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

Many people experience back pain during their lifetime. They can be localized in different areas for many different reasons. If a person has back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, this symptom should not be ignored.

However, it is important to understand here that the 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. Let's consider the causes and methods of diagnosing pain, let's talk about its nature and methods of solving it.

Nature of pain

Pain is not an independent disease - it is only a symptom. The occurrence of back pain can be caused by a number of 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 find out the cause of the pain. But first it is worth considering another important question regarding the nature of painful sensations, which helps to determine the main cause of this symptom.

Therefore, doctors distinguish the following gradations of pain according to their nature:

• Acute- different sudden onset, but always very intense. Regardless of whether the back hurts below, above or between the shoulder blades, the pain occurs spontaneously. At the same time, a certain feeling of "shooting" occurs, the person may scream, jerk his whole body, bend sharply. Such a reflex reaction is not only caused by the suddenness and intensity of the painful feeling, but we instinctively try to avoid unpleasant feelings.
• Dull- is fundamentally different from the previous paragraph. It develops gradually and haunts the patient for a long time. Dull pain is characterized by its monotony, varying in intensity. In some cases, the painful sensation is so vivid that it prevents a person not only from moving or performing any actions, but even from sleeping. Dull pains indicate muscle problems or depend on pathologies affecting tendons or ligaments. It tends to increase during movement or physical exertion, it is localized on both sides (in the region of both shoulder blades).
• sharp- not much different from strong, but still has certain characteristics. Sharp pain, as the name suggests, also occurs suddenly, however, with different intensity. It can be a severe sudden lumbago, which causes the reflex actions described earlier. But in some cases, sharp pains are quite weak, although they bring a lot of discomfort. It often appears when performing any action, lifting weights, uncomfortable movements, etc.
• stabbing- it is not about the nature, but about the specifics of painful sensations that manifest themselves depending on a certain disease. Stitching pains are spontaneous and wavy, cyclical. They often radiate, localized in the back under the shoulder blades, giving, for example, the lower back, the level of the sacrum. Feeling a high-intensity sting, patients say that a knife or needle is stuck in a certain place.
• Aching- one of the types of pain of a dull nature. Such painful sensations are also characterized by persistence and duration. Painful pain is debilitating, follows a person everywhere, regardless of his actions, even in the absence of movement and physical effort. Localized between the shoulder blades in the spine, painful pains radiate to the chest area, patients feel that the heart hurts, although there are no heart pathologies. Painful pains are also characterized by cyclicity, they are constantly present, but have a habit of changing intensity.
• Retreat- this type of pain is characteristic of bone, muscle and ligament structures. The specificity of the pain is related to the name, patients have the feeling that someone or something is pulling the muscle or bone at the location of the unpleasant sensations. Severe pulling pain brings great discomfort, makes movement difficult, often spreads to nearby areas.
• Burning or stinging pain- a rather rare type of pain, commonly called "burning in the back". Such sensations are characteristic of some forms and stages of osteochondrosis, it also burns the back with ischemic pathologies of the heart. In the second case, the pain that manifests itself in the region of the shoulder blades is radiation;
• strong or weak- this indicator is the key and most controversial for every doctor. If the back hurts a lot, it brings maximum discomfort, exhausts the person, makes him disabled. Weaker pains are easier to bear and do not make life so difficult, but in most cases they are the longest-lasting and most difficult to treat. Subjective indicators of the intensity of painful sensations are because each person has a different degree of sensitivity to pain, a different pain threshold. In such cases, it is better to pay attention to where it hurts, in the middle, closer to the left or right shoulder blade.

We must not forget that it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based only on the nature of the pain. Moreover, even the concept of "character" is subjective, because each person has an individual sensitivity threshold, and even 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 with pain:

• Numb back- a clinical sign indicating neurological disorders. It is often observed in intercostal neuralgia, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, spondyloarthrosis.
• Freezing back- Another symptom from a series of neurological ones, which is combined with painful sensations. According to medical reference books, such a clinical sign is characteristic of only two pathologies. In the first case, we are talking about an injury to the nerve roots of the spinal cord, in the second case, the symptom is associated with an inflammatory disease, pyelonephritis.
• Increase in body temperature- with inflammation of the internal organs, the pain is sometimes accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades. Most of these symptoms indicate pneumonia or tuberculosis.
• In some cases, pain in the scapular region followsnausea, but such a clinical sign usually occurs with very strong painful sensations.

In the vast majority of cases, pain between the shoulder blades indicates diseases 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 the most likely are pathologies of the heart and lungs.

Why does the back hurt in the area of the shoulder blades

Even taking into account all the diversity of the character of back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, 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 alleviate it with painkillers, it is necessary to find out the real cause of their occurrence.

In order to understand why there are back pains in the area of 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 be recalled years later or serve as the development of other pathologies in which the spine between the shoulder blades hurts.
• 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 part of the back.
• Postural disorder, that is, any pathology that can lead to curvature of the spine. First of all, scoliosis is understood in its various manifestations, but curvature can occur even due to banal 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 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. The pathology is accompanied by acute symptoms of pain in the area of the scapula and upper limbs, significantly hindering 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 radiating, touching including the shoulder blades.

• Migrating or radiating pain in the area of the shoulder blades is often found withheart 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 increases the load on all parts of the spine. Usually, the pain occurs closer to the third trimester, when the fetus reaches a large size.
• Pain may occurafter vaccinationunder the shoulder blade This area is very suitable for injections, and the fact that the vaccine is administered at the same time only increases the pain syndrome that lasts for 1-2 days.

It is difficult to single out all the causes of pain between the shoulder blades, because there are many of them. This list contains only the main ones. As for less common causes, most of them are signs 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 are pains associated with heavy physical efforts. They can be pathological or muscular, in the second case you just need to rest the back muscles, in the case of pathological pain it is important to consult a doctor.

Diagnostics

A doctor can accurately determine the causes of pain and make a diagnosis only on the basis of the obtained diagnostic data. Due to a wide range of reasons, diagnostics includes a large number of procedures, among which the most requested are:

• Initial 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 indicated painful areas and functional diagnostics, including hand movements, tilts, etc.
• Radiography- if a person suffers from pain in the spine below, above or in the middle of the shoulder blades, the easiest way to determine the cause is an X-ray. This method of examination allows you to determine the shape of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, identify curvatures, injuries, etc.
• CT scanner- a modern and more informative diagnostic method that gives a more detailed picture in the presence of spine pathologies.
• M. R. I- this method of examination is necessary in cases where X-ray and CT did not provide the necessary data. MRI can detect pathologies affecting the spinal cord and its branches.

If the causes of pain are not determined during the examination of the spine, a diagnosis of pathologies of the cardiovascular system, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. is 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 sensations do not disappear or their intensity is so high that he does not have the strength to endure it, consult a doctor immediately.

The fight against most pathological processes with such symptoms does not support self-treatment, the fight against the disease takes place only under the guidance of experts. 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 reduce the intensity of the pain or completely stop the back pain. Painkillers with an analgesic effect or antispasmodics are prescribed for this.
• The best treatment for various diseases of the musculoskeletal system are drugs from the group of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). They are prescribed in the form of ointments, injections, tablets. Thanks to the fats, 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, in order to solve the root cause of pain, group B drugs are prescribed in combination with NSAIDs. They help normalize metabolic processes in tissues, improve nerve conduction, and are especially good 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 to determine each treatment method is made together with the doctor. The duration of the 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 seen.

In order to deal with the problem even more efficiently and quickly, a course of massage is added to the complex of therapeutic measures. It must be performed by an experienced professional. This procedure helps with shoulder blade injuries and most back ailments. However, massages are 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, massages are replaced by physiotherapy exercises, which allow you to consolidate the progress of recovery and prevent further development of back disease. The patient performs exercises that are associated with minor physical efforts, and the main emphasis is on stretching the muscles and keeping in good shape. Here it is important to remember that the intensity of the exercises increases gradually, the patient should not feel discomfort. A systematic approach is also very important, but if you experience back pain below the shoulder blades again, 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. In order to protect yourself from diseases and back pain, follow these simple preventive recommendations:

• Always control your physical activity, whether it's heavy sports or heavy physical work at work. You can't lift too much weight, putting too much strain on your back.
• If heavy lifting is unavoidable, do it properly. Lift weights only with a straight back.
• Lead an active lifestyle and do sports to maintain your back muscles. It is most useful to do daily exercises, swim and hang on a horizontal bar.
• When sitting, try to keep your back straight, take a break every 1-2 hours, take a walk or warm up by doing a series of push-ups and squats.
• To prevent pain in the back muscles, osteochondrosis and other diseases, sleep on a flat, hard surface. Buy 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 diseases and back pain. But remember, if the pains appear, do not pass for more than a week or become too intense, be sure to consult a doctor. Timely diagnosis and the start of treatment can minimize damage to the body and defeat the disease faster.