People associate back pain in the area of the shoulder blades with the 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 it can radiate to the back, so people think that it hurts in 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 mediastinum. To do this, you need to know what diseases give back pain.
Forms
Back pain between the shoulder blades by nature is:
- Acute form - is felt on the rise, becomes strong over time, passes quickly enough;
- Chronic - aching pain, worries for a long time, does not stop until corrective action is 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 nature: severe 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.
No need to immediately run for pills, first you have 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. It is not worth dwelling on spinal injuries, because if a person falls, then 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 column.
With a hernia
Intervertebral hernia is rarely localized in the thoracic spine. This segment of the spinal column does not carry a large load. But still sometimes it hurts in 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 process of pathology occurs between the vertebrae - part of the disk sticks out, pinching the nerves.
The disk cracks, the core, which is a shock absorber, crashes into it, since the weight is now distributed incorrectly and the nerves are infringed, there are back pains in the area of the shoulder blades. If this pathology is detected during the examination, then treatment will be carried out with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The doctor will prescribe exercise therapy, physiotherapy. If the hernia is large and cannot be cured, then 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 pricking. If the treatment is not carried out for a long period of time, then there is a curvature, paresis of the legs, an imbalance appears in the pelvic organs. In addition, the patient is haunted by constant chronic pain between the shoulder blades in the back.
Hypothermia of the spinal muscles and overstrain
You can often hear that the patient had a "lumbago". It is a symptom or pathological condition, not a disease. But if "lumbago" 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 their body position for several hours every day.
The risk group is representatives of professions: office workers, dressmakers, dentists, drivers, surgeons. Work associated with a 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. Treatment is carried out with nonsteroidal drugs, ointments, massages. People who experience such conditions are shown preventive measures:
- Regular massage courses;
- Yoga or exercise therapy;
- Avoid hypothermia and drafts;
- Walk more often.
Through prevention methods, unpleasant symptoms associated with lumbago can be avoided.
With scoliosis
Scoliosis is a very common disease. Statistics say that 60% of a hundred people suffer from this disease. The thoracic region is involved in scoliosis more often. Causes of scoliosis:
- Congenital pathologies associated with the development of the skeletal system, ligamentous 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, then the vertebral twisting is clearly visible. The back, with this disease, quickly gets tired, during a visual examination, the patient's shoulders are at different levels.
Pain is localized between the shoulder blades in the back and is given behind the sternum. By the nature of the pain, it is constant, like aches, but if physical overload occurs, then 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 exercise therapy. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory therapy will help reduce back pain between the shoulder blades.
With osteochondrosis
Now osteochondrosis is found even in children who have not reached puberty. And recently it was thought that this is a disease of an elderly person.
In any case, the cause of osteochondrosis is - inactivity. There is an articular 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 you stand 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 intramuscularly, orally, anti-inflammatory agents, as well as distracting ointments, analgesics, special exercises to warm up the diseased area. For the prevention of disease - activity and sports.
Manifestations of intercostal neuralgia
The cause of intercostal neuralgia is the occurrence of pressure on the roots of the nerves of the thoracic region. The culprits of this condition are injuries, infectious diseases, osteochondrosis, and strain on the back. With neuralgia, the spine between the shoulder blades rarely hurts, one side of the sternum between the ribs often hurts, but in some cases it can ache in the shoulder blades and whine. The pain symptom intensifies if you press your hands on the sternum.
The treatment will be: physiotherapy, acupuncture, B vitamins, they are able to restore the nervous structures. If the disease worsens, then they put a novocaine blockade, prescribe sedatives and distracting ointments.
Manifestations of muscle myositis
Myositis appears with a cold, overstrain of the spinal muscles, injuries, hypothermia. The inflammatory process of the muscles occurs in the acute period and chronically. The back can hurt in different parts and in the spine between the shoulder blades, the lower back can also hurt. The pains are aching in nature, with any movement they intensify. What to do with myositis? Pain reliever 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 increases. Also, the shoulder blades hurt more when the disease worsens. The hallmark of spondyloarthrosis will be cartilaginous destruction of the vertebrae, where cartilage is replaced by bone. During diagnosis, these changes are observed on X-ray or MRI, and if we examine the affected vertebra, then bone protrusions will be found on it.
Treatment is prescribed complex. First, pain is relieved - it can be analgesics, nonsteroidal drugs, novocaine blockades.
Magnetotherapy and electrophoresis, laser, 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 current, as a result of which spasms are reduced, endorphin is produced, which serves as an analgesic. Back massage relaxes, eliminates pain.
A special massage is indicated for diseases that are associated with the spine, but it cannot be used during exacerbations, then any effect on the vertebrae is contraindicated. The same rule applies to acupuncture.
The main method of treatment and prevention for diseases of the spine will be physiotherapy exercises - exercise therapy, exercises on the horizontal bar, namely, pull-up exercises. Swimming has proven itself very well, so it would be nice to go to the pool. All these methods must be under the guidance of experienced professionals, then the benefits will be likely.
Pain in internal organs
If there are pains between the shoulder blades in the back, this does not mean at all that the cause lies in the spine. All pathologies of organs that are located in the mediastinum have symptoms, where there is pain in the area of the shoulder blades. Wrong processes in the heart organ, the onset of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris cause pain under the shoulder blade. An acute attack is accompanied by a decrease in blood pressure. Be sure to call an ambulance.
The characteristic pains for 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 the symptoms.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades and there is a cough, then it is possible that these are pathological changes in the respiratory system - pneumonia. With respiratory diseases, the temperature rises, the pain between the shoulder blades will be stronger with 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 arrival of the doctor, you can try to alleviate your condition yourself. You can do self-massage and special exercises to relieve pain:
- We put our fingers on our shoulders and begin to rotate our elbows;
- Raise your hands up, closing your palms above your head. Head down. Twisting the body to the right and left side;
- Sitting on a chair, lower your head so that your chin touches your chest, put fingers clasped together on the back of your head. Slowly press your hands on the back of your head. If there is severe pain, then the exercise stops;
- Slow rotation of the head - to the side, back, side, forward;
- Having thrown back, the right hand behind the head, while sitting, do slow inclinations to the left side. Change hands and lean in the opposite direction.
It is worth recalling that during the acute form of any disease, massage is contraindicated. Hands clenched into a fist, thumb sticking out. Starting from the lower back, circular movements of the fist over the skin go up. You can make movements, circular stroking the spine, with the second and third fingers. It is important not to put pressure on the place where the pain is localized. If during massage movements the pain only intensifies, the procedure should be stopped.
Home remedies for pain relief include applying ointments and gels. It must be remembered that all these activities are only to reduce pain, but not for treatment. The real therapy should be prescribed by a doctor, so if there is a temporary improvement, this does not mean that the disease has receded. See a doctor right away and stay healthy.