People associate back pain in the shoulder area 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 can radiate to the back, so people think that it hurts in the spine. By listening to the sensations, knowing the nature of the pain, the 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 cause back pain.
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Back pain between the shoulders by nature is:
- Acute form - feels growing, becomes strong over time, passes quite quickly;
- Chronic - pain aches, discomfort for a long time, does not stop until corrective actions 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 nature: severe pain, pain, 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 run 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. It is not worth dwelling on spinal injuries, because if a person falls, then the cause of pain in the back between the shoulder blades is obvious. 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 located in the thoracic spine. This segment of the spine does not carry a large load. But still sometimes it hurts in the spine between the shoulder blades for this very reason. To rule out such a possibility, it is worth contacting a neurologist and doing research - CT, MRI.
With a hernia, a pathological process occurs between the vertebrae - part of the disc protrudes, squeezing the nerves.
The disc ruptures, the core, which is a shock absorber, slams into it, because the weight is now distributed incorrectly and the nerves are damaged, there is back pain in the shoulder area. If this pathology is detected during the examination, then the 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 healed, then surgery is indicated.
A distinctive feature of pain in a hernia will be severe pain in the same place with radiation in the chest, as if the heart is being punctured. If the treatment is not carried out for a long period of time, then there is a curvature, paresis of the legs, an imbalance in the pelvic organs appears. In addition, the patient is haunted by constant chronic pain between the shoulder blades in the back.
Hypothermia of spinal muscles and excessive strain
Often you can 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 shoulder area is felt by people who work without changing their body position for several hours every day.
The risk group are representatives of professions: office workers, tailors, dentists, drivers, surgeons. Work associated with a forced posture, which is combined with hypothermia - current or air conditioning, gives a reaction to the muscles and spine, there is pain in the back. The treatment is carried out with non-steroid medications, ointments, massages. People who experience such conditions are advised to take preventive measures:
- Regular massage courses;
- Yoga or exercise therapy;
- Avoid hypothermia and drafts;
- Walk more often.
Through prevention methods, the 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 most often involved in scoliosis. Causes of scoliosis:
- Congenital pathologies related to the development of the skeletal system, the 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 bend. The initial stage is almost invisible, but if the disease progresses, then the vertebral twist is clearly visible. The back, with this disease, gets tired quickly, during a visual examination, the patient's shoulders are at different levels.
The pain is localized between the shoulder blades on the back and is given behind the sternum. By the nature of the pain, it is constant, like pain, but if physical overload occurs, then the pain will be strong, sharp.
The treatment of the disease is long. Scoliosis is corrected by stretching the vertebrae with a special brace 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 also found in children who have not reached puberty. And recently it was thought that this is an old man's disease.
In any case, the cause of osteochondrosis is - inactivity. There is an articular change in the spine, that is, dystrophy. In this process, inflammation begins, and the nerves of the spinal disc are compressed. This is why the back hurts in the shoulder blade area with osteochondrosis.
Pains are felt by nature - pain, when you sneeze, when you stand up suddenly or when you cough, they become very strong.
Patients are immobilized, breathing is difficult, there is weakness in the upper limbs, numbness and inability to move. With osteochondrosis, they will prescribe anti-inflammatory agents intramuscularly, orally, as well as distracting ointments, analgesics, special exercises to warm the diseased area. For the prevention of diseases - activity and sports.
Manifestations of intercostal neuralgia
The cause of intercostal neuralgia is the appearance of pressure on the roots of the nerves of the chest 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 hurt in the shoulder blades and complain. The symptom of pain intensifies if you press your hands on the sternum.
Treatment will be: physiotherapy, acupuncture, B vitamins, are able to restore nerve 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, overload of the muscles of the spine, injuries, hypothermia. The inflammatory process of the muscles occurs in the acute and chronic period. The back can hurt in different parts and the spine between the shoulder blades can also hurt the lower back. The pains are of a painful nature, with every movement they intensify. What to do with myositis? Pain relievers and warming ointments help.
Manifestations of spondylarthrosis
In terms of manifestation, the disease is similar to osteochondrosis, where the pain in the spine between the shoulder blades is chronic, with a load on the back intensifies. Also, the shoulder blades hurt more when the disease worsens. The hallmark of spondyloarthrosis will be cartilage destruction of the vertebrae, where the cartilage is replaced by bone. During the diagnosis, these changes are observed on X-ray or MRI and if we examine the affected vertebra, then bony protrusions will be found on it.
The treatment is described complex. First, the pain is relieved - it can be analgesics, non-steroidal drugs, novocaine blockade.
Magnetotherapy and electrophoresis, laser, current are prescribed. There are many physiotherapy procedures for this disease, so we will leave this choice to the doctor. Withdrawal is attraction therapy. The areas where inflammation occurs are affected by the current, as a result of which the spasms are reduced, endorphins are produced, which serves as an analgesic. Back massage relaxes, eliminates pain.
A special massage is indicated for diseases related to the spine, but it cannot be used during irritations, 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 stretching exercises. Swimming has proven itself very well, so it would be nice to go to the pool. All these methods should be under the guidance of experienced professionals, then the benefits will be possible.
Pain in internal organs
If there is pain between the shoulders in the back, this does not mean at all that the cause lies in the spine. All pathologies of organs located in the mediastinum have symptoms, where there is pain in the shoulder area. Wrong processes in the heart organ, the beginning of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris cause pain under the shoulder blade. An acute attack is accompanied by a drop in blood pressure. Be sure to call an ambulance.
Pains characteristic 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 \u200b\u200bthe shoulder blade, but with these diseases, the pain can still be localized in the stomach, epigastric region, and dyspeptic disorders appear, so you should carefully listen to the nature of your feelings and try to distinguishall 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 flu or acute respiratory infections can get sick with pleurisy, pneumonia. If there is no fever during the pains, they are not associated with cardiovascular manifestations, cough and dyspeptic disorders.
How to relieve pain
Before the arrival of the doctor, you can try to relieve 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 in a chair, lower your head so that your chin touches your chest, place your 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, make slow inclinations to the left side. Switch hands and lean in the opposite direction.
It is worth remembering that during the acute form of any disease, massage is contraindicated. Hands clenched into fists, thumb sticking out. Starting from the lower back, circular movements of the fist on the skin go up. You can make movements, stroking the spine circularly, with the second and third fingers. It is important not to exert pressure on the place where the pain is localized. If during the massage movements the pain only intensifies, the procedure should be stopped.
Home remedies for pain relief include the application of ointments and gels. It should be remembered that all these activities are only for reducing pain, not for treatment. The real therapy must be prescribed by the doctor, so if there is a temporary improvement, it does not mean that the disease has gone away. See a doctor right away and stay healthy.