Should I worry if there is pain between the shoulder blades? A sign of what disease is this symptom? Problems can be caused by various reasons: from the most harmless to quite serious. As for the first, it can provoke pain for a long time in an uncomfortable position, physical activity, non-observance of the daily routine (work hard, rest a little), and a sedentary lifestyle. If it is only in these reasons, then remedial gymnastics will help to rectify the situation.
Unfortunately, not all people are attentive to their health. It is because of this that they are not in a hurry to see doctors. And note that in vain. The fact is that the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades not only from the wrong lifestyle. Such a symptom may indicate diseases that are dangerous.
In the first and second cases, people with this problem cannot fully live, spend time the way they want. The pain does not stop either in a standing position, or sitting, or lying down. Also, with unpleasant sensations in the back, it is very difficult to move. Naturally, weekdays and weekends turn into a nightmare. A person is morally exhausted, feels weak, does not get enough sleep. Life is becoming unbearable.
This problem is faced by both adults and children. It can be safely called common. The only difference is the reasons that provoke this symptom. Here with this and let's deal together.
Description
Pain in the back, which is localized in the area of the shoulder blades, disturbs the person during any movements. Its intensity increases if you raise your hands up. Most people also feel uncomfortable after sleep or when inhaling.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, there is a burning sensation in the chest, then these symptoms can in no case be ignored. They can be harbingers of a serious illness with which jokes are bad. What needs to be done in this situation? The only right decision will be a visit to the doctor. This will not only prevent the development of pathology, but sometimes even save a person’s life.
In what situations does the back in the shoulder blades most often hurt?
- After sleep;
- during pregnancy;
- after playing sports;
- when exhaling and inhaling;
- after a person has been in an uncomfortable position for a long time.
Back pain in this area can be different. Doctors divide the pain by nature into sharp, dull, aching, and so on. Note that each of these species has individual characteristics, which will be described in detail in the article.
Causes
It is important to understand that if the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, then this is not an independent disease. Unpleasant sensations are just a symptom. Those people who are trying on their own to deal with this problem make a serious mistake. They muffle back pain by various means, but at the same time they do not cure the cause of this symptom. Such manipulations do not lead to positive results. Effective treatment is possible only if you know the reasons. And this will direct all efforts to eliminate them and to recover. To make an accurate diagnosis, you will need to contact the clinic and undergo a comprehensive examination.
So, for what reasons does the back hurt in the shoulder blades? Here are some:
- If you cough or have a fever, you may experience discomfort. They are usually caused by respiratory diseases. Back pain may indicate the development of bronchitis, pneumonia.
- If a person suffers from osteochondrosis, scoliosis and other diseases of the spine, then discomfort in the area of the shoulder blades is quite predictable. In such situations, you can not delay the treatment, so as soon as possible you need to make an appointment with the doctor.
- In the human body, everything is interconnected. Therefore, with problems of the gastrointestinal tract, pain often appears in the upper back. There are other signs as well. It's about heartburn, nausea, and even vomiting.
- The cardiovascular system began to work incorrectly. This often leads to a sore back in the shoulder blades when inhaling. As a rule, discomfort occurs in the area, more shifted to the left side. May appear suddenly, also abruptly and pass. Treatment of the back in this case will be completely useless, since the main problem concerns the work of the heart. And with him, as you know, jokes are bad. Do not drag out with a trip to the hospital, especially if, in addition to all this, your hand also goes numb.
- The back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades when coughing and in a calm state for those people who, by the nature of their professional activity, spend a lot of time in a sitting position. At risk are office employees, drivers of vehicles, accountants, seamstresses and others.
- Muscle cramps also cause discomfort. In such situations, the pain syndrome is aching. Most often it is chronic.

Signs
A sign of which disease is pain between the shoulder blades? From the material presented above, it can be understood that the range of diseases is quite large. However, they are accompanied not only by pain, but also have other symptoms. It is their combination that allows the doctor to make the correct diagnosis and begin treatment.
Additional signs:
- cramps
- crunch in the vertebrae;
- hard breath;
- numbness;
- dyspnea.
Of course, these are not all the symptoms. In fact, there are much more. Often the arising pain between the shoulder blades is not localized in one place, but can be given under the ribs or in the sternum. This indicates a violation of the cardiovascular system. In this case, the pain is dull. She does not go on her own. You can save a person from unpleasant sensations only after eliminating the root cause.
If along with the pain there are problems with urination, while there is an increase in body temperature, then this combination of symptoms indicates gastrointestinal problems.
Types of pain
At the doctor’s appointment, when the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades, he becomes interested in the nature of the sensations. Asks to describe them. What is this for? The fact is that each disease is characterized by an individual type of pain. However, when making a diagnosis, the sensitivity threshold should also be taken into account. But it is different for people. This once again proves that you can’t rely on your own strength, but you must go to the doctor’s office.
So let's take a closer look. What types of pain are there:
- It's a dull pain. As a rule, it appears with problems with the spine. So the following diseases make themselves felt: hernia, scoliosis, osteochondrosis, kyphosis.
- Strong This type of pain can occur in people who are in a pre-infarction state. In addition to this symptom, the patient will increase pressure and tachycardia will be observed. Severe pain also appears with intercostal neuralgia and inflammation of the pancreas.
- Burning. If the upper back begins to burn strongly, then this may indicate two pathologies. The first is associated with the spine (osteochondrosis), the second - with the heart (coronary artery disease). In most cases, pain occurs suddenly, and recedes only after taking medications.
- Sharp. Severe spasm is a symptom of radiculitis. The pain is so sharp that a person simply can’t stand up. You can also feel this feeling with severe colds, biliary colic, pinching nerves.
- Dumb. This type of pain appears after playing sports or strong physical exertion. To make it disappear, you just need to take a comfortable position and relax. In rare cases, it happens that dull pain does not go away for a long time. Then this indicates the presence of gastrointestinal problems and osteochondrosis.
- Sharp. With inflammation of the gallbladder after eating fatty foods, a severe pain spasm may appear. Often he gives in hypochondrium. Also, if acute pain, in addition to the back, extends to the chest area, this is a symptom of osteochondrosis.
Diagnostics
If the appearance of back pain is not associated with physical activity, then it is worthwhile to undergo an examination in a medical institution. Currently, diagnosing the disease is not a problem. The doctor will prescribe a CT scan, X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging.
In addition to these examinations, the doctor needs to know about additional symptoms. Their combination will allow the most accurate diagnosis. Possible signs of the disease:
- The back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades with bronchitis more on the right side. Also, the patient has a cough, fever. In this case, it is necessary to do fluorography. Similar symptoms also occur with pneumonia, pleurisy.
- A strong curvature of the spine is characterized by pain in the upper back. May give to the chest. Unpleasant sensations intensify if a person does not change the position of the body for a long time, for example, sits or lies. Pain spasm does not spread throughout the body, but is localized in one place.
- With inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), severe pain is felt, which can not be tolerated without painkillers. It is not only localized in the back, but also spreads in the hypochondrium, chest.
- A stomach ulcer, inflammation of the gallbladder, in addition to pain, are also accompanied by vomiting, heartburn, and a strong feeling of nausea. Having such diseases, a person quickly loses weight, feels weak, dizzy.
- Pain spasm in angina is not very long - lasts no more than 5 minutes. It is localized in the region of the left shoulder blade, can give to the hand.

Osteochondrosis and sciatica
Most people after 40 years old suffer from osteochondrosis. With this disease, the quality of disk cartilage is impaired. They are deformed, which leads to pinching of nerve fibers and blood vessels. Because of this, the back in the region of the shoulder blades (in the middle) is quite painful. The problem is further aggravated by the fact that the human muscles are in good shape, and this does not provide an opportunity to relax.
Gymnastics can help in this situation. Exercises must be performed regularly. To relieve pain, ointments and gels are also used. If the drugs are selected by the doctor correctly, then it will be possible to alleviate the condition quite quickly.
With radiculitis, the sensations are somewhat different - the area of the shoulder blades is numb. This happens due to damage to the nerve roots. A person is deprived of the ability to move freely, feels constrained.
Pain during pregnancy
In long pregnancy, women have a backache in the area just below the shoulder blades and in the lumbar region. Naturally, this does not mean the presence of any pathology. The fact is that this symptom is temporary. The reasons that cause it:
- constant load on the spine and spinal muscles;
- increase in body weight of the future mother;
- due to fetal growth, the center of gravity shifts.
Do not recommend doctors to use medication. All that women need to do is rest more. The pains will pass themselves as soon as the baby is born. Therapeutic methods are used if discomfort remains after childbirth.
Scoliosis
Most often, the child has a backache in the area of the shoulder blades due to scoliosis. The growing organism has not yet matured, posture has not formed, and you have to sit a lot. It is because of this that the curvature of the spine appears. Parents need to devote a lot of time to this issue, acquire special orthopedic chairs. The fact is that with scoliosis, not only the posture is curved, but the vertebral column is also twisted. The disease is not completely curable. Constantly accompanied by pain. Muscles do not relax even at night, which does not allow you to fully sleep. The greatest intensity of pain spasm occurs in the morning, as in the supine position there is a compression of blood vessels and nerve fibers.
Back pain in the shoulder blades: how to treat?
As already known, painful spasm in the area of the shoulder blades occurs due to various diseases, therefore, treatment should be done only under the supervision of a qualified doctor. In no case should you choose medicine yourself. Due to the fact that the diseases are completely different, certain drugs are needed to treat them. Next, we consider the common schemes of methods for dealing with pain:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for pain relief. They will help relieve muscle tension "Nimesulide", "Movalis", "Diclofenac".
- There are radical methods to relieve pain spasm. For these purposes, injections of prednisone with the addition of lidocaine are given. Often you can not use these drugs. Injections can be done no more than once every three days.
How to relieve pain at home?
Although self-medication is not recommended, however, there are situations that backache, and there is no way to visit the hospital. Then you can use traditional medicine.
It will be good if one of the family members has massage skills. When performed correctly, it will be possible to relax the muscles, improve blood circulation, which will help reduce pain.
If the unpleasant symptoms are caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, then you should immediately pay attention to the diet. Have to stick to a diet. Fried, spicy and fatty foods are not allowed even in small dosages.
It is important to select folk remedies only based on the underlying disease. Therefore, it does not hurt to consult a doctor in order not to harm your body even more.