There is practically no person who at least once in his life does not experience pain in the back. This can be explained by the fact that the spine and back muscles constantly experience strong loads that do not pass without a trace.
Soreness can occur in different departments, but the pains in the right behind the scapula are known to everyone, because there are a lot of reasons that can cause them.
Blade location
Everyone knows about such an organ, and its function is quite important - the combination of the human torso and upper limbs, that is, the arms, into a single whole. Directly below the shoulder blades are the ribs, between which the intercostal nerve passes.
In the reach zone is also the spine, heart with large vessels, stomach. Any problems in these organs can be characterized by the fact that pain appears under the shoulder blades from behind.
Pain in this part of the back creates discomfort, constrain movements, therefore, it is necessary to identify and eliminate their cause.
Pain and her character
If we give pain a characteristic, then we can note its two varieties:
- Aching. May appear frequently. Sometimes it’s enough to sit for some time in an uncomfortable position or to strain the muscles as a result of the same type of work, and here you have a pulling pain under the shoulder blades.
- Sharp. Most often, it signals a malfunction in the internal organs. It may appear unexpectedly. Pain sensations are much stronger than in the first case.
When visiting a doctor, you need to explain in detail to him what pain and in what area bothers you so that you can make a preliminary diagnosis as accurately as possible.
Causes of pain
Such sensations can be localized under the left, under the right shoulder blade or between them. Each variety has its own reasons. If you often give pain under the right scapula, then the following problems in the body can be suggested:
- Inflammation of the gallbladder or stones in this organ, as well as nutritional errors can cause aching pain under the shoulder blade on the right.
- A subphrenic abscess causes pain radiating to the right hypochondrium. In this condition, the temperature and the number of leukocytes in the blood may even increase. This pathology requires immediate medical attention.
- Kidney disease can cause pain on the right side under the scapula. Quite often, lumbar is still added to this pain.
- Cholelithiasis. Causes pain not only under the right shoulder blade, but also in the side.
- Osteochondrosis of the upper spine. Pain can occur even in the heart and right shoulder.
- Injuries to the muscles of the shoulder can cause pain in the back right under the shoulder blade.
- Adhesive process after pleurisy.
- Pancreatitis in the acute stage.
Any pain in the right back behind the shoulder blade requires a doctor's consultation, otherwise you can skip the development of a serious disease. Since such pains have a lot of reasons for their appearance, it is necessary to pay attention to their nature in this case.
Severe pain on the right
If pain appears under the right shoulder blade, the causes may be hidden in the following diseases:
- Cholecystitis is a common cause of such pain. Many patients, when they appear, learn about the onset of an exacerbation.
- Vertebrogenic radiculopathy or pinched nerve endings with intercostal neuralgia.
- Renal colic. At the same time, the pain is different in that it often causes nausea and vomiting.
- Perforation of the pleura as a result of injury. This problem requires immediate hospitalization.
Typically, such diseases are detected quickly, because the patient simply can not tolerate severe pain and consults a doctor.
Stitching and pulling pain
Any pain can always be characterized by all sorts of adjectives. But these characteristics are not just for beauty. They may very well help in the diagnosis.
Stitching pain usually begins suddenly and also disappears. It is not typical for serious pathologies of internal organs, most often such conditions provoke:
- Neurological disorders. They can cause pain in the side, pain in the right under the shoulder blade at the same time appears most often.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic region.
If the stitching pains in the right back behind the shoulder blade for a long time do not go away or change their character, then this may already signal more serious problems, therefore a doctor’s consultation is necessary.
Drawing pains most often cause changes in the spine or cramping in the muscular system of the shoulder girdle. Such conditions often occur with osteochondrosis, especially in the morning.
Other diseases are not characteristic of pulling pains, unless these are oncological problems at the very initial stage. This once again confirms that any pain should force you to see a doctor.
Treatment for pain under the right shoulder blade
If you want to get rid of this condition, you need to identify the cause of its occurrence. No pain medication will help you if you do not eliminate the provoking factor.
In order to make the diagnosis as accurately as possible, it is necessary to undergo an examination that will help to find out the problems that cause pain under the right shoulder blade. Treatment in this case will be more effective.
If you want to get rid of your problem as soon as possible, then you will need to consult the following specialists:
- Traumatologist.
- Neurologist.
- Cardiologist.
- Gastroenterologist.
And to begin the treatment of pain under the shoulder blade on the right, you need to visit your local doctor. He will prescribe the most necessary tests, and also, if necessary, can recommend taking some drugs to alleviate the condition until an accurate diagnosis is established.
If you have unbearable pain under the right shoulder blade, the reasons may be different, but it’s better to call an ambulance urgently so as not to risk it.
Pain under the left shoulder blade and its causes
If the pain is localized on the left side, then most often its causes are more serious than when it appears on the right. Among the most common are the following:
- Osteochondrosis. It causes a lot of inconvenience and causes various pains, including on the left side under the shoulder blades. With such a disease, it is usually still accompanied by a burning sensation in the spine.
- Inflammatory processes in the neck. Here the spinal nerves pass , which are adjacent to the scapula, so problems in this department necessarily lead to the fact that there is pain under the shoulder blades from behind.
- Periarthritis of the shoulder blade. Pain under the left shoulder blade occurs due to the close proximity to the site of the inflammatory process.
- With intercostal neuralgia, there is not only pain from the left under the scapula, but also unexplained aggression, irritability.
- Oncological diseases. In this case, there is no time to think, every day can push the chances of recovery further and further.
All these reasons are not so closely related to internal organs, but it happens quite differently.
Diseases of the internal organs and pain on the left
If you often have pain under the shoulder blades, the causes may be hidden in the internal organs.
1. Diseases of the cardiovascular system:
- Angina pectoris. Pain behind the sternum gradually migrate under the left shoulder blade.
- Heart attack. Burning pains on the left side are often the only symptom of this serious illness.
- Aortic aneurysm. This condition can lead to the fact that you will feel pain under the left shoulder blade in the back, because there is congestion in the lungs, leading to swelling and pain.
2. A stomach ulcer. If the lesion affects the part lying closer to the esophagus, then stitching pain may well appear.
3. Inflammation of the lungs, especially left-sided, leads to pain under the left shoulder blade. Despite the fact that such pain can be tolerated, but high fever and cough should make you urgently call a doctor.
4. Pleurisy. Pain occurs most often with a deep breath, and breathing is difficult.
5. Pericarditis can provoke pain under the shoulder blades, the causes may be in heart injuries, metabolic disorders, viral infections.
To cope with all the unpleasant sensations more effectively, you need to find out their cause and eliminate it as soon as possible.
Pain between the shoulder blades
The pain can be localized not only in any one scapula, but also between them. If you periodically visit pain between the shoulder blades with a feeling of creeping goosebumps or numbness, then we can assume that you have one of the following diseases:
- The formation of a hernia in the thoracic spine.
- Spinal curvature.
- Disk protrusion.
- Angina pectoris.
- Spondylarthrosis.
- Heart disease.
- Lung diseases.
Most often, pain in this area affects people whose professional activity is associated with prolonged tension of the shoulder girdle, for example, seamstresses, drivers, typists and some others.
In the thoracic region, the vertebrae are less mobile than in the cervical and lumbar, so dystrophic changes most often occur here.
In some diseases, pain can occur directly in the scapula itself. These may be the following problems:
- Traumatic damage to the scapula. This may occur as a result of a fall or impact in this area.
- Pterygoid scapula. It can appear as a result of paralysis of some back muscles.
- Shoulder crunch. It is caused by inflammatory processes in the synovial subscapularis.
- Tuberculosis of the scapula. It is quite rare.
- Tumor. It can be either benign or malignant. Treatment is usually done surgically.
Diagnosis
Due to the fact that many diseases cause pain under the left shoulder blade in the back, doctors collect a thorough medical history before prescribing treatment. You should tell the doctor in detail what kind of pain they are, how often they occur, where they are localized.
This is not a simple medical curiosity; any competent specialist only wants to exclude the most dangerous diseases, for example, oncology. When the area of pain pathogens is approximately found out, then narrower examinations are already assigned.
These include:
- ECG and ultrasound of the heart to rule out heart disease.
- MRI or CT is usually prescribed if there is a suspicion of lesions in the spine or other parts of the musculoskeletal system.
- X-ray examination in the presence of pulmonary diseases.
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, if the doctor suspects you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Only when all the necessary tests have been completed and the examinations have been completed, the doctor will be able to rightly prescribe adequate treatment that will help you quickly get rid of all problems.
Treatment and prevention
In order to completely get rid of the pain under the shoulder blades, you will have to visit more than one specialist. You will need the recommendations of not only a therapist, but also a neurologist, cardiologist, traumatologist, gastroenterologist.
Whatever the reason may be the culprit of your pain, usually any specialist will advise you to pay attention to the daily regimen and diet.
Most diseases lend themselves to conservative methods of treatment, among them the following can be called:
- The use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. They will help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Usually, the first stages of treatment are reduced to taking these drugs.
- Physiotherapeutic procedures, which include laser and magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, etc.
- Massage can provide relief for many symptoms, including pain under the shoulder blades, especially if they are caused by problems with the spine.
- Manual therapy.
- Physiotherapy.
You can still list the treatment methods, but for greater effectiveness it is advisable to use them in combination, then recovery will come faster.
Any disease is easier to prevent, so in order to prevent the appearance of pain under the shoulder blades, you need to pay attention to your health on time.
If you have problems with the cardiovascular system, then you need to strictly dose the load, take the medications that your doctor prescribes, and avoid nerve stress.
Our spine is not only the support of our body, but it is precisely the problems in it that often respond with pain. To prevent this, you must lead an active lifestyle, monitor your posture, perform at least the simplest exercises.
Given that our food is far from healthy, then gastrointestinal problems can be diagnosed in almost every second. If you value your health, then you should reconsider your attitude to food.
Health cannot be bought for any money, so each of us must independently show maximum attention to ourselves. Only in this case can you guarantee that you will not be visited by pains of different localization.