If a person has back pain in the shoulder blade area, it automatically associates it with the condition of the spine. They are partly right: this patient nucleus of our skeleton carries heavy loads, which inevitably affects its condition.
However, often the pain in this area of the back indicates a disorder of the internal organs. The nature of the pain depends on the disease, so it is important to describe its manifestations in as much detail as possible in the doctor's appointment.
The thing that causes shoulder pain
Pathological changes:
- spine;
- internal organs;
- surrounding structures.
Pain in the scapula and some rare diseases:
- Fractures of the spine and its systemic injuries;
- Metastases in gastric cancer, and sometimes in other organs in the spine.
Pain is localized according to the type of disease:
- On the shoulder blades;
- Under the shoulder blades;
- Between the shoulder blades;
- On the shoulder blades.
Symptoms associated with pathologies of the internal organs
Pain in the stomach, lungs, liver and heart can be shown under the shoulder blade - right or left.
If there is pain on the left side, this may be a sign:
- Peptic ulcer of the stomach: the pain is periodic, associated with exacerbation of seasonal nature. They are accompanied by pain in the upper abdomen. Vomiting occurs when the pain increases;
- Myocardial infarction: the disease is accompanied by acute retrosternal pain extending under the left shoulder blade. Cardiac ischemia has similar symptoms, but in this case the sensation of pain also occurs in the left arm;
- Outbreak of gastric ulcer: the patient's body is covered with cold sweat, the patient may be sick until vomiting occurs. The patient tries to alleviate the pain by changing position, but these actions do not have the expected effect;
- Intercostal neuralgia: pain under the left shoulder blade, accompanied by attacks aggravated by the slightest physical force. The heart vibrates and burns. It hurts to cough and breathe deeply.
There may be pain under the right shoulder blade in the following cases:
- Psychological failures 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 during coughing;
- Kidney disease: Coughing also causes increased pain, but unlike lung disease, the patient has difficulty urinating.
Pain associated with pathologies of the spine
Spinal problems can occur after injuries, fractures or bruises. However, there are diseases for which there are no obvious causes. And all manifest themselves with pain in the scapular region.
Pain between the shoulder blades should be combined with any pathology of the spine:
- hardness;
- Sensation of gas shoots;
- Matching.
Intercapular pain is characteristic of heavy smokers when coughing.
Osteochondrosis
If the nutrition of the tissues is impaired, they develop dystrophic changes. In the spinal column, this process affects the intervertebral discs. They can no longer withstand the pressure of the spine. Loss of elasticity of the disc causes compression of the spine. The nerve endings of the spinal cord are under pressure - severe pain occurs here.
The body tries to protect the spine from heavy loads by enlarging 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.
In osteochondrosis, the pain is localized at the site of spinal cord injury. If the cervical region is affected, the patient feels pain in the right side of the neck in the morning. The pain spreads to the shoulder and arm, is felt on the shoulder blade. Dizziness may be felt, the pain is aggravated by deep breathing and coughing.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region manifests itself as pain between the shoulder blades - on the right and left sides of the spine. The pain may be exacerbated by sneezing, coughing, and sudden movements. When you try to straighten your shoulders, the chest and interscapular zone begin to crack.
It is difficult for a person to breathe through the chest because the mobility of the ribs decreases and he unconsciously begins to breathe through the stomach.
Treat osteochondrosis conservatively. The patient is assigned:
- Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- therapeutic gymnastics;
- Reflexology;
- Massages;
- Spinal traction;
- Manual therapy.
If none of the treatments work, the surgeons start working.
Spondylarthrosis
The symptoms of this disease are similar to osteochondrosis. However, in this case, the intervertebral disc is not depleted, it moves. Hyaline is forced to carry a cartilage load. Under such extreme conditions, its tissue becomes thinner and loses its ability to perform its functions.
If spondylosis is not treated, the whole joint can become inflamed and then completely lose its mobility. The patient's condition is aggravated by osteophytes.
Scoliosis
It is common for the spine to bend to the right or left relative to its axis - almost half of the population suffers from this disease. However, for most people, the disease is not pronounced, and therefore the pain appears from time to time - if a person squeezes his back too much or stands or sits in one position for a long time.
Early scoliosis cannot be visually diagnosed, so it is in the patient's best interest to see a doctor if there is pain in the scapular region. He will prescribe an x-ray - direct and lateral.
With the further development of scoliosis can be detected independently: the "zigzags" of the spine are clearly pronounced. Running scoliosis is also determined by the relative position of the shoulders - one of them will be lower than the other.
Treatment of scoliosis, even at high intensity, is a long-term endeavor. Massages, special exercises and wearing a corset will help to get rid of curvature of the spine.
Intervertebral hernia
The intervertebral disc consists of:
- gelatinous core;
- Fiber ring made of fibers;
- Two thin layers of cartilage covering the discs above and below.
The nucleus is located inside the ring, and the cartilage tissue that connects the structure also serves as a feeding conductor from the vessels of the vertebral body to the disc.
Pathological changes in the spine lead to disruption of metabolic processes in the intervertebral discs. Their thickness decreases, the fibrous ring cracks under the influence of loads, paving the way out of the gelatinous mass of the nucleus. This process is accompanied by severe pain. Concentrates at one point, but sometimes there is a return to the pulmonary and cardiac regions.
An intervertebral hernia in the thoracic region is very rare, so when pain appears in the scapular region, the patient is first checked for other diseases.
Intervertebral hernia is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy and special exercises. In severe cases, only surgery can help.
Tuberculosis of the spine
Tuberculosis bacteria can affect any part of the spine, but 60% of cases occur in the thoracic region. Men often suffer from this disease. Basically, several vertebrae are involved in the process, but there are three or more cases of TB.
Symptoms of the disease can vary depending on the number of affected vertebrae. But there is a constant symptom - pain. If it is felt between the shoulder blades, it indicates damage to the cervical vertebrae.
He also suffers from tuberculosis of the thoracic region, but in this case the pain will spread to the chest, groin or abdomen. Patients complain of burning, twisting, "drilling" in the back.
Tuberculosis of the spine is difficult to diagnose, severe pain is already visible at the stage of appearance of various complications. If you have the slightest suspicion of this disease, consult a specialist for immediate examination.
Excessive tension and hypothermia
If the back is overloaded, painful sensations may also appear in the scapular region. In itself, this phenomenon is not considered a disease, but constant overload can lead to osteochondrosis, spinal curvature and intervertebral hernias.
Sewers, drivers, surgeons, sedentary people, etc. suffer from back pain. If hypothermia (drafts, running conditioner) is added to the extreme tension, then a back pain can be taught - severe pain concentrated under the shoulder blades or in the spine.
This problem is treated with warming ointments, anti-inflammatory drugs and massages.
Myositis
Influenza, SARS, severe hypothermia, myositis - can cause inflammation of muscle tissue. The disease often affects the muscles located in the scapular region. This condition does not threaten the body with anything terrible, but the excruciating pain is a cause for concern.
Pain in the shoulder blades
Pain occurs for several reasons:
- Fracture or injury resulting from a fall. The shoulder joint is swollen, it hurts to move the joint;
- Osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone tissue): accompanied by fever, fever as a result of intoxication of the whole organism;
- Pterygoid scapula: this effect occurs as a result of damage to the anterior tooth (located on the side of the chest), rhomboid, paralysis of the trapezius muscles or their traumatic rupture (circus acrobats and gymnasts, professional athletes suffer).
If the synovial sac becomes inflamed, the shoulder blade begins to crack. In addition to this problem, the patient is concerned about the weight and clicks in the shoulder joint.
Diagnostics
Because back pain is one of many diseases, the examination is performed in different ways:
- chest radiography;
- Laboratory studies;
- ultrasound;
- Magnetic resistance or computed tomography;
- ECG.
All examinations are prescribed by a surgeon - if you have back pain, consult him first. However, according to future research, he will need advice:
- orthopedist;
- gastroenterologist;
- neurologist;
- Pulmonologist.
If for any reason the doctor does not pay attention to the accompanying symptoms, consult on your own initiative.
Treatment
Self-medication for pain in the scapular region is strictly contraindicated. The maximum thing a patient can afford is to take painkillers and analgesics. The reception should be alone and only if you need to stop the pain syndrome before going to the doctor.
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor: usually it is enough to take analgesics, chondroprotectors, anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate the condition. In addition, the doctor prescribes a treatment regimen designed to eliminate the root causes of pain in the scapular region.