Today, back pain is a fairly common occurrence, both among the older generation and among young people. Moreover, such pain can manifest itself in completely different departments spine. In this article we will talk about one of the most common localizations of pain in the back - pain in the area of the shoulder blades.
Soreness in the shoulder blades is a fairly broad concept. That is why it is customary to distinguish the following varieties:
The causes of pain in the shoulder blade area can be all sorts of diseases. And they don’t necessarily have to be connected to the spine. Depending on the location of the pain and the presence of concomitant symptoms without special instrumental examinations one can only assume that the patient has some of the most common diseases.
Thus, pain under the left shoulder blade is often observed with the following pathologies:
It is characterized by periodic, gradually increasing pain, seasonality, weakening or complete elimination pain immediately after vomiting, obvious connection with food intake, etc. The main localization of pain is the epigastrium, but it can also spread to the thoracic spine, behind the sternum, in left shoulder blade and left nipple. There are several types of pain depending on the connection with food intake: late, early, hungry. Almost ¾ of patients experience relief after profuse vomiting. Moreover, it is characterized by its appearance without previous nausea and at the very peak of pain. 70% of patients also experience heartburn. Other most common symptoms also include: belching, salivation and regurgitation.
They are expressed in the following complaints: heat, heaviness, tingling, congestion, pressure, compression in the chest area. Such sensations can be acute or muffled, but in any case they are quite unpleasant for the patient. There are often cases when all these symptoms also affect the lower abdomen, or spread to the neck, arm, under the shoulder blade or under the collarbone. There may be a feeling of squeezing the heart or bleeding into it. Some patients say that the heart either freezes, then turns over, then falls, and it seems that it is about to jump out. At the same time, they experience a feeling of anxiety and inner excitement. One of the most unpleasant feelings for patients is the feeling of cardiac arrest (freezing). Taken together, all these symptoms are a kind of foundation for the development of hypochondriacal syndrome in the future. In rare cases, all of the above symptoms may be accompanied by a feeling of compression of the throat (or a lump in it) or lack of air.
It is preceded by a severe attack of angina pectoris. At the same time, the patient feels sharp pain behind the sternum, often radiating to left side back, shoulder blades, neck, jaw. Such pain is not relieved by taking vasodilators (validol, nitroglycerin). Only narcotic analgesics(morphine). Most often, such attacks occur after physical or emotional stress.
With this pathology, a person experiences aching, dull, often one-sided pain, which is localized just below the back of the head. They often occur in the morning, causing the patient to wake up. Pain increases with sudden flexion and extension of the neck, as well as with heavy loads to the cervical segment of the spine. The pain goes away if you apply heat to the damaged area, for example, by taking a warm bath. Very often, with this pathology, patients say that something hurts under their shoulder blades and is reflected in their head or arm. Paresthesia in the shoulder area and dizziness often occur.
Aching pain often appears with osteochondrosis cervical spine
The painful sensations are of a paroxysmal, encircling nature. They intensify with palpation of the patient, physical activity, walking, deep breathing, sneezing and coughing. There is also a possibility of the following symptoms: excessive muscle tension (as a result, the disease is often accompanied by pain under the left shoulder blade, in the lower back, heart and back), burning, tingling and various disorders sensitivity.
It is accompanied by sharp, unbearable pain, which often radiates under the left shoulder blade or to the supraclavicular region. The cause of this pain is said to be irritation of the endings of the phrenic nerve. This condition usually accompanied by nausea or vomiting. In this case, the person has a characteristic appearance: his face expresses obvious fear, his body is covered in cold sweat. In order to relieve pain, the patient takes a certain position of the body: on the back or on the right side, while pressing the hips to the stomach, which is tense from pain. It should be noted that the slightest movement leads to a sharp increase in pain.
Back pain between the shoulder blades is often accompanied by a feeling of numbness, freezing and crawling. And they occur in the following diseases:
It should be noted that most often those who experience pain in the area of the shoulder blades are those whose work in one way or another involves excessive tension in the muscles of the shoulder girdle. Such professions include: driver, designer, machinist, seamstress, doctor, etc.
In some cases, when a person has back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, the causes are diseases that directly affect the bone (scapula) itself. These include:
From all of the above, it is clear that there are many reasons for the development of pain in the area of the shoulder blades. And, accordingly, treatment can be very different. That is why you should definitely contact your doctor to prescribe the correct and effective treatment.
The shoulder blades are located in the shoulder girdle and are a flat bone. The pain that occurs in the shoulder blades causes movement to be limited to one degree or another. It all depends on the intensity of the pain. It is impossible to clearly name the cause of such pain. They may indicate serious problems with health. Prolonged pain in the scapular region is the reason for immediately contacting a doctor. The symptom of scapular pain in itself is not a disease; it may indicate more serious problems.
Today, the occurrence of pain in the shoulder blades is quite common. It's hard to say which one age group more susceptible to this symptom because it occurs in humans of different ages. Even children and young people are susceptible to it.
Only a doctor can determine the etiology of the disease, if necessary, diagnostic procedures or x-ray examination.
As can be seen from the above, possible reasons occurrence of pain huge amount. It is not easy to make a diagnosis even for a specialist. Therefore, self-medication may not bring the desired results, but may also harm the patient. If you ignore these manifestations, you may encounter more serious consequences in the future.
Violations in spinal column can often be the cause of pain in children. This includes various postural disorders. It should be noted that osteochondrosis can also cause pain in the shoulder blades in children. If earlier this disease was considered to be age-related, today it is observed at a very young age.
A quarter of people over fifty years of age develop cuff degeneration. With this disease, deformation of the tendons and muscles responsible for rotating the shoulder can occur. Hence the occurrence of painful sensations in the area of the shoulder blades.
In older people, the cause of pain may be rheumatoid changes and polyarthritis.
Elderly people who go to the doctor with such symptoms are subject to mandatory consultation with an endocrinologist. Patients are examined for sugar levels in the blood and urine. Sometimes these problems can occur due to malfunctions thyroid gland. The possibility of osteoporosis cannot be ignored.
Treatment of pain in the shoulder blade area is prescribed strictly individually. The diagnosis, age and clinical picture are taken into account.
As wide and varied is the list of diseases that cause scapular pain, so is the list of treatment regimens.
Folk remedies for scapular pain cannot replace visiting a specialist and full treatment. In some cases, self-medication can be extremely dangerous.
According to medical statistics, more than 80% of all residents of our country over 40 years of age periodically experience back pain in the lumbar region, and middle-aged patients more often complain of back pain in the shoulder blade area that occurs after a day of work or physical activity. Unfortunately, most patients do not take any measures to treat and eliminate the pathology, preferring to take painkillers or move less, without even trying to understand what causes the pain and how it can be dealt with.
Back pain in the shoulder blade area can be caused by the most various diseases internal organs, spine or nervous system. Of course, in 90% of cases, such pain is associated with osteochondrosis or neuralgia, but we must not forget about other pathologies in which pain in the shoulder blades can become the leading symptom.
Stomach or duodenal ulcer– back pain in the area of the shoulder blades on the left most often indicates problems in the stomach or duodenum. The pain of an ulcer can be very strong, sharp, up to loss of consciousness at the height of attacks (with perforation of the ulcer) or aching, dull with chronic course diseases. Typically, pain occurs 2-3 hours after eating, at night or on an empty stomach; patients complain of aching, dull pain to the left of the shoulder blades, which may be accompanied by heartburn, nausea and vomiting.
Gallbladder diseases– a violation of the outflow of bile causes dull aching pain in the back in the area of the shoulder blades on the right. Such pain most often appears after overeating, especially when eating fatty meat foods, and is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Blockage of the bile duct can cause hepatic colic, in which the pain becomes almost unbearable, the patient falls into feverish excitement, literally “climbs the wall,” and suffers from nausea and vomiting.
Myocardial infarction– severe stabbing pain in the area of the shoulder blades and sternum, a feeling of heaviness and tightness in the chest can occur during acute coronary insufficiency. Myocardial infarction is usually preceded by a severe attack of angina pectoris, the patient's heart rate increases, shortness of breath, fear of death, weakness and pain in the heart radiate to the shoulder blade, arm or back.
Diseases urinary system – pain from below the shoulder blades can occur with pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis. Inflammation of the renal pelvis and tubules causes strong pulling, aching and cutting pains in the back, accompanied by urination problems. Diseases respiratory system– less commonly, back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is caused by pleurisy or pneumonia. With these diseases, the patient feels weak, has an increase in body temperature, cough, increased sweating and pain behind the shoulder blades.
If pain appears in the area of the shoulder blades, first of all, you need to find out what caused it, only then can you begin treatment. Therefore, you can take some measures and self-medicate only if you know your diagnosis accurately and are sure that you will not harm yourself.
Before contacting a doctor, you can:
My back hurts and it's difficult to walk. It looks like someone drove a stake between the shoulder blades. You have to hunch unattractively and move slowly and carefully.
Back pain, and especially in the area of the shoulder blades, is quite common today. True, it is impossible to characterize the group of people most often susceptible to back pain - pain in the shoulder blades can be observed in both old people and young people.
What to do if there is pain between the shoulder blades? What exactly hurts, how to treat it and how can it affect the functioning of the body? What leads to painful sensations and what suffers in this case? You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.
Shoulder blades, as written in anatomy textbooks, are triangular bones connecting humerus with collarbones. There are two of them in the human body, they are located in the upper half of the torso from the back. There are 17 muscles attached to each shoulder blade.
If pain in the shoulder blades does occur, it is interesting to determine what kind of disease this may indicate. Pain in the shoulder blade area is one of the most common symptoms with the development of such diseases:
Pain in the left shoulder blade area may be caused by various factors and diseases. Most common reasons Doctors call the occurrence of unpleasant sensations in the area of the shoulder blade on the left:
Just like pain in the left shoulder blade, pain in the right shoulder blade can be a symptom of various diseases. There are at least 4 diseases that are indicated by pain in the area of the right shoulder blade:
Sometimes pain in the shoulder blades can be caused by problems in the bones themselves. Pain in the shoulder blades most often occurs due to back or neck injuries. Such injuries can result from falls, accidents and other troubles. The scapula can be broken as a result of a fall on the elbow or straight arm, and sometimes parts of the broken scapula can also affect the muscles. The pain in this case can be sharp, acute, appearing during movement or active work of the hands. If there has been a fracture of the scapula, the fracture site will be swollen and slightly swollen.
The change in the shape of the scapula is medically called pterygoid scapula. It occurs as a result of paralysis of the muscles - rhomboid, trapezoid or serratus anterior. Muscle paralysis occurs due to myopathy, neuroinfections, or other nerve damage. A pterygoid scapula can also appear as a result of persistent bruises of the forearms, scoring and other injuries to the long thoracic nerve. Such problems are most often observed among circus performers and athletes.
Sometimes pain in the shoulder blades can be felt in combination with crunching shoulder joints. This reaction of the body is observed in a disease called scapular crunch.
Also sharp pain in the area of the shoulder blades is observed with open damage bones. For example - with a bullet wound. Accompanied by general intoxication of the body.
Diagnosing pain in the shoulder blade area is not an easy task, since, as previously described, many diseases can lead to pain in this area. To determine the disease, you should still consult a doctor, since establishing an accurate diagnosis requires many studies. It is possible, as in most cases, that pain in the area of the shoulder blades was caused by deformations (sprains or bruises) of the muscles, however, in order to avoid more serious diseases, the doctor needs to conduct an examination of the internal organs, the diseases of which can cause discomfort in the back.
Depending on the identified disease, treatment is, of course, different. However, pain associated with muscle work is still the most common, so it is worth considering treatment in this particular area.
With pain in the shoulder blades caused by muscle injuries, a burning sensation or heaviness is felt between the shoulder blades. Most often, to relieve such pain, you just need to make a few swings of your arms or a few circular movements shoulders. If such manipulations desired result they didn’t give it and the pain continues under the shoulder blades, and it also radiates to the heart area, then perhaps you have problems with the spine or with the heart itself and you should consult a doctor for help.
Pain in the area of the shoulder blades, associated with dysfunction or position of the muscles, occurs most often in people leading a sedentary lifestyle, as well as in those who, due to the specifics of their work, spend most of the day in the same position - these are office workers, banks , programmers, seamstresses and so on. As a result daily work, the back muscles of these people weaken, I lose elasticity, which leads to poor posture.
Curvatures of the spine are fraught with the development of other, more dangerous deformations of internal organs. Because, best treatment in this situation it is worth calling daily exercise, as well as performing simple exercises to warm up the shoulder girdle throughout the day. Also, if possible, go swimming or visit gym to strengthen your muscles and keep them toned.
None of the above diseases, unfortunately, can be cured at home and you will still have to seek help from medical workers, which will install accurate diagnosis and will prescribe a complex of physiotherapeutic and medical procedures and medicines.
You may be prescribed therapeutic procedures such as electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, various methods of electrotherapy, ultrasound therapy, manual or reflexology, sanitary-resort treatment. All these methods are aimed at relieving the main symptoms and pain, but do not remove the root cause of pain in the shoulder blades.
If you suddenly have pain in the shoulder blades, you should initially consult doctors such as a traumatologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist and neurologist. They will indicate the cause of back pain. When diagnosing a disease and prescribing treatment, you may need the help of a chiropractor or massage specialist.
Most effective prevention pain in the area of the shoulder blades experts call management active image life, sports. It is also important to monitor your own emotional state, hormonal levels, food. Maintain your posture, don't hunch over.
Remember that it is very important to monitor your own body, exercise, habits, and so on, in order to avoid most diseases. To ensure that pain in the shoulder blade area never appears in your life, also watch your sleep - always go to bed at the right conditions, preferably on a hard surface that does not bend.
Often in medical institutions They began to complain: “my back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades.” According to statistics, more than half of citizens have encountered this problem. This often happens after a busy day at work or physical activity. Unfortunately, not all people pay attention to this problem. To relieve pain, they resort to taking painkillers, reducing physical activity and do not want to determine the root cause of its appearance: what kind of disease could it be?
Why does my back hurt in the shoulder blade area? The following main reasons for this phenomenon should be noted:
For of this disease Characterized by the appearance of continuous pain around the shoulder blades and neck of an aching or pulling nature. As a result of impaired blood circulation in the spine, systematic destruction occurs cartilage tissue, as a result of which a shift of the vertebrae occurs. All this causes constant chronic pain. It is quite simple to differentiate this disease - one-sided discomfort occurs in the morning or as a result of staying in one position long period. If you change your position, they intensify and can spread throughout the body.
With osteochondrosis, the following signs are observed:
The disease affects people leading a sedentary lifestyle, with impaired metabolism, and those suffering from overweight.
Characteristics here severe attacks acute girdling pain, which subsides when at rest and intensifies with any movement. These sensations are caused by inflammation of the intercostal nerves.
The main causes of this disease can be noted:
In this case, aching pain of a periodic nature is observed. These pathologies affect workers who work without changing their body position (at a sewing machine, behind the wheel or at a computer). As a result, the ligaments, muscles and tendons are greatly overstrained and pain occurs at the end of the day, which disappears after rest.
Often, unpleasant sensations around the shoulder blades appear as a result of previous stressful situations, nervous disorders and others psychological problems. They can spread to others neighboring organs, radiate to the limbs, disappear spontaneously or after using medications.
Psychological problems are usually accompanied by:
Impaired functionality of the gallbladder and organs cardiovascular system, stomach can cause unpleasant discomfort in the spine.
If it hurts on the right side of the shoulder blades? Most often, the cause of such sensations is painful conditions gallbladder. Impaired outflow of bile leads to aching dull pain on the right of the shoulder blades. Such sensations can usually occur after overeating, abuse of fatty foods meat dishes. When the duct is blocked, hepatic colic and almost unbearable pain occur.
If the pain is localized in the area of the shoulder blades on the left, the cause of their appearance may be pain in the stomach or duodenum. At the same time, the back in the area of the shoulder blades hurts very much, and the person may lose consciousness. Chronic diseases digestive organs occur with sensations that are aching, dull in nature.
Usually with pathologies gastrointestinal tract pain occurs:
Signs of intoxication are observed.
Myocardial infarction is characterized by severe stabbing pain in the area of the shoulder blades and chest, a feeling of constriction and heaviness in the chest. Typically, this disease occurs after an attack of angina pectoris: there is rapid heartbeat, pain in the heart, fear of death, shortness of breath, and general weakness. Sensitive pain on the left radiates to the arm, shoulder blade or spine.
Important! If such pain occurs, consult a doctor in a timely manner to avoid negative consequences.
Organ diseases urinary system occur with severe pain of various nature in the spine area below the shoulder blades. There is impaired urination.
Pain in the spine between the shoulder blades is observed with bronchitis. Similar symptoms can be observed with a cold. The temperature rises noticeably, general weakness, increased sweating, and pain when coughing appear.
The likelihood of injury is excluded if only the shoulder blades hurt and not the back. Pain may occur after strong blow on the back or falling on the back. They are permanent and intensify with the slightest movement. Swelling or redness may be visible in the area of injury.
These diseases rarely occur with pain in the area of the shoulder blades.
With tuberculosis, mild pain of a constant nature is observed. The patient loses weight, feels weakness and general malaise.
Osteomyelitis occurs after the penetration of microbes into an open wound due to any damage. For of this disease characteristic high temperature body, severe pain, clouding of consciousness.
Malignant neoplasms of the scapula are quite rare. The disease occurs with the following signs:
The reasons for the development of this disease are strip surgery on the peritoneal organs. A cavity forms under the diaphragm and fills with pus. The disease occurs with such characteristic features: sharp deterioration condition, high body temperature, severe pain in the shoulder blade area.
About 50% of women experience back pain during pregnancy. The reasons for this phenomenon: hormonal changes and weight gain. IN for preventive purposes Pregnant women are recommended to wear a bandage to support the back muscles on all sides.
Many women experience back pain near the shoulder blades after childbirth. It is recommended to consult a doctor to determine the root cause of their occurrence.
In a child, the causes of pain are exactly the same as in an adult. For this reason, it is very important to consult a doctor if you experience the slightest back pain. preventive examination.
If you experience back pain in the shoulder blade area, which doctor should you go to? If you feel severe pain near your shoulder blades, you should contact a therapist for an initial examination. Depending on the results of the survey, he may refer the patient to the following specialists:
What to do if pain occurs in the spine in the area of the shoulder blades? To avoid complications in case of pain in the shoulder blades and if you have difficulty breathing, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately. Determine the root cause of pain, make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment Diagnostic methods will help the doctor:
To make a diagnosis, the doctor also asks the patient about his lifestyle and labor activity. After determining the root cause of pain, the doctor determines how to treat the disease.
Important! At home, it is almost impossible to determine the cause of pain. Self-medication is unacceptable! To exclude dangerous consequences you need to urgently call a doctor.
To relieve pain in the spine near the shoulder blades in the hospital it is prescribed complex treatment which includes.
