Scapular back pain: causes, diagnosis, complete description of the problem

Many people experience back pain at some point in their lives. They can be localized in different regions for a lot of different reasons. If a person has back pain in the shoulder blade area, this symptom should not be ignored.

However, it's important to understand here that a brief bout of pain passes quickly and doesn't allow itself to be felt anymore, and it's not something to worry about. Instead, anxiety is caused by systemic pain, regardless of its intensity and nature. With the causes and methods of diagnosing pain in mind, let's talk about its nature and ways to get rid of it.

nature of pain

Pain is not a disease in its own right—it's just a symptom. The appearance of back pain can be due to various factors, ranging from pain after sleeping in an uncomfortable position to serious pathological processes in the body.

To understand the cause of back pain between the shoulder blades, it is important to identify the cause of the pain. But first it is worth considering another important question related to the nature of the pain sensation, which helps to determine the main cause of this symptom.

Therefore, doctors distinguish the following pain levels according to their nature:

• acute- Different flare-ups, but always very intense. Pain in the back occurs spontaneously whether it is below, above, or between the shoulder blades. At the same time, a feeling of "penetrating" occurs, and a person can scream, convulse and bend sharply. This reflexive response is not only caused by the suddenness and intensity of the pain sensation, we instinctively try to avoid the unpleasant sensation.
• boring- is fundamentally different from the previous paragraph. It develops gradually and plagues patients for a long time. Dull pain is characterized by monotony and varying intensity. In some cases, the painful sensation is so intense that it not only makes it impossible to move or perform any actions, but even sleep. Dull pain indicates a problem with the muscles or depends on a lesion affecting tendons or ligaments. It tends to be exacerbated during exercise or physical exertion, and it is located bilaterally (in the area of both scapulae).
• sharp——It is no different from the strong ones, but it still has certain characteristics. Severe pain, as the name suggests, is also sudden, but of varying intensity. It may be a sudden, intense low back pain that elicits the reflex movements described earlier. But in some cases, the sharp pain, while causing a lot of discomfort, is quite mild. Often occurs when doing any movement, lifting weights, clumsy movements, etc.
• prick- It's not about the nature, but about the details of the painful sensations manifested according to the particular disease. Suture pain is spontaneous, undulating, and cyclical. They often irradiate and are located on the back below the shoulder blades, eg, the lower back, at the level of the sacrum. Patients feel intense stabbing pain and report that a knife or needle has been stuck somewhere.
• pain- A dull pain type. This painful feeling is also characterized by persistence and duration. Pain is debilitating, it is present everywhere, regardless of his behavior, even without exercise and physical exertion. Localized between the shoulder blades of the spine, the pain radiates to the chest area, although the patient does not have a heart attack, but the patient has a feeling of heart pain. Periodicity is also characteristic of soreness, they are always present but have a habit of varying in intensity.
• traction- This pain is characteristic of bone, muscle and ligament structures. The specificity of the pain is related to the name, the patient's sense that someone or something is pulling on the muscle or bone, rather than the localization of the discomfort. The sharp, pulling pain causes a lot of discomfort, impedes movement, and often radiates to nearby areas.
• burning or burning pain- A rather rare type of pain commonly called "burning". This feeling is characteristic of certain forms and stages of osteochondrosis, which also bakes the back with ischemic pathology of the heart. In the second case, the pain that develops in the area of the scapula is radial;
• strong or weak- This metric is both critical and most controversial for any physician. If the back pain is severe, it can be extremely uncomfortable, exhausting, and incapacitating. Mild pains are easier to bear and don't complicate life as much, but in most cases they are the most persistent and hardest to treat. The subjective index of pain intensity is because everyone has different sensitivity to pain and different pain thresholds. In this case, it is best to pay attention to where the injury is, in the middle, near the left or right shoulder blade.

We must not forget that it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based on the nature of the pain alone. Furthermore, even the concept of "personality" is subjective, since each person has their own threshold of sensitivity, and even the same disease may be accompanied by different symptoms.

In addition, pain in various pathological processes is often accompanied by other symptoms. We will now consider the clinical symptoms that may accompany the pain:

• Numb- Clinical signs indicative of neurological disease. Common in intercostal neuralgia, thoracic osteochondrosis, spondyloarthropathy.
• frozen back- Another symptom from many nervous systems, combined with the sensation of pain. According to medical reference books, this clinical symptom is inherent in only two pathologies. In the first case we are talking about violations of the spinal nerve roots, in the second the symptoms are associated with inflammatory diseases, pyelonephritis.
• elevated body temperature- With inflammation of the internal organs, sometimes the pain is accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades. Most of these symptoms suggest pneumonia or tuberculosis.
• In some cases, pain in the shoulder blade area is accompanied bynausea, but this clinical symptom is usually accompanied by very intense pain.

In the vast majority of cases, pain between the shoulder blades indicates a disorder of the spine. However, there is always the possibility that the pain may be due to the development of other conditions, such as diseases of the internal organs, most likely of the heart and lungs.

Why the back hurts in the shoulder blade area

Even considering the various features of back pain in the scapular region, it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based on this symptom alone. At the same time, if you want to get rid of the pain completely, instead of temporarily relieving it with painkillers, you must find out the real cause of its occurrence.

To understand why back pain occurs in the scapular region, it is necessary to highlight the main causes of its occurrence:

• spinal mechanical injuryEspecially in the neck or chest area. It's not just about recent injuries, including bruises, dislocations, sprains, and broken bones. Old injuries can remind themselves years later, or as the development of other conditions in which the spine is injured between the shoulder blades.
• Osteochondrosis- One of the most common causes of pain in different parts of the back. Of course, when it comes to scapular pain, we mean osteochondrosis in the cervical or thoracic spine, which is the upper back.
• postural disorder, that is, any pathology that can lead to curvature of the spine. First, scoliosis has hints of it in all its manifestations, but even mediocre flat feet can show up curved. The most severe forms of curvature of the spine are kyphosis and kyphosis;
• herniated discPain also develops in the thoracic spine. At the same time, the pain intensifies with movement, and the pathological process itself is dangerous, since in the clinical picture there are neurological symptoms and pinched nerves.
• Periarticular disease of the shoulder or scapula- A disease of the musculoskeletal system characterized by an inflammatory process in the tissues surrounding the joints. The pathology is accompanied by symptoms of acute pain in the region of the scapula and upper extremities, with marked obstruction of hand movements.
• Intercostal neuralgia- The pathological process is caused by a disease of neurogenic origin, compression of nerves in the rib (chest) area. Meanwhile, the pain is girdle, palpable including the shoulder blades.

• Migratory or radiating pain in the scapular region is often foundheart diseaseA distinction is often made between ischemia and myocardial infarction. In this condition, the pain "radiates" from the heart to the back.
• Pregnant- Another cause of back pain, including between the shoulder blades. The appearance of pain sensations can be explained by the growth of the fetus, which shifts the center of gravity of the fetus and increases the load on the various parts of the spine. Usually, pain occurs closer to the third trimester when the fetus reaches a larger size.
• pain may occurafter inoculationThe area under the scapula is very accessible for injections, and simultaneous injections only add to the pain syndrome that lasts 1-2 days.

It can be difficult to identify all causes of pain between the shoulder blades because there are so many of them. This list contains the main content only. As for less common causes, most are signs of other medical conditions. We are talking about diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver, kidneys, and in each case pain occurs.

Let's also not forget that strenuous exercise can cause pain. They can be pathological or muscular, in the second case you just need to rest the back muscles, if there are pathological pains, be sure to consult a doctor.

diagnosis

Only on the basis of obtaining diagnostic data can doctors accurately determine the cause of pain and make a diagnosis. Diagnosis involves many procedures for a variety of reasons, of which the following are the most requested:

• Initial examination and history taking- The doctor asks the patient about the location, frequency, nature, and intensity of pain sensations. The patient is then examined, with palpation of the designated painful area and a functional diagnosis, including hand movement, inclination, etc.
• contrast- If a person has spinal pain below, above, or between the shoulder blades, the easiest way to determine the cause is an x-ray. This examination allows you to determine the shape of your vertebrae and discs, identifying curvatures, injuries, and more.
• CT scan- A modern and more informative diagnostic method that provides a more comprehensive picture in the presence of spinal lesions.
• Magnetic resonance imaging- This method of examination is necessary in cases where X-ray and CT do not provide the necessary information. MRI can detect lesions affecting the spinal cord and its branches.

If the cause of pain is not identified when examining the spine, pathological diagnosis of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal organs, etc. is required.

Pain between the shoulder blades in the back

If a person experiences severe pain in the spine between the shoulder blades for a long time, the pain does not go away, or the pain is so severe that they cannot bear it, they should seek urgent medical attention.

The fight against most pathological processes with such symptoms does not tolerate self-treatment, the fight against the disease can only be carried out under the guidance of specialists. Also, it's important to understand that in most cases, doctors take a conservative approach to treatment.

The basis of treatment is drug therapy:

• The first task is to reduce the intensity of the pain or stop the back pain altogether. For this, pain relievers such as painkillers or antispasmodics are prescribed.
• The best treatment for various diseases of the musculoskeletal system are drugs from the group of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). They are prescribed in the form of ointments, injections, tablets. Thanks to the ointment, pain relief is achieved quickly, in addition, the drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect and also reduce the local temperature.
• In certain pathological processes, group B drugs are prescribed together with NSAIDs in order to address the underlying cause of the pain. They help to normalize metabolic processes in tissues, improve nerve conduction and are especially effective for osteochondrotic neuralgia.

If you have pain in the lower back of the scapula, in addition to medication, a course of physical therapy will be required, consisting of the following procedures:

• Electrophoresis.
• Laser Treatment.
• magnetic therapy.
• ultrasound.

Co-determine each treatment appointment with your doctor. The duration of treatment depends on the disease itself, how advanced it is, and other factors, but a full course of treatment includes at least 10 surgeries. Only then can a significant improvement be observed.

In order to solve problems more effectively and quickly, massage sessions are added to the comprehensive treatment measures. It must be performed by experienced specialists. This procedure helps with shoulder blade injuries and most back problems. However, in the presence of active dynamics of medication and physical therapy, massage is recommended. The course of treatment normalizes blood circulation, accelerates metabolism, relieves pain, restores muscle tone and elasticity.

Then, replacing the massage with physical therapy exercises allows you to consolidate your recovery and prevent further back problems. Patients perform exercise associated with light physical exertion, with the main focus on stretching muscles and maintaining good condition. It is important to remember that the intensity of the exercise is gradually increased and the patient should not experience any discomfort. A systems approach is also very important, but if you experience back pain below the shoulder blades again, seek the advice of a physical therapist.

prevention

Pain in the back under or between the shoulder blades - this sensation is very unpleasant, especially when it is associated with the development of any pathological process. To protect yourself from back disease and pain, follow these simple prevention tips:

• Always keep physical activity in check, whether it's strenuous exercise or strenuous work at work. You can't lift too much weight and overload the back.
• If lifting heavy objects is unavoidable, do it properly. Only lift weights with your back straight.
• Maintain an active lifestyle and play sports to maintain your back muscles. It is most useful to do exercise, swimming, and horizontal bars every day.
• While sitting, try to keep your back as straight as possible and take a break every 1-2 hours to warm up by walking or doing a set of bends and squats.
• To prevent muscular back pain, osteochondrosis, and other conditions, sleep on a flat, hard surface. Buy orthopedic mattresses and pillows that conform to the shape of your head and neck.

By following these simple rules, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing back problems and pain. But remember, if pain persists for more than a week or becomes too intense, always consult your doctor. Prompt diagnosis and initiation of treatment can minimize damage to the body and defeat the disease more quickly.