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 system, epigastric. The pain is deceptive, it is located 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, the possible symptoms, you can try to distinguish between the disease of the spine and the mediastinum. To do this, you need to know what diseases cause back pain.
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Back pain between the shoulder blades by its nature is:
- Acute form - it is felt on the rise, becomes strong over time, passes quite quickly.
- Chronic - pain that hurts, worries for a long time, does not stop until corrective measures are taken.
Pain can appear 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: sharp 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.
You don't need to immediately run for pills, first you need to see a doctor. The specialist will assess the nature of the pain, determine 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
An intervertebral hernia is rarely found in the thoracic spine. This part 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 hernias, a pathological process occurs between the vertebrae - part of the disc protrudes, pinching the nerves.
The disc cracks, the core, which is a shock absorber, falls on it, because the weight is now distributed incorrectly and the nerves are injured, there are back pains in the area of the shoulder blades. 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 does not heal, then surgery is indicated.
A characteristic feature of pain in a hernia will be sharp pain in the same place with radiation in the chest, as if the heart is piercing. If the treatment is not carried out for a long time, then there is 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 the spinal muscles and overexertion
You can often hear that the patient had "lumbago". It is a symptom or pathological condition, not a disease. But if "lumbago" appears, then this indicates the risk of developing osteochondrosis, scoliosis, hernia. Such back pain in the area 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, seamstresses, dentists, drivers, surgeons. Work associated with forced posture, which is combined with hypothermia - currents or air conditioning, gives a reaction to the muscles and the spine, there are pains in the spine. Treatment is carried out with non-steroidal drugs, ointments, massage. People facing such situations take preventive measures:
- Regular massage classes.
- Yoga or exercise therapy.
- Avoid hypothermia and drafts.
- Walk more often.
Through prevention methods, the unpleasant symptoms associated with back pain 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 ligament.
- 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 spinal 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 located between the shoulder blades in the back and is given behind the sternum. By the nature of pain, it is constant, like pains, 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 corset 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 to be an old person'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 pinched. That is why the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades 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 them. With osteochondrosis, they will prescribe intramuscularly, orally, anti-inflammatory agents, as well as distracting ointments, pain relievers, special exercises to warm the affected area. For the prevention of diseases - activity 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 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 there may be pain in the shoulder blades and whining. The symptom of pain 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 novocaine blockade, prescribe sedatives and distract.
Manifestations of myositis
Myositis occurs 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 places and the spine between the shoulder blades, the lower back can also hurt. The pains are wicked, with any movement they intensify. What to do with myositis? Pain relievers and warming ointments help.
Manifestations of spondyloarthritis
Manifestly, the disease resembles 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 when the disease worsens. The hallmark of spondyloarthritis will be cartilaginous destruction of the vertebrae, where the cartilage is replaced by bone. During diagnosis, these changes are observed on an X-ray or MRI, and if we examine the affected vertebra, then bony protrusions will be found on it.
The treatment is prescribed complex. First, the pain is relieved - it can be analgesics, non-steroidal drugs, blockades from novocaine.
Magnetotherapy and electrophoresis, lasers, currents are prescribed. There are many physical therapy procedures for this disease, so we will leave this choice to the doctor. Attraction is attraction therapy. The areas where inflammation occurs are affected by the 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 related to 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, in particular, pulling exercises. Swimming has turned out 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 are pains between the shoulder blades in the back, this does not mean at all that the cause is in the spine. All pathologies of 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 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 sharp, but their duration is about 5 minutes. 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, in the epigastric region, and dyspeptic disorders appear, so you need to listen carefully to the nature of your feelings and trydifferentiate all symptoms.
If the back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades and there is a cough, then it is likely to be 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 flu or acute respiratory infections can get sick with pleurisy, pneumonia. If there is no temperature during the pain, they are not accompanied by cardiovascular manifestations, cough and indigestion.
How to relieve pain
Before the doctor arrives, 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 start rotating our elbows.
- Raise your arms up, closing your palms above your head. Frustrated, sullen. Twisting the body to the right and left side.
- Sitting in a chair, lower your head so that your chin touches your chest, put the fingers together at the back of your head. Slowly press your hands to the back of your head. If there is severe pain, then the exercise is stopped.
- Slow rotation of the head - to the side, back, to the side, forward.
- Having thrown back, the right hand behind the head, while sitting, make slow bends 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 protruding. Starting from the lower back, the circular movements of the fist over the skin go up. You can make movements, circularly stroking the spine, with the second and third fingers. It is important not to apply pressure to the point where the pain is located. If during the 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 for the reduction of pain, but not for treatment. The actual treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, so if there is a temporary improvement, this does not mean that the disease has subsided. See a doctor right away and stay healthy.