If a person has back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, he automatically associates it with the condition of the spine. They are partially right: this suffering core of our skeleton takes on heavy loads, which can only affect its condition.
But often pain in this area of the back signals a disturbance in Organs internal organs. The nature of pain corresponds to the disease, therefore, in the medical consultation, it is important to describe its manifestations in as much detail as possible.
What causes shoulder pain
Pathological changes in:
- spine;
- internal organs;
- surrounding structures.
It hurts in the scapular area and with some rare diseases:
- Spine fractures and their systemic injuries;
- Metastases to the spine in stomach cancer and sometimes to other organs.
The pain according to the type of disease is located:
- Above the shoulder blades;
- Under the shoulder blades;
- Between the shoulder blades;
- On the shoulder blades.
Symptoms associated with pathologies of internal organs
The stomach, lungs, liver and heart can project their pain under the shoulder blade - right or left.
If it hurts on the left, this could be a sign:
- Peptic ulcer of the stomach: the pains are of a periodic nature, associated with exacerbations of a seasonal nature. They are accompanied by pain in the upper abdomen. During the increase in pain, vomiting occurs;
- Myocardial infarction: The disease is accompanied by acute retrosternal pain, extending under the left shoulder blade. Cardiac ischemia has similar signs, but in this case there are also sensations of pain in the left hand;
- Advancement of a stomach ulcer: the patient's body is covered in cold sweat, he may feel unwell until the vomiting starts. The patient tries to alleviate suffering by changing position, but these actions do not produce the expected effect;
- Intercostal neuralgia: Pain under the left shoulder blade comes in attacks, aggravated by the slightest physical exertion. Tingling and burning in the region of the heart. It hurts to cough and take a deep breath.
It may hurt under your right shoulder blade when:
- Psychological flaws in the body. At the same time, the patient feels heat in the chest, may complain of tightness and tingling in the heart muscle;
- Pathological changes in the gallbladder: additional symptoms - bitterness in the mouth after fatty, salty and fried foods, pain in the right hypochondrium;
- Pleurisy and pneumonia: pain under the right shoulder blade is reflected when coughing;
- Kidney diseases: in this case, the cough also leads to increased pain, but, unlike lung diseases, the patient has difficulty urinating.
Pain associated with spinal pathologies
Spinal problems can occur after injuries, fractures or bruises. But there are also diseases that have no obvious causes. And all of them are manifested by pain in the scapular region.
With any pathology of the spine, pain between the shoulder blades should be associated with:
- rigidity;
- feeling of chills;
- Numbness.
Interscapular pain when coughing is typical of heavy smokers.
osteochondrosis
If tissue nutrition is disturbed, dystrophic changes occur in them. In the spine, this process affects the intervertebral discs. They can no longer resist the pressure exerted on them by the vertebrae. Loss of disc elasticity leads to compression of the spine. The nerve endings in the spinal cord are under pressure - this is where the intense pain occurs.
The body tries to protect the spine from heavy loads by increasing bone tissue along the edges of the vertebral processes. Bone growths are called osteophytes. They can be removed, but against the background of osteochondrosis, they will grow back.
Pain in osteochondrosis is located at the site of damage to the spine. If the cervical region is affected, the patient feels pain in the morning on the right side of the neck. The pain radiates to the shoulder and arm, it is felt over the shoulder blade. The head may feel dizzy, the torment is aggravated by deep breathing and coughing.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region manifests as pain between the shoulder blades - to the right and left of the spine. The pain can be made worse by sneezing, coughing and sudden movements. When you try to straighten your shoulders, your chest and interscapular zone begin to pop.
It becomes difficult for a person to breathe through the chest as the mobility of the ribs decreases and he unconsciously switches to breathing from the stomach.
Treat osteochondrosis with a conservative method. The patient is prescribed:
- Analgesics and anti-inflammatories;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Therapeutic gymnastics;
- Reflexology;
- massages;
- Column traction;
- Manual therapy.
If none of the treatment methods don't work, surgeons cut to the chase.
spondylarthrosis
The symptoms of this disease are similar to osteochondrosis. But in this case, the intervertebral disc is displaced, not exhausted. Hyaline cartilage is forced to take on the load. Under such extreme conditions, your tissue becomes thinner and loses the ability to perform its functions.
If spondylarthrosis is left untreated, the entire joint can become inflamed and then completely lose mobility. The patient's condition is aggravated by osteophytes.
Scoliosis
The curvature of the spine in relation to its axis to the right or left is common - almost half of humanity is afflicted with this disease. But for most, the disease is not pronounced, and therefore pains appear periodically - if a person strains his back, stands or sits in one position for a long time.
Early scoliosis cannot be determined visually, so if pain occurs in the scapular region, it is in the patient's best interest to see a doctor. He will prescribe an x-ray - direct and lateral.
With the development of scoliosis, it can be independently detected: the "zigzags" of the spine become clearly pronounced. Running scoliosis is also determined by the relative position of your shoulders - one will be lower than the other.
Scoliosis treatment is a long-term affair, even at its high intensity. Massages, special exercises and wearing a corset will help to get rid of the curvature of the spine.
intervertebral hernia
The intervertebral disc is made up of:
- Gelatinous core;
- Fibrous ring, consisting of fibers;
- The two thin layers of cartilage that cover the discs above and below.
The nucleus is located inside the ring and the cartilaginous tissue, closing the structure, simultaneously serves as a conduit for nutrition from the vessels of the vertebral body to the disc.
Pathological changes in the vertebrae lead to the interruption of metabolic processes in the intervertebral discs. Its thickness decreases, the annulus fibrosus cracks under the influence of loads, making way for the outside of the gelatinous mass of the core. This process is accompanied by intense pain. It is concentrated in one point, but sometimes there is a return to the pulmonary and cardiac regions.
An intervertebral hernia in the thoracic region is extremely rare, so when pain appears in the scapular region, the patient is first checked for other diseases.
An intervertebral hernia is treated with anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and special exercises. In severe conditions, only surgery can help.
spine tuberculosis
Tuberculosis microbacteria can affect any part of the spine, but 60% of cases occur in the thoracic region. Most often men suffer from this disease. Basically, a few vertebrae are involved in the process, but there are cases when tuberculosis spreads to three or more.
The symptoms of the disease can vary depending on the number of vertebrae affected. But there is one constant symptom - it is pain. If felt between the shoulder blades, this indicates an injury to the cervical vertebra.
It also hurts with tuberculosis of the thoracic region, but in this case the pain will radiate (give) to the chest, groin or abdomen. Patients complain of burning, twisting, "puncture" in the back.
Tuberculosis of the spine is difficult to diagnose, intense pain already appears at the stage of the appearance of various complications. If you have the slightest suspicion of this disease, immediately go to a specialist for examination.
Overtension and hypothermia
If the back is excessively overworked, painful sensations may also appear in the scapular area. By itself, this phenomenon is not considered a disease, but constant overload can cause osteochondrosis, curvature of the spine and formation of intervertebral hernias.
Seamstresses, drivers, surgeons, sedentary people, etc. complain of back pain. If hypothermia (currents, air conditioning running) is added to overvoltage, then a backache can be taught - intense pain concentrated below the shoulder blades or in the spine.
This problem is treated with heating ointments, anti-inflammatory drugs and massage.
myositis
Influenza, SARS, severe hypothermia can lead to myositis - inflammation of muscle tissue. Most often, this disease affects the muscles located in the scapular region. This condition does not threaten the body with anything terrible, but the painful pain creates discomfort.
Pain in shoulder blades
Pain occurs for several reasons:
- Fracture or injury resulting from a fall. The shoulder joint swells, it hurts to move the limb;
- Osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone tissue): accompanied by fever, fever due to intoxication of the whole organism;
- Pterygoid scapula: this effect is caused by damage to the anterior tooth (located on the side of the chest), paralysis of the rhomboid muscles, trapezius or their traumatic rupture (affected by acrobats and circus gymnasts, professional athletes).
If the synovial bursa is inflamed, the shoulder blade starts to pop. In addition to this problem, the patient is concerned about the heaviness and clicks in the shoulder joint.
Diagnosis
Since pain in the scapular area of the back signals one of many diseases, the examination is carried out according to different methods:
- Chest X-ray;
- Laboratory research;
- ultrasound;
- Magnetic resistance or computed tomography;
- ECG.
All examinations are prescribed by the surgeon - if your back hurts, go to him first. But in the future, based on the results of the survey, he will need advice:
- orthopedist;
- Gastroenterologist;
- Neurologist;
- Pulmonologist.
If for some reason the doctor has not paid attention to the accompanying symptoms, go to consult on your own initiative.
Treatment
Self-medication for pain in the scapular region is categorically contraindicated. The most the patient can afford is to take painkillers and pain relievers. Reception should be one-time and only if it is necessary to stop the pain syndrome before visiting the doctor.
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor: generally, to relieve the condition, it is enough to take analgesics, chondroprotectors, anti-inflammatory drugs. In addition, the doctor paints a treatment regimen designed to eliminate the causes of pain in the scapular region.