due to osteochondrosis, the treatment should be comprehensive and comprehensive. To eliminate the source of inflammation, non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Manual therapy is considered helpful. 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 adequate treatment with anticoagulants and fibrinolytic drugs. Glucocorticosteroids are usually used to eliminate pain.
Disease prevention
In order for the pain under the shoulder blades, the main causes of its occurrence were discussed above, not to appear, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:
- Give up a passive lifestyle and bad habits.
- Regularly perform gymnastic exercises or a complex of physical therapy after sleep and during the day.
- Follow periodic courses of therapeutic or preventive massage.
- Observe your posture.
- Strengthen the body's defenses.
- Avoid nervous stress and strong emotional experiences.
- Manage your working hours 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, it must be treated in the early stages.
- A pregnant woman should wear a corset or support bandage to reduce stress on the spine.
Thanks to such preventive measures, you can prevent the onset of pain in the shoulder blades. But if it already exists, you can not delay a visit to the doctor.