Very often, people complain that their back hurts in the shoulder area. Assuming this is due to overwork, a job that involves prolonged sitting or moving heavy objects, they delay going to the doctor.
However, any pain can signal the presence of serious diseases of the spine, threatening the development of complications.
Main reason
Spinal pain in the shoulder blade region is explained by the concentration of a large number of receptors here that respond to any pathological changes. With the inflammatory process, the production of white blood cells increases, edema forms, nerve endings are pinched, causing pain.
When the back has pain in the lumbar region, shoulder blades, it is not excluded that the disease requires treatment. Often, diseases affecting vital organs such as the heart and lungs become the cause of severe pain.
An exacerbation occurs under the influence of provoking factors - a violation of posture, overweight, lack of physical activity. If your back hurts below your shoulder blades, this could be one of the symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.
Usually, the root cause is due to illness, trauma, psychological state of the person.
Do not try to get rid of unpleasant symptoms on your own using various poultices and ointments. It is important to determine the reason why your back hurts in the shoulder area, you will need to see a doctor and get checked.
Scapula injury
This bone is located on the side of the spine, is protected by many muscles and is damaged in very rare cases. Her injuries are often associated with broken ribs so a timely diagnosis is not always possible.
In this case, the victim feels severe pain in the shoulder blade area, sometimes hemorrhaging, and may present with shoulder metastases.Damage caused by falls, traffic accidents, collisions.
If your back hurts below your shoulder blades, and if you have red, swollen bumps, you should see your doctor right away. This may be an inflammation of the bursa, often accompanied by a crunching, heavy feeling.
Dislocation, or rather the displacement of the shoulder blades and shoulder blades relative to each other, is another reason why the back can be painful in the shoulder blade area. Injury occurs when the arm is jerked, on impact. Dislocation of the fibula does not allow active movement of the upper extremities.
When palpated, the pain is intense. To the naked eye, the asymmetry of the shoulder blades can be clearly seen, one of them has a concave protrusion of the axillary margin.
Disc herniation
This is the name of a degenerative disease, accompanied by deformity and destruction of the capsule. Any part of the spine is susceptible to pathology.
If your back hurts below the shoulder blades, this could be a sign of a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. A thoracic hernia causes a variety of symptoms.
The most frequent of them:
- Pain between the shoulder blades, aggravated by coughing or exertion. Its nature is different - it can be both a dull ache and an acute pain in the back.
- Sensation.
- Rapid breathing, difficult breathing.
- Muscle weakness, problems with arm elevation.
The intensity of symptoms depends on the size of the hernia and the stage of the disease.
Osteomyelitis
Pain between the shoulder blades can be a sign of osteomyelitis. This is the name of a purulent infection that affects bone tissue.
This disease is often difficult to treat. The tissue that lies above the bone is thin enough that symptoms at the site of injury should appear immediately. The main sign of the pathology is the presence of a purulent wound, soft tissue edema with congestion. One person complains that his back hurts in the shoulder area, sometimes feels chills, body temperature rises, and pulse beats faster.
There are several types of this pathology. Osteomyelitis that occurs when bacteria enter bone tissue through the bloodstream is called osteomyelitis. Its acute form is most common in children and adolescents.
Microbial invasion from the environment causes exogenous osteomyelitis. The reason for this is an open wound, trauma or fracture. When a purulent lesion travels from the soft tissues to the bone, they indicate the contact form of the disease.
Scoliosis
One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is thoracic scoliosis. Given that this part is associated with the ribs, there is a deformity of the ribcage.
In addition to the main symptom, when the back is painful below the shoulder blades and above the waist, one should highlight increased fatigue, varying degrees of the shoulder.
Diagnosis is made only by X-ray. When running, the back pain is almost constant.
Bone tumor
Back pain in the shoulder area is the main symptom of degenerative bone disease, when the upper part of the spine undergoes a degenerative process. The disease is often confused with pneumonia and tuberculosis.
An experienced neurologist identifies osteonecrosis by several cumulative signs. The localization of the pain syndrome depends on the part where the nerve endings are compressed. Therefore, a distinction between left and right pathology is made.
If your back hurts in the shoulder area, you must definitely go to the doctor to be treated right from the beginning. This ensures faster recovery.
Spondylolisthesis disease
This is the name of a polygenic disease that often occurs with osteonecrosis, disc herniation, and spondylolisthesis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition that affects the disc joints and develops as a result of trauma, birth defects, and overuse.
Suspected disease causes pain in the lower back of the shoulder blades appear unexplained, especially when the weather changes, when moving. The advanced stage is defined by the characteristic brittleness.
Diaphragm abscess
This is the name of a rare but serious complication after an infection of the abdominal cavity. The main symptoms are burning in the back, especially in the shoulder area, shortness of breath, hyperthermia, cough.
In addition to the fact that the pain in the spine is localized below the shoulder blades, it can also transfer to the right hypochondrium.
Diseases of internal organs
If the back is very painful in the shoulder area, this may raise suspicion of existing diseases of the heart, bronchopulmonary and gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, these symptoms should not be ignored.. It is necessary to pay attention to the pains of traction, especially angina pectoris containing coronary heart disease and other equally serious visceral diseases. It is important to diagnose and start treatment promptly.
Intercostal neuralgia
The cause of the phenomenon when burning in the shoulder area, there is a burning sensation in the back, usually intercostal neuralgia.
The unpleasant symptoms are formed due to the pathological changes affecting the spine causing compression on the intercostal nerves.
Sciatica occurs at the level of the shoulder blades and varies in intensity. They can get worse when you cough or take a deep breath.
But Van is about the heart
Lower back pain often occurs due to psychological causes. The patient feels oppressive and tingling, with an inexplicable feeling of anxiety and fear. The pain may radiate down the right arm and neck.
Diagnose
Often lower back pain is the result of occupational activity. Mechanics, drivers, tailors, athletes, designers are people whose jobs involve daily back strain.
When the first symptoms appear, you should see a doctor and conduct an examination.When the disease is detected early and treated promptly, many dangerous complications can be avoided.
If the back is painful in the shoulder area, the doctor will prescribe modern diagnostic methods such as x-ray, computed tomography, ultrasound.
It is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of the pain on your own. Because it can happen so often with a heart attack, delaying seeing a doctor is extremely risky.
The treatment
Back pain in the shoulder area what to do? Do not forget that the basis for the appearance of such a symptom can be a variety of pathologies. Therefore, treatment should only be prescribed by a doctor and carried out under his supervision.
The origin of traumatic and joint pain requires specific clinical therapy, including:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. Pain is effectively eliminated with the help of corticosteroids, non-steroidal agents. They can be used externally by applying a doctor-recommended ointment to the shoulder blade area or by injection. Combining these methods allows you to achieve the best results.
- Chondroprotectors. They are used to treat back pain, when there is pain due to herniated discs, protruding eyes. Preparations containing mucopolysaccharides, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate will help improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and increase its elasticity.
- Physical therapy. With joint tissue damage, physiotherapeutic procedures give good results.The most common shock wave technique, in which infrasound waves act on the body's tissues. It has the ability to destroy bone growth, improve blood flow, lead to increased nutrition for cartilage, reduce muscle tone and eliminate pain in the shoulder blades. In addition, the applications of electrophoresis, massage, paraffin application and manual therapy are widely used.
If the pain is caused by the vertebrae, a warm compress with a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, turpentine, and alcohol will be effective. By improving blood circulation, reducing muscle spasms and relieving pain.
Folk remedies can also be used to relieve psoriasis pain, but they perform only an auxiliary function.
Prevent
To avoid such an unpleasant symptom as back pain in the shoulder blade area, it will be helpful to follow certain rules.
For this you need:
- Eat sensibly. The deficiency of trace elements necessary for cartilage tissue leads to degeneration of the intervertebral discs.
- Maintain correct posture. Uneven load on the spine is one of the first causes of pain.
- Move more. This helps prevent excessive muscle tone, normalizes blood circulation. Useful walks in the fresh air, movement games, gymnastics.
We must not forget about regular medical examination, thanks to which it is possible to detect the development of any pathology at a very early stage.