Back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is reported by both older and younger people. Pain in the interscapular region does not indicate any separate disease, but is a manifestation of numerous anomalies in the work of organs located outside the zone of concentration of pain.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, then muscles, nerves, facet joints, ligaments, pathological changes in internal organs, the consequences of blows and injuries, etc. , can be a probable pretext for pain.
The nature of the pain
In medical practice, the patient's rational description of his pain above the lower back is of great importance. Pain between the shoulder blades is a symptom of a number of diseases or pathologies; it is possible to find out the cause of the occurrence with an accurate description of its nature, its type, the frequency of appearance and disappearance. A correctly diagnosed will eliminate a burning sensation in the back, pain in the shoulder blades, the reasons will be determined with the help of a doctor and diseases in the future will be prevented.
By the nature of the pain syndrome on the back is:
- chronic - mild pain is typical, bothering for a long time, practically does not stop;
- acute - specific pain, suddenly striking and fading away, much stronger than chronic.
When the back aches in the area of the shoulder blades, the localization of painful sensations occurs in different places. This gives reason to classify pain in the shoulder blades into three types:
- pain under the shoulder blades (right or left);
- pain between the shoulder blades;
- pain in the scapula to the right or left.
Back hurts under the shoulder blades
The causes of pain may have absolutely nothing to do with the spine. If a person has a backache below the shoulder blades, then by a number of accompanying signs, without examinations and analyzes, one can imply that he has the presence of typical common ailments.
Pathologies causing pain under the left shoulder blade:
- Stomach ulcer. Characterized by regular, increasing pain, weakening or disappearing after vomiting. Pain sensations in the epigastrium are localized, but penetrate into the left scapula.
- Psychological problems. They cause barely perceptible or acute sensations of heaviness, chest congestion, tingling in the heart, compression in the chest. There are cases when such symptoms capture the neck area, spread under the left shoulder blade.
What caused the pain under the right shoulder blade
The way a symptom manifests itself determines their causes.
The list of reasons explaining the pain under the right shoulder blade is extensive. Examples of the most common:
- Dull, persistently disturbing, persistent pain on the right side of the back can be caused by the usual spasm in the muscles due to prolonged uncomfortable posture of the body, or associated with internal organs: kidneys, pancreas, gall bladder. In most cases, the pain appears unexpectedly, with a sharp turn of the head, sneezing, coughing.
- Acute, piercing pain, sharp or growing, localized to the right in the region of the heart or in the interscapular space may be the result of a disease of the internal organs and is not associated with the spine. Many systems of the body by deviations from the norms of functioning cause pain under the right shoulder blade - cardiovascular, excretory, digestive, etc.
- A pulling and cutting pain under the right scapula makes one think about the onset of diseases of the musculoskeletal system: chondrosis, osteochondrosis, spondylosis, etc. Pain of this type can be caused by neuralgia when the nerve roots are pinched. The reasons for such painful sensations can be oncological tumors, not often, but such phenomena are present in medical practice.
- The patient has pain in the back muscles under the shoulder blades, then you should think about diseases of the respiratory system. Pain under the shoulder blades can be caused either by muscle overload in this place or by the thoracic spine.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. It often provokes one-sided aching, dull pains that concentrate below the occipital part. Their peculiarity is to appear in the morning, pulling the patient out of sleep. The pain syndrome is especially strong with sharp flexion - extension of the neck. Exposure to heat on the painful surface (warm bath) extinguishes the pain. Patients react to this pathology with a complaint about pain under the shoulder blades, the flow of pain into the arm or head.
Causes of pain between the shoulder blades
Intercostal neuralgia is manifested by girdle shooting pain. With a deep breath, a sharp turn of the body, with palpation of the inflamed area between the ribs, the pain increases.
Diseases of the lungs are accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades when inhaling, with a deep breath, the pain intensifies, there is a high temperature, cough.
In case of an increase in pain with a shallow breath, it is more often given under the right scapula, possibly the presence of a diaphragmatic abscess.
When the usual tilt of the head causes pain between the shoulder blades, this is associated with an inflammatory process in the muscles of the interscapular region, as well as damage to their tendons and ligaments.
Pain between the shoulder blades sometimes occurs when swallowing, its origin is caused by diseases of the esophagus (inflammation or ulcer); inflammatory processes in the organs located between the two lungs; damage to the diaphragm.
A burning sensation between the shoulder blades causes attacks of renal and biliary colic, osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic vertebrae and reflux esophagitis.
Pain in the scapula to the right and left
The reason lies in receiving a blow to the shoulder blade or falling on it. An awkward fall on the arm or elbow will result in a fractured scapula. Trauma causes severe pain syndrome, the intensity of pain increases with the movement of the hands. Edema is formed.
Pterygoid scapula. It appears as a result of muscle paralysis - trapezius, rhomboid, anterior dentate, or is the result of numerous bruises in the forearm area, damage to the long thoracic nerve.
Scapular crunch - crunch in the shoulder joint.
Treatment methods
At the beginning of treatment, you need to determine the condition of the lungs and heart. The cardiologist and therapist will most likely prescribe an EKG or ultrasound procedure. After consulting with specialists, you can safely not consider these organs to be the causes of pain between the shoulder blades.
When pain occurs when the spine moves near the scapula, the cause is usually looked for in the back. The pain is sometimes so severe that it can be confused with the symptoms of panic attacks.
The usual X-ray in the diagnosis of the spine is often not enough, the complete picture is given by MRI of the thoracic region. At this stage of clarifying the diagnosis, consultation with a vertebrologist is required.
It is possible to get rid of pain in the area of the right scapula by treatment only when the causes of its occurrence are clarified. When this pain is associated with diseases of the internal organs, it is necessary to treat them. Which doctor will treat depends on the specific organ. The pain under the right shoulder blade will disappear by itself when the treatment of the affected internal organ is successful.
If there is a connection between pain in the back on the right and in the interdulobular region with diseases of the spine, then medical care will be focused on the focus of inflammation. To eliminate the inflammatory process, analgesics, chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids are used.
Dull pain that does not disappear for a long time, resulting from muscle spasm or neuralgia, is effectively treated with warming ointments with an analgesic effect. Also, plasters are used, which provide a warming and analgesic effect.
Prophylaxis
The back in the area of the shoulder blades will not hurt if a person moves a lot and follows a healthy lifestyle. The movements provide for uniform loads on the muscles, correct lifting of weights, massage sessions and various types of physiotherapy. Sports is the best preventive measure.
It is recommended to beware of drafts, hypothermia. And, most importantly, observe proper nutrition.