Pain in the shoulder blades

My back hurts and it's hard to walk. It feels like someone has driven a stake between my shoulder blades. I have to hunch over unattractively and move slowly and carefully.

Back pain, especially in the shoulder blade area, is a fairly common phenomenon today. However, it is impossible to characterize the group of people most often subject to back pain – pain in the shoulder blade area can be observed in both old and young people.

What should you do if you have pain between your shoulder blades? What exactly hurts, how to treat it, and how can it affect the functioning of the body? What causes painful sensations and what suffers in this case? You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.

Causes of pain in the shoulder blade area

Back pain, especially in the shoulder blade area, is not only a very common concept, but also quite multifaceted in determining the source of pain and the nature of the disease. If you have pain in the shoulder blade area, this does not mean that it is the muscles or spine that hurt, since pain in other organs can radiate to the upper back and thus manifest itself as pain in the shoulder blade area.

However, pain in the shoulder blade area is usually divided into such types as pain under one of the shoulder blades or under both at once, pain in the shoulder blade area and pain in the shoulder blades themselves, that is, in the bones.

However, at home, it is quite difficult to determine the exact disease and the cause of pain in the shoulder blade area. The suspected disease can be determined by a set of characteristic symptoms and the location of the pain source.

So what can cause pain in the shoulder blade area? The most common cause of pain in the upper body can be lack of physical activity, low-activity or sedentary work, back trauma, such as blows or falls, bruises or fractures of the shoulder blade. Irregular physical activity (working out in the gym or pool) or its complete absence also has a negative effect on health. However, even if you do work out in the gym, you should not overdo it, since excessive loads can also cause pain in the back.

Read also: Shoulder blade muscle pain

[ 1 ]

What are the shoulder blades and where are they located?

The shoulder blades, as they are written in anatomy textbooks, are triangular bones that connect the humerus to the collarbones. There are two of them in the human body, located in the upper half of the torso on the back side. 17 muscles are attached to each shoulder blade.

Symptoms of pain in the shoulder blade area

If pain in the shoulder blades does occur, it is interesting to determine what disease it may indicate. Pain in the shoulder blade area is one of the most common symptoms in the development of such diseases:

• kyphosis, scoliosis or kyphoscoliosis are types of spinal curvature;
• osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine;
• spondyloarthrosis;
• herniated or protruding intervertebral disc in the chest area;
• radiculitis of the upper body;
• periarthritis in the shoulder or shoulder blade area;
• ischemic heart disease or angina pectoris;
• neuralgia in the intercostal space;
• pathology of the mediastinal organs;
• infectious diseases;
• pathologies of the pleura or lungs;
• bruises and other types of injuries to the spine in the neck and chest area;
• connective tissue diseases in combination with the specifics of professional activity.

Pain in the left shoulder blade area

Pain in the left shoulder blade area can be caused by various factors and diseases. Doctors call the following the most common causes of discomfort in the left shoulder blade area:

• heartburn – pain in the area of the left shoulder blade appears during or after eating;
• psychological problems that entail pain, burning, squeezing of the heart, a burning sensation in the chest. Painful sensations can migrate to the arm or under the shoulder blade;
• myocardial infarction - in this case, there is a dull, aching pain in the shoulder blade area. It can be felt both under the shoulder blade and in the left arm, neck, back, jaw. If the pain does not go away after taking medications with a vasodilator effect, such as nitroglycerin or validol, then most likely you have a myocardial infarction;
• osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae - pain from the back of the head to the middle of the back, observed mainly in the morning after waking up;
• intercostal neuralgia - paroxysmal pain, observed mainly in the intercostal spaces. Occurs during physical activity, as well as during active work of the respiratory tract;
• stomach ulcer - when the ulcer opens, pain may be felt under both shoulder blades, as well as in the collarbone area. The cause of pain in the left shoulder blade area may be improper functioning of the nerve endings of the diaphragm.

Pain in the right shoulder blade

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 displayed by pain in the right shoulder blade:

• spasm of the gallbladder or ducts - occurs due to blockage by a stone. Causes very strong pain, stabbing, cutting, tearing, which comes from the right hypochondrium. The pain can radiate to the right eye, jaw, neck, shoulder or shoulder blade. Nausea or vomiting often occurs. The patient tries to constantly change position to reduce pain, constantly screams;
• subdiaphragmatic abscess - the symptom is acute, very severe pain in the area of the right shoulder blade or shoulder. A rapid rise in temperature or leukocytosis may also be observed;
• nephritis or pyelonephritis - pain not only in the lumbar region, but also in the area of the shoulder blade on the right, hypochondrium, iliac region. A characteristic symptom is also frequent, painful or difficult urination;
• Gallstone disease - severe pain in the shoulder blade area on the right as a symptom is less common here. However, the pain can be cutting, stabbing, sharp, spreading from the right side of the back to the jaw.

Shoulder blade pain - bone pain

Sometimes pain in the shoulder blade area can be caused by problems in the bones themselves. Shoulder blade pain most often occurs due to back or neck injuries. Such injuries can be caused by falls, accidents, and other unpleasant things. The shoulder blade can be broken as a result of falling on the elbow or straight arm, and sometimes parts of the broken shoulder blade can also affect the muscles. In this case, the pain can be sharp, acute, appearing during movement, active work of the hands. If a shoulder blade fracture has occurred, the fracture site will be swollen, slightly puffy.

In medicine, a change in the shape of the scapula is called a winged scapula. It occurs as a result of muscle paralysis - rhomboid, trapezius or anterior serratus. Muscle paralysis occurs due to myopathy, neuroinfections or other nerve damage. A winged scapula can also appear as a result of constant bruising of the forearms, slaughter and other damage to the long thoracic nerve. Such problems are most often observed in circus performers and athletes.

Sometimes pain in the shoulder blade area can be felt in combination with crunching of the shoulder joints. Such a reaction of the body is observed in a disease called scapular crunching.

Also, acute pain in the shoulder blade area is observed with open bone damage. For example, with a bullet wound. Accompanied by general intoxication of the body.

What to do if the shoulder blade area hurts?

Diagnosing pain in the shoulder blade area is not an easy task, since, as described earlier, many diseases can cause pain in this area. To determine the disease, you should still consult a doctor, since a lot of research is required to establish an accurate diagnosis. It is possible, as in most cases, that pain in the shoulder blade area was caused by deformations (stretching or bruises) of muscles, however, in order to avoid more serious diseases, the doctor needs to conduct an examination of the internal organs, diseases of which can cause discomfort in the back.

Treatment of pain in the shoulder blade area

Depending on the disease diagnosed, the treatment is, of course, different. However, the most common pains are those associated with muscle work, so it is worth considering the treatment of this particular area.

When there is pain in the shoulder blade area caused by muscle injuries, there is a burning sensation or heaviness between the shoulder blades. Most often, to relieve such pain, you just need to make a few arm swings or a few circular movements with your shoulders. If such manipulations do not give the desired result and the pain under the shoulder blades continues, and also radiates to the heart area, then you may have problems with the spine or with the heart itself and you should seek help from doctors.

Shoulder blade pain associated with a malfunction or position of the muscles is most common in people who lead 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, bankers, programmers, seamstresses, and so on. As a result of daily work, the back muscles of these people weaken, lose elasticity, which leads to posture disorders.

Spinal curvatures are fraught with the development of other, more dangerous deformations of internal organs. Therefore, the best treatment in this situation is daily exercise, as well as performing simple exercises to warm up the shoulder girdle during the day. Also, if possible, go swimming or visit the gym to strengthen your muscles and keep them in good shape.

Unfortunately, none of the above mentioned diseases can be cured at home and you will still have to seek help from medical workers who will establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the necessary and effective complex of physiotherapeutic and medical procedures and medications specifically for your case.

You may be prescribed such therapeutic procedures as electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, various methods of electrotherapy, ultrasound therapy, manual or reflexology, spa treatment. All these methods are aimed at removing the main symptoms, pain, but do not remove the root cause of pain in the shoulder blade area.

If you suddenly have pain in the shoulder blade area, you should initially consult a traumatologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist, and neurologist. They will indicate the cause of the back pain. When establishing the disease and prescribing treatment, you may need the help of a chiropractor or massage specialist.

How to prevent pain in the shoulder blade area?

Experts say that the most effective prevention of pain in the shoulder blade area is an active lifestyle and sports. It is also important to monitor your emotional state, hormonal levels, and nutrition. Maintain good posture and do not slouch.

It is also recommended to undergo a complete medical examination once a year in order to prevent and identify various diseases of internal organs at an early stage.

Remember that it is very important to monitor your own body, your loads, your habits, etc., in order to avoid most diseases. In order to never have pain in the shoulder blade area in your life, also monitor your sleep - always go to bed in the right conditions, preferably on a hard surface that does not bend.

Love yourself, your body and periodically shake it up with moderate physical exercise.