If a person has back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, he automatically links this to the condition of the spine. They are partly right: this long-suffering nucleus of our skeleton receives heavy loads, which can not but affect its condition.
But often pain in this area of the back signals a disorder in the internal organs. The nature of the pain corresponds to the disease, so at the doctor's appointment it is important that its manifestations be described in as much detail as possible.
What causes shoulder pain
Pathological changes in:
- spine;
- internal organs;
- surrounding structures.
Pain in the scapular area and with some rare diseases:
- Spinal fractures and its systemic lesions;
- Spinal metastases in stomach cancer, and sometimes in other organs.
The pain according to the type of disease is localized:
- Above the edges of the shoulders;
- Under the shoulder blades;
- Between the edges of the shoulders;
- On the edges of the shoulders.
Symptoms associated with pathologies of internal organs
Stomach, lungs, liver and heart may show their pain below 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 periodic nature, accompanied by irritations of seasonal nature. They are accompanied by pain in the upper abdomen. Vomiting occurs during increased pain;
- Myocardial infarction: the disease is associated with acute retrosternal pain, extending below the blade of the left shoulder. Cardiac ischemia has similar signs, but in this case pain sensations also appear in the left hand;
- Spread of stomach ulcer: the patient's body is covered with cold sweat, he may feel sick until vomiting opens. The patient tries to alleviate the suffering by changing position, but these actions do not give the expected effect;
- Intercostal neuralgia: pain under the left shoulder comes with attacks, aggravated by the slightest physical exertion. It trembles and burns in the heart region. It hurts to cough and take deep breaths.
May ache under the blade of the right shoulder when:
- Psychological failures in the body. At the same time, the patient feels heat in the chest, he may complain of squeezing and tingling sensation in the heart muscle;
- Pathological changes in the gallbladder: additional symptoms - soreness in the mouth after fatty, salty and fried foods, pain in the right hypochondrium;
- Pleurisy and pneumonia: pain under the right shoulder is reflected when coughing;
- Renal diseases: in this case cough also brings 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 they all manifest with pain in the scapular region.
With any pathology of the spine, the pain between the shoulder blades must be joined:
- rigidity;
- Feeling of goose bumps;
- Numbness.
Intercapillary pain during 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 by the vertebrae. Loss of disc elasticity leads to spinal compression. The nerve endings of the spinal cord fall under pressure - here appear severe pain.
The body tries to protect the spine from heavy loads by increasing the 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 again.
The pain in osteochondrosis is localized at the site of spinal cord injury. If the cervical region is affected, the patient has morning pain on the right side of the neck. The pain radiates to the shoulder and arm, felt above the shoulder blade. The head may feel dizzy, the aggravation aggravated by a deep breath and coughing.
Osteochondrosis of the chest region manifests as pain between the shoulder blades - on the right and left of the spine. The pain may be made worse by sneezing, coughing, and sudden movements. When you try to straighten your shoulders, your chest and intercapsular area begin to creak.
It becomes difficult for a person to breathe through the chest, as the mobility of the ribs decreases and he subconsciously switches to breathing with his stomach.
Treat osteochondrosis with a conservative method. The patient is described:
- Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Therapeutic gymnastics;
- Reflexology;
- Massages;
- Spinal traction;
- Manual therapy.
If none of the treatment methods work, surgeons do business.
Spondyloarthritis
The symptoms of this disease are similar to osteochondrosis. But in this case, the intervertebral disc is displaced, not depleted. The hyaline cartilage is forced to take the load. In such extreme conditions, its tissue becomes thinner and loses its ability to perform its functions.
If spondyloarthritis is not treated, the entire joint may become inflamed and then completely lose mobility. The patient's condition is aggravated by osteophytes.
Scoliosis
Bending of the spine in relation to its right or left axis is common - almost half of humanity is affected by this disease. But for most, the disease is not pronounced, and therefore the pain appears periodically - if a person overloaded his back, or stood or sat in one position for a long time.
Early scoliosis cannot be determined visually, therefore, if pain appears in the scapular region, it is in the patient's interest to consult a physician. He will prescribe a radiograph - direct and lateral.
With the further development of scoliosis, it can be detected independently: the "zigzags" of the spine become clearly pronounced. Running scoliosis is also determined by the relative position of the shoulders - one of them will be lower than the other.
Treating scoliosis is a long-term issue even at its high intensity. Massages, special exercises and wearing a corset will help remove the curvature of the spine.
Intervertebral hernia
The intervertebral disc consists of:
- Gelatinous nuclei;
- Fibrous ring, composed of fiber;
- Two thin layers of cartilage covering the discs above and below.
The nucleus is located inside the ring, and the cartilage tissue, enclosing the structure, simultaneously serves as a conduit of food from the vessels of the vertebral body to the disc.
Pathological changes in the vertebrae lead to disruption of metabolic processes in the intervertebral discs. Their thickness decreases, the fibrous ring cracks under the influence of loads, opening the way to the outside of the gelatinous mass of the nucleus. This process is accompanied by severe pain. It is concentrated at one point but sometimes has a return to the pulmonary and cardiac regions.
An intervertebral hernia in the chest region is extremely rare, therefore, when pain appears in the scapular region, the patient is first checked for other diseases.
An intervertebral hernia is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy and special exercises. In severe conditions, only surgery can help.
Spinal tuberculosis
Tuberculosis microbacteria can affect any part of the spine, but 60% of cases occur in the chest region. Most often men suffer from this disease. Basically, some beads are involved in the process, but there are times when tuberculosis spreads to three or more.
The symptoms of the disease can vary depending on the number of vertebrae affected. But there is a persistent symptom - it is pain. If felt between the edges of the shoulders, this indicates a lesion of the cervical vertebra.
It also hurts with tuberculosis of the chest region, but in that case the pain will radiate (give) to the chest, groin or abdomen. Patients complain of burning, twisting, "drilling" in the spine.
Spinal tuberculosis is difficult to diagnose, severe pain already appears at the stage of occurrence of various complications. If you have the slightest suspicion of this disease, go immediately to a specialist for examination.
Hypertension and hypothermia
If the spine is overloaded, 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 the formation of intervertebral hernias.
Tailors, drivers, surgeons, people doing sedentary work, etc. complain about back pain. If hypothermia (drafts, a working conditioner) is added to hypertension, then a back pain can be learned - severe pain concentrated below the shoulder blade or in the back.
This trouble is treated with warming ointments, anti-inflammatory and massages.
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 the edges of the shoulders
The pain appears 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 front tooth (located on the side of the chest), paralysis of the rhomboid muscles, trapezius or their traumatic rupture (from which acrobats and circus gymnasts, professional athletes suffer).
If the synovial sac is inflamed, the shoulder blade begins to creak. In addition to this trouble, the patient worries about aggravation and clicks in the shoulder joint.
Diagnosing
Since pain in the scapular area of the back signals one of the many diseases, the examination is performed according to different methods:
- X-ray of the chest;
- Laboratory research;
- ultrasound;
- Magnetic resistance or computed tomography;
- EKG.
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 research, he will need advice:
- Orthopedist;
- gastroenterologist;
- Neurologist;
- Pulmonologist.
If for some reason the doctor did not pay attention to the accompanying symptoms, go consult on your own initiative.
Treatment
Self-medication for pain in the scapular area is categorically contraindicated. The maximum that the patient can afford is to take sedatives and analgesics. The wait should be single and only if it is necessary to stop the pain syndrome before going to the doctor.
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor: usually, to alleviate the condition, it is enough to take analgesics, chondroprotectors, anti-inflammatory drugs. In addition, the doctor prescribes a treatment regimen created to eliminate the root causes of pain in the scapular region.