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

Many people experience pain in the back during their lives. They can be localized in different areas for a huge number of 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 a momentary pain that quickly passed and no longer makes itself 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 only a symptom. The appearance of back pain can be due to a host of factors, ranging 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 significant issue regarding the nature of painful sensations, which helps to establish the main cause of this symptom.

So, doctors distinguish the following gradation 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 appears spontaneously. At the same time, a certain feeling of "shoot through" arises, a person can scream, twitch with his whole body, bend 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.
• 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, it varies 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 problems with the muscles or depend on pathologies affecting the tendons or ligaments. It tends to intensify 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 features. Sharp pain, as the name implies, also occurs suddenly, however, it varies in intensity. It can be a strong sudden lumbago, causing the reflex actions described earlier. But in some cases, sharp pains are rather weak, although they bring a lot of discomfort. Often appears when performing any action, lifting weights, awkward movements, etc.
• stabbing- it is rather not about the nature, but about the specifics of painful sensations that manifest themselves depending on a particular disease. Stitching pains are spontaneous and undulating, cyclical. It is they who are often irradiating, localized in the back under the shoulder blades, give, for example, to the lower back, the level of the sacrum. Feeling a high-intensity stabbing pain, patients say that a knife or a needle was stuck in a certain place.
• Aching- 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 movements and physical exertion. Localized between the shoulder blades in the spine, aching pains radiate to the chest area, patients have a feeling that the heart hurts, although there are no cardiac pathologies. For aching pains, cyclicity is also characteristic, they are constantly present, but they have a habit of changing intensity.
• Pulling- this type of pain is characteristic of bone, muscle and ligamentous structures. The specificity of pain is associated with the name, 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 nearby areas.
• Burning or burning pain- a rather rare type of pain, which is usually referred to as "burning back. "Such sensations are characteristic of some forms and stages of osteochondrosis, it also bakes the back with ischemic pathologies of the heart. In the second case, the pain that manifests itself in the area of the shoulder blades is radiating;
• strong or weak- it is this indicator that is both the key and the most controversial for any doctor. If the back hurts badly, it brings maximum discomfort, exhausts the person, makes him incapacitated. Weak pains are easier to bear and do not complicate life as much, but in most cases they are the most protracted and 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 only by the nature of the pain. Moreover, even the concept of "character" is subjective, since each person has an individual sensitivity threshold and even the same ailment 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 along with pain:

• Numb back- a clinical sign indicating neurological disorders. It is often observed with intercostal neuralgia, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, spondyloarthrosis.
• Freezing back- Another symptom from 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 the infringement of 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, sometimes 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 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 the internal organs, among which pathologies of the heart and lungs are the most likely.

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

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

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. This is not only about recent injuries, including bruises, dislocations, sprains and fractures. Old injuries can remind themselves years later or serve as the 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.
• Posture 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 occur even due to banal flat feet. The most severe forms of curvature of the spinal column are kyphosis and kyphoscoliosis;
• Herniated discin the thoracic spine also provokes 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 acute pain symptoms in the area of the scapula and upper limbs, 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.

• Migrating or radiating pain in the area of the shoulder blades is often found withpathologies of the heartamong 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, pain appears closer to the third trimester, when the fetus reaches a large size.
• Pain may occurafter vaccinationunder the shoulder bladeThis 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 for 1-2 days.

It is difficult to single out all the causes of pain between the shoulder blades, since there are a lot 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 each of these cases the pain radiates.

We must also not forget that there are pains that are associated with heavy physical exertion. They can be pathological or muscular, in the second case, you just need 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. Due to a wide range of reasons, diagnostics involves a lot of procedures, among which the following are most in demand:

• 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 the indicated painful areas and functional diagnostics, including hand movements, inclinations, and so on.
• Radiography- if a person suffers from 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 examination method allows you to determine the shape of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, identify curvatures, infringements, etc.
• CT scan- a modern and more informative diagnostic method that gives a more thorough picture in the presence of spinal pathologies.
• Magnetic resonance imaging- this method of examination is necessary in cases where X-ray and CT did not provide the necessary information. MRI can detect pathologies affecting the spinal cord and its branches.

If, during the examination of the spinal column, the causes of pain are not identified, diagnostics of pathologies of the cardiovascular system, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. are 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 go away, or their intensity is so high that there is no strength to endure, consult a doctor urgently.

The fight against most pathological processes with such symptoms does not tolerate self-treatment, the fight against diseases takes place 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 reduce the intensity of pain or stop pain in the back completely. For this, painkillers of analgesic action or antispasmodics are prescribed.
• 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 ointments, 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 cope with the root cause of pain, in combination with NSAIDs, group B drugs are prescribed. 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 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.

In order to cope with the problem even more effectively and faster, a course of massages is added to the complex of therapeutic measures. It must be carried out by an experienced specialist. This procedure helps with injuries of the shoulder blades and most diseases of the back. 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 the progress of recovery and prevent the further development of back diseases. The patient performs exercises that are 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 again feel pain in your back below the shoulder blades, seek the advice of a physiotherapist.

Prevention

The back hurts 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 back diseases and pain, follow these simple preventive recommendations:

• Always control physical activity, whether it's heavy sports or hard physical labor at work. You can not lift too much weight, excessively loading the back.
• If lifting heavy loads is unavoidable, do it right. Lift weights only with a straight back.
• Keep an active lifestyle and play sports in order to maintain the muscles of the back. It is most useful to do exercises daily, go swimming and hang on the horizontal bar.
• When sitting, try to keep your back straight, take a break every 1-2 hours, walk or warm up by doing a set of bends and squats.
• To prevent muscle back pain, osteochondrosis and other diseases, sleep on a flat, hard surface. Buy an orthopedic mattress and a pillow that follows the shape of your head and neck.

By following these simple rules, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing back diseases 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.