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

Many people experience back pain throughout their lives. They may be localized in different regions for different reasons. If the patient has back pain in the shoulder area, this symptom should not be ignored.

However, it is important to understand here that a temporary pain that passes quickly and no longer makes you feel is not something to worry about. In contrast, anxiety is caused by systemic pain, regardless of their intensity and nature. Consider the causes and methods of diagnosing pain, let's talk about its nature and methods of eliminating it.

The nature of pain

Pain is not a standalone disease - it is just a symptom. The occurrence of back pain can be due to many factors, 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's important to find out what's causing the pain. But first, it is worth considering another important issue related to the nature of painful sensations, which helps to determine the main cause of this symptom.

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

• Sharp- sudden onset varies, but always very intense. Regardless of whether the back hurts below, above, or between the shoulder blades, the pain comes on spontaneously. At the same time, a certain feeling of "shot through" arises, a person can scream, convulse the whole body, bend sharply. Such a reflex response is caused not only by the suddenness and intensity of painful sensations, we instinctively try to avoid unpleasant sensations.
• Boring- 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, it varies in intensity. In some cases, the pain is so vivid that a person can not only move or perform any action, but even sleep. Dull pains indicate muscle problems or are dependent on diseases affecting the tendons or ligaments. It tends to get stronger with exercise or exertion, and is localized on both sides (in the shoulder blades).
• sharp- not much different from strong, but still has certain features. The sharp pain, as the name implies, also occurs suddenly, however, it has different intensity. It can be a sudden strong low back pain, causing the reflex actions described earlier. But in some cases, the throbbing pains are quite weak, although they bring a lot of discomfort. Usually occurs when performing any action, lifting weights, difficult movements, etc. v.
• stab- it is not about the essence, but about the specific features of painful sensations that manifest depending on a particular disease. Suture pain is spontaneous and undulating, cyclical. It is they who often irradiate, localized in the back below the shoulder blades, such as in the lower back, at the level of the sacrum. Feeling a sharp stabbing pain, the patient said that a knife or a needle was stuck somewhere.
• hurt- one of the types of pain of a dull nature. Such painful sensations are also characterized by continuity and duration. Pain is debilitating, it follows a person everywhere, regardless of his actions, even without movement and exertion. Localized between the shoulder blades in the spine, the pain spreads to the chest area, the patient feels a sharp pain in the heart, although there is no heart disease. For aches and pains, periodicity is also a feature, they often appear but have a habit of changing intensity.
• Pulling- this type of pain is characteristic of bone, muscle and ligament structures. The specificity of pain is associated with the name, the patient has a feeling that someone or something is pulling on the muscle or bone at the site of the discomfort. Severe, tugging pain that causes a lot of discomfort, interferes with movement, often spreads to nearby areas.
• Burning or burning pain- a rather rare type of pain, commonly known as "burning back". Such sensations are characteristic of some forms and stages of osteoarthritis, and it also causes ischemic heart diseases. In the second case, the pain manifests itself in the scapula region;
• strong or weak?- it is this indicator that is both the key and the most controversial for any doctor. If the back pain is severe, it brings maximum discomfort, making the patient exhausted and unable to work. Weaknesses are more tolerable and don't complicate life much, but in most cases they are the most persistent and difficult to treat. The subjective indicators of the intensity of pain are because each person has different levels of pain sensitivity, different pain thresholds. In such cases, it's better to pay attention to where the pain is, in the middle, near the left or right shoulder blade.

We must not forget that an accurate diagnosis cannot be made solely on the basis of the nature of the pain. Furthermore, even the concept of "personality" is subjective, since each person has a different threshold of susceptibility and even the same disease can be accompanied by different symptoms.

In addition, pain in various pathological processes is often accompanied by other symptoms. We will now consider what clinical signs may be present with pain:

• back numbness- a clinical sign indicating a neurological disorder. It is often observed with intercostal neuralgia, thoracic osteoarthritis, spondylolisthesis.
• freeze backAnother symptom from certain neurological diseases, which is associated with pain sensations. According to medical reference books, such a clinical sign is present only in 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.
• Increase body temperature- with visceral inflammation, sometimes the pain is accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades. Most of these symptoms suggest pneumonia or tuberculosis.
• In some cases, pain in the scab is accompanied bynausea, but such a clinical sign usually occurs with very strong pain sensations.

In the majority of cases, pain between the shoulder blades indicates diseases of the spine. However, there is always the possibility of radiating painful sensations due to the development of other pathologies, such as diseases of internal organs, the most likely of which are pathologies of the heart and lungs.

Why does the back hurt in the shoulder area?

Even taking into account all the different features of back pain in the shoulder blade region, it is not possible to make an accurate diagnosis based on this symptom alone. At the same time, in order to completely eliminate the pain, and not to take temporary painkillers, it is necessary to find out the real cause of their occurrence.

To understand why there are back pain in the shoulder area, it is necessary to highlight the main causes of them:

• Mechanical damage to the spineespecially in the cervical or thoracic region. This isn't just about recent injuries, including bruises, dislocations, sprains, and fractures. Old injuries can remind themselves years later or be the development of other conditions in which the spine hurts between the shoulder blades.
• Osteoarthritis- one of the most common causes of pain in different parts of the back. Of course, when there is pain in the shoulder blades, it means osteoarthritis in the cervical or thoracic region, i. e. the upper back.
• Posture disorder, i. e. any pathology that can lead to scoliosis. First of all, scoliosis has a variety of manifestations, but curvature can occur even from a mediocre flat foot. The most severe forms of curvature of the spine are kyphosis and kyphoscoliosis;
• Disc herniationin the thoracic spine also provokes the development of pain. At the same time, pain increases with movement and the pathological process itself is dangerous by compressing nerves with the addition of neurological symptoms to the clinical picture.
• Periarthrosis of the shoulder or shoulder joint- a disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is characterized by an inflammatory process in the tissues around the joints. The pathology is accompanied by symptoms of acute pain in the shoulder blades and upper extremities, which significantly interferes with hand movements.
• Intercostal neuralgia- the pathological process is due to a disorder of nerve origin, compression of the nerve in the rib (thoracic) region. Simultaneously, the pain radiates, touching the shoulder blade.

• Migratory or diffuse pain in the shoulder blade area is often found withheart diseasein which ischemia and myocardial infarction are often distinguished. In such cases, the pain "radiates" from the heart to the back.
• PregnancyAnother 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 changes and the load on all parts of the spine increases. Usually, the pain appears closer to the third trimester, when the fetus reaches large size.
• Pain may occurafter vaccinationunder the shoulder bladeThis area is very convenient for injections, and the fact that the vaccine is given at once only increases the pain syndrome, which lasts for 1-2 days.

It is difficult to identify all the causes of shoulder blade pain, as there are many. This list contains only the main ones. The less common causes are most likely signs of other conditions. We are talking about diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver, kidneys, in each of which there is diffuse pain.

Nor must we forget that there is pain associated with heavy exertion. They can be pathological or muscular, in the latter case you just need to rest the back muscles, with pathological pains it is important to consult a doctor.

diagnose

The physician can establish the exact cause of the pain and make a diagnosis solely on the basis of the collection of diagnostic data. For a variety of reasons, diagnosis involves a wide variety of procedures, with the following being the most requested:

• Initial examination and medical history- the doctor asks the patient about the localization, frequency, nature and intensity of pain sensations. This is followed by examination of the patient by palpation of the indicated areas of pain and functional diagnosis, including hand movements, tilt, etc. v.
• X-ray- if a person has pain in the spine below, above, or in the middle of the shoulder blades, the easiest way to determine the cause is to have an X-ray. This method of examination allows you to determine the shape of the vertebrae and discs, determine curvature, violations, etc. v.
• CT scan- a more modern and informative diagnostic method that gives a bigger picture when there are spinal diseases.
• Magnetic resonance imaging- this test method is necessary in cases where X-ray and CT do not provide the necessary information. MRI can detect diseases affecting the spinal cord and its branches.

If during the examination of the spine the cause of pain cannot be determined, then it is necessary to diagnose diseases of the cardiovascular system, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. v.

What to do if your back hurts between your shoulder blades?

If a person feels sharp 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 longer any strength to bear, urgently consultdoctor.

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 methods of treatment.

The basis of treatment is drug treatment:

• The first task is to reduce the pain intensity or completely stop the pain in the back. For this, pain relievers or antispasmodics are prescribed.
• The best treatment for various diseases of the musculoskeletal system are drugs of the NSAID group (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). They are prescribed in the form of ointments, injections, pills. Thanks to the ointment, the analgesic effect is achieved quickly, in addition, these drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect, and at the same time allow you to reduce the local temperature.
• In certain pathological processes, to address the root cause of pain, a group B drug is prescribed in combination with an NSAID.

If back pain is below the shoulder blade, in addition to drug treatment, a course of physical therapy should be performed, including the following courses:

• electrophoresis.
• Laser therapy.
• Therapeutic school.
• Supersonic.

The decision to prescribe each treatment is made with the doctor. The length of treatment depends on the disease itself, how advanced it is, and other factors, but the entire course includes at least 10 procedures. Only then can significant improvements be observed.

To solve the problem more effectively and faster, a massage is added to the combination of treatments. It must be done by an experienced professional. This procedure helps treat shoulder blade injuries and most back ailments. However, massage is recommended when there is a positive dynamic of drug treatment and physical therapy. The course of treatment normalizes blood circulation, speeds up metabolism, relieves pain, restores muscle tone and elasticity.

After that, massage is replaced by physiotherapeutic exercises, which allows you to strengthen the recovery process and prevent further development of back diseases. The patient performs exercises that involve mild exertion, the main focus being on stretching the muscles and keeping them in good shape. The important thing to remember here is that the intensity of the exercises is increased gradually, the patient should not feel any discomfort. A systematic approach is also important, but if you are experiencing lower back pain again, seek the advice of a physical therapist.

Prevent

Pain in the back below 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 diseases and back pain, follow these simple prevention recommendations:

• Stay in control of physical activity, whether it's strenuous sports or heavy manual labor at work. You can't lift too much weight, overload the rear.
• If heavy lifting is unavoidable, do it right. Lift weights with only your back straight.
• Keep an active lifestyle and play sports to maintain back muscles. The most useful are daily exercise, swimming and hanging from the crossbar.
• When sitting, try to keep your back straight, rest every 1-2 hours, walk or warm up by doing crunches and squats.
• To prevent back pain, osteoarthritis and other diseases, sleep on a flat and hard surface. Buy an orthopedic mattress and a pillow according to the shape of your head and neck.

By following these simple rules, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing back ailments and pain. But remember, if the pains appear, they 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 damage to the body and defeat the disease faster.