People associate back pain in the shoulder blade area with condition of the spine. But pain in the upper back sometimes occurs due to diseases of the heart, vascular and respiratory systems, epigastric. The pain is deceptive, it is localized in one place, for example in the chest, and can radiate to the back, so people think it hurts the spine. Listening to the sensations, knowing the nature of the pain, possible symptoms, you can try to distinguish between the disease of the spine and the mediastinum. To do this, you need to know which diseases give back pain.
The shapes
Back pain between the shoulder blades by nature is:
- Acute form - feels on the rise, becomes strong over time, passes quickly enough;
- Chronic - aching pain, long worries, do not stop until corrective measures are taken.
Pain can occur after sports or when a person is in a forced position for a long time, for example, sleeping without a pillow. Pain of any kind: intense pain, aches, dull pain between the shoulder blades is not a disease, but a symptom of some disease. Therefore, before starting any treatment, it is recommended to find out the causes of back pain between the shoulder blades.
There is no need to immediately rush for pills, first you need to visit a doctor. The specialist will assess the nature of the pain, establish a diagnosis and help answer the question of why the back hurts between the shoulder blades. Spinal injuries are not worth dwelling on, because if a person falls, the cause of pain in the spine between the shoulder blades is clear. And when a patient complains of pain of unknown etiology, the doctor will associate these diseases with the intervertebral spine.
With a hernia
Intervertebral hernia is rarely localized in the thoracic spine. This segment of the spine does not carry a large load. But it still sometimes hurts the spine between the shoulder blades for this very reason. To exclude such a possibility, it is worth contacting a neurologist and doing research: CT, MRI.
With hernias, a pathology process occurs between the vertebrae: part of the disc protrudes, pinching the nerves.
The disc breaks, the core, which is a shock absorber, hits it, because the weight is now incorrectly distributed and the nerves are injured, there are back pains in the shoulder blade area. If this pathology is detected during the examination, the treatment will be carried out with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The doctor will prescribe physical therapy, physiotherapy. If the hernia is large and cannot be cured, surgery is indicated.
A distinctive feature of pain in a hernia will be severe pain in the same place with irradiation to the chest, as if the heart is stinging. If the treatment is not carried out for a long time, there is a curvature, paresis of the legs, an imbalance appears in the pelvic organs. In addition, the patient is obsessed with constant chronic pain between the shoulder blades in the back.
Hypothermia of the spinal muscles and overload
You can often hear that the patient had "low back pain". It is a symptom or a pathological condition, not a disease. But if "low back pain" occurs, then this indicates the risk of developing osteochondrosis, scoliosis, hernia. Such back pain in the region of the shoulder blades is felt by people who work without changing the position of the body for several hours every day.
The risk group is represented by the representatives of the professions: office workers, seamstresses, dentists, drivers, surgeons. Work associated with forced posture, which is combined with hypothermia - drafts or air conditioning, gives a reaction to the muscles and spine, there are pains in the spine. The treatment is carried out with non-steroidal drugs, ointments, massages. People suffering from such conditions are shown preventive measures:
- Regular massage courses;
- Yoga or physical therapy;
- Avoid hypothermia and drafts;
- Walk more often.
Through prevention methods, it is possible to avoid unpleasant symptoms associated with low back pain.
With scoliosis
Scoliosis is a very common disease. Statistics say that 60% of one hundred people suffer from this disease. The thoracic region is most often involved in scoliosis. Causes of scoliosis:
- Congenital pathologies associated with the development of the skeletal system, ligament apparatus;
- sedentary work;
- Injury, when the load on the back was hysterical.
With scoliosis, the back between the shoulder blades hurts a lot, the spine begins to curve. The initial stage is almost imperceptible, but if the disease progresses, vertebral torsion is clearly visible. The back, with this disease, quickly gets tired, during a visual examination, the patient's shoulders are at different levels.
The pain is localized between the shoulder blades in the back and is given behind the breastbone. By the nature of the pain, it is constant, like pains, but if physical overload occurs, the pain will be strong, sharp.
Treatment of the disease is long. Scoliosis is corrected by stretching the vertebrae with a special corset that is worn on the back. The doctor prescribes massage and physical therapy. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory therapy will help reduce back pain between the shoulder blades.
With osteochondrosis
Now osteochondrosis is also found in children who have not reached puberty. And recently it was thought that this was a disease of an elderly person.
In any case, the cause of osteochondrosis is - inactivity. There is a joint change in the spine, namely dystrophy. In this process, inflammation begins and the nerves of the spinal disc are pinched. That is why the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades with osteochondrosis.
The pains are felt by nature: aching, when sneezing, when getting up abruptly or when coughing, they become very strong.
Patients are immobilized, breathing is difficult, there is weakness in the upper limbs, numbness and inability to move them. With osteochondrosis, they will prescribe intramuscular, oral anti-inflammatory agents, as well as ointments, analgesics, special exercises to warm the diseased area. For disease prevention - activities and sports.
Manifestations of intercostal neuralgia
The cause of intercostal neuralgia is the occurrence of pressure on the nerve roots of the thoracic region. The culprits of this condition are injuries, infectious diseases, osteochondrosis and tension in the back. With neuralgia, the spine between the shoulder blades rarely hurts, often one side of the sternum hurts between the ribs, but in some cases it can hurt the shoulder blades and groan. The pain symptom intensifies if you press your hands to the sternum.
The treatment will be: physiotherapy, acupuncture, B vitamins, are able to restore nerve structures. If the disease gets worse, they put a novocaine blocker, prescribe sedatives and distracting ointments.
Manifestations of muscle myositis
Myositis appears with a cold, an overload of the spinal muscles, injuries, hypothermia. The inflammatory process of the muscles occurs in the acute and chronic period. The back can hurt in different parts and in the spine between the shoulder blades, the lower back can also hurt. The pains are painful in nature, with each movement they intensify. What to do with myositis? Pain relievers and warming ointments help.
Manifestations of spondylarthrosis
By manifestation, the disease is similar to osteochondrosis, where pain in the spine between the shoulder blades is chronic, with a load on the back intensifies. Also, the shoulder blades hurt more as the disease gets worse. The hallmark of spondylarthrosis will be cartilage destruction of the vertebrae, where cartilage is replaced by bone. During the diagnosis, these changes are observed on X-rays or MRI, and if we examine the affected vertebra, bony protrusions will be detected on it.
Treatment is prescribed complex. First, the pain is relieved: it can be analgesics, non-steroidal drugs, novocaine blocks.
Magnetotherapy and electrophoresis, lasers, currents are prescribed. There are many physiotherapy procedures for this disease, so we will leave this choice to the doctor. Traction is traction therapy. The areas where inflammation occurs are affected by the current, as a result of which the spasms are reduced, endorphin is produced, which acts as an analgesic. Back massage relaxes, eliminates pain.
A special massage is indicated for diseases associated with the spine, but cannot be used during exacerbations, so any effects on the vertebrae are contraindicated. The same rule applies to acupuncture.
The main method of treatment and prevention of diseases of the spine will be physiotherapy exercises - physical therapy, exercises on the horizontal bar, that is, pull-up exercises. Swimming proved to be very effective, so it would be nice to go to the pool. All of these methods must be under the guidance of experienced professionals, so the benefits are likely.
Pain in the internal organs
If there are pains between the shoulder blades in the back, this does not at all mean that the cause lies in the spine. All pathologies of the organs located in the mediastinum have symptoms, where there is pain in the area of the shoulder blades. Incorrect processes in the heart organ, the occurrence of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris cause pain under the shoulder blade. An acute attack is accompanied by a decrease in blood pressure. Make sure you call an ambulance.
The characteristic pains of these conditions are acute, but their duration is about 5 minutes. The pain is relieved by taking nitroglycerin.
With ulcers and pancreatitis, the back also hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, but with these diseases the pain can still be localized in the stomach, epigastric region, and dyspeptic disorders occur, so you need to carefully listen to the nature of your feelings and try to differentiate all symptoms.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades and there is a cough, then it is possible that it is pathological changes in the respiratory system - pneumonia. With respiratory diseases, the temperature rises, the pain between the shoulder blades will be stronger with a deep inhalation. Any person who has had the flu or acute respiratory infections can get sick with pleurisy, pneumonia. If there is no temperature during pain, they are not accompanied by cardiovascular manifestations, cough and dyspeptic disorders.
How to relieve pain
Before the doctor arrives, you can try to alleviate your condition on your own. You can do self-massage and special exercises to relieve pain:
- We put our fingers on the shoulders and begin to rotate the elbows;
- Raise your hands, closing your palms above your head. Head down. Twisting the body on the right and left side;
- Sitting on a chair, lower your head so that your chin touches your chest, join your fingers on the back of your head. Slowly press your hands to the back of your head. If there is severe pain, the exercise stops;
- Slow rotation of the head - to the side, back, to the side, forward;
- After throwing back, his right hand behind his head, while sitting, slowly tilts to the left side. Switch hands and bend in the opposite direction.
It is worth remembering that during the acute form of any disease, massage is contraindicated. Hands clenched into fists, thumb out. Starting from the lower back, the circular movements of the fist on the skin rise. You can make circular motions by stroking the spine with the second and third fingers. It is important not to put pressure on the place where the pain is located. If during the massage movements the pain intensifies, the procedure should be stopped.
Home remedies for pain relief include applying ointments and gels. It should be remembered that all of these activities are only for pain relief, but not for treatment. True therapy should be prescribed by a doctor, so if there is a temporary improvement, this does not mean that the disease has regressed. See a doctor right away and stay healthy.