Pain, regardless of location, intensity and cause, always signals a malfunction in the body. If it appears often, you should not immediately treat it yourself because the cause of the disease can be different. First you need to find out the cause of your back pain in the shoulder area.
What is the nature of the pain?
If you pay attention to the causes of discomfort in the shoulder blades, you need to understand that they have different characteristics. Back pain should be classified as follows:
- Pulling or pain.It appears due to severe compression of nerve roots, changes in muscle tone and damage to the spine.
- Long lasting, very intense.It is provoked by neuralgia, a traumatic lesion of the shoulder blade.
- The pain is severe and sudden.It is typical for complications of stomach ulcers, gallbladder spasticity and heart attack.
- Paroxysmal painwith increasing intensity. It is also irritated by an ulcer.
- If the shoulder area does not have back pain but the patient feels itnumbness, pressure, then this may be the result of excessive physical or emotional stress.
Regarding the location of the pain, it can be in the area between the shoulder blades, under the shoulder blades and can also be located inside the joint. Now you can find out why the discomfort occurs.
Diseases of internal organs are provoking factors
If discomfort appears in the back below the shoulder blades, it may be a normal muscle strain. However, if it recurs periodically and increases in intensity, it is better not to hesitate and urgently consult a doctor. There are the following causes of pain:
- Heart attack.The pain under the shoulder blade in this case is very strong and sharp. Additional signs are: widespread discomfort, profuse sweating, increased heart rate. A distinctive feature of a heart attack is that even taking nitrates does not help relieve the pain.
- Gastrointestinal ulcers.In this case, the pain syndrome has an increasing and paroxysmal nature. The feeling of discomfort often appears after eating in the epigastric area. The pain spreads to the sternum, lower back and heart. Patients also experience heartburn and belching. He becomes nauseous and may vomit.
- Perforated gastric ulcer.It represents the appearance of a hole in the wall of the organ, opening into the abdominal cavity. Here the patient needs emergency surgery. Pathological symptoms are clearly expressed. The patient has sudden, acute pain under the shoulder blade, a state of shock, and tense abdominal muscles. Cold sweat appeared on his face and his face turned pale. The patient's breathing became rapid and when he touched his abdomen, he felt intense discomfort.
- Gallbladder muscle spasm.Pain in the shoulder blade area as if being cut or stabbed by a knife. The unpleasant feelings do not last long. The pain appears in the right back area, under the ribs, then spreads to the neck, collarbone and jaw.
- Abscess under the diaphragm.It is characterized by the accumulation of pus in the diaphragm area. The pain gradually increases, general weakness and loss of appetite appear, the temperature may increase. There is pallor of the skin, as well as increased sweating.
- Kidney disease.Here the pain is not only localized in the back under the shoulder blades but also in the lower back. The nature of the feeling is jerky, 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.
- Nerve pain.Here, the pain is mainly felt under the shoulder blade, more often on the left side. The nature of the sensations is paroxysmal and they become stronger with any physical activity. Pain syndrome can also be burning. When you cough, it becomes shingles.
- Pathology of muscles and ligaments.Back pain is painful and appears periodically. After resting, the comfort disappears.
Separately, it is necessary to highlight psychological problems that also cause pain under the shoulder blades. Severe stress or emotional tension, nervous disorders or increased anxiety are obvious causes of discomfort. The fact is that a person's back muscles are tense, as a result of which spasm occurs, which leads to compression and inflammation of nerve processes. The pain is intense and spreads to other parts of the body. There is a feeling of pressure and stiffness in the shoulder blade area. A person is afraid for his life, he lacks air, his heart begins to pound and a lump appears in his throat.
Osteoarthritis is the cause of pain
There are many diseases of the spine that cause back pain in the shoulder area. The most popular of them are:
- Neck bone necrosis.It causes periodic pain that radiates to the shoulder blade area. The disease develops gradually and cannot be cured. Other symptoms of cervical spondylosis are: stiff movements and painful turning of the head. The nature of the feeling is pain, which intensifies with any movement. A person's neck area begins to become numb.
- Disc protrusionin the cervical region.
- Inflammation of the nerve root.
All these diseases cause quite severe pain and prevent a person from moving normally and leading a working life. Naturally, it is necessary to fight with them, but this should be done at the initial stages of development. If your back often hurts and the syndrome does not go away for a long time, try to see a doctor as soon as possible. Self-medication is dangerous.
Damage to the shoulder blade is the cause of pain
Usually pain in the shoulder blades is an independent phenomenon and is not accompanied by other diseases. The main causes of discomfort are processes occurring directly inside the joints. Here are the reasons for the discomfort:
- Injury.It occurs very rarely because this bone is maximally protected by muscles. Fractures or other types of injuries often occur due to accidents, falls from heights, or very strong impacts. Immediately after the injury, the victim felt sharp pain in his back, hematoma and swelling. The function of the limbs and shoulder joints is impaired or completely absent.
- Ppetgoid tongue.It develops due to weakness of the muscle corset. The shoulder lever completely lost its function, and the back of the shoulder blade ached. When moving, the feeling of discomfort increases.
- Shoulder blade fracture.This is a congenital malformation of the scapula structure. Rarely it 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, accompanied by inflammation and the appearance of pus. It causes slight displacement of the shoulder blades, severe pain, inflammation and redness of the skin over the joints, changes in basal temperature, and impaired mobility.
It is better not to delay finding the cause of pain, since this is a serious pathological process, the prognosis of treatment depends on the timeliness of diagnosis.
Other causes of pain
In addition to the presented pathologies, other causes of pain under the shoulder blade can be identified:
- Seminal AC tumor.
- Bone tuberculosis.
- Polio.
- Myositis.
- Mechanical injuries to the back, often sitting in the wrong position.
- Pregnancy.
- Different types of posture disorders: kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis.
- Inflammation of the spine.
- Disc herniation.
To start treatment and have it be effective, it is necessary to see a doctor. Based on laboratory tests and instrumental techniques, a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis of pathology
The first thing you just need to do is consult different experts. So, if your back hurts, then regardless of whether the discomfort is dull or acute, you need to contact the following doctors: therapist, neurologist, cardiologist, orthopedistorthopedic and traumatologists, as well as pulmonologists. Consulting with a surgeon is important. The inspection includes the following procedures:
- MRIorCT.
- If your back hurts below the shoulder blades, you should definitely do itX ray, allows you to identify spinal disorders.
- Test, helps detect the inflammatory process.
- ECG.
Specialists will also conduct a neurological examination. If after a night of sleep your back hurts in the shoulder area, you first need to change your mattress. If the problem does not go away then the problem may be a disease.
Pathology treatment
If your back begins to hurt after sleep or certain movements and coughing or shallow breathing only makes the situation worse, you should definitely begin treating the condition that is causing the discomfort. Furthermore, the treatment must be comprehensive, e. g.
- In case of injury, pain is relieved with painkillers. It is also necessary to limit the mobility provided by many types of bandages or orthopedic devices. In addition, physiotherapeutic procedures are used for treatment: electrophoresis with drugs, ultrasound.
- To resolve neurological problems, it is necessary to consult an appropriate specialist. He will prescribe medication, massage and electrical stimulation.
- If back pain in the shoulder area is caused by osteomyelitis, the patient will have to take antibacterial medication. Surgery is often used to remove pus.
- Tuberculosis requires specific treatment, which is carried out in special facilities.
- If a patient is diagnosed with malignant bone disease, it is unlikely to recover without surgical intervention.
- If the shoulder blade is seriously damaged due to osteoarthritis, treatment must be comprehensive and comprehensive. To eliminate the source of inflammation, non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Manual therapy is considered helpful. Good results are achieved with the help of acupuncture and needle applicators.
- If a myocardial infarction is suspected, the patient must be urgently hospitalized. Here he received complete rest and appropriate treatment with anticoagulants and thrombolytics. Glucocorticosteroids are often used to eliminate pain.
Disease prevention
So that the pain under the shoulder blade, the main causes of its occurrence that were discussed earlier, does not appear, it is necessary to adhere to preventive measures:
- Give up a passive lifestyle and bad habits.
- Regularly perform complex gymnastics or physiotherapy exercises after sleep and throughout the day.
- Participate in regular therapeutic or preventive massage courses.
- Watch your posture.
- Strengthen the body's defenses.
- Avoid nervous tension and strong emotional experiences.
- Manage your work time correctly so you have a chance to rest.
- Buy an orthopedic mattress.
- Sleep should last at least 8 and no more than 10 hours a day.
- If a person has a health problem, they need to be treated at an early stage.
- Pregnant women should wear a corset or support bandage to reduce stress on the spine.
Thanks to such preventive measures, you can prevent pain in the shoulder blades. But if it already exists, you cannot delay seeing a doctor.