A man comes to a difficult period in his life when his back often begins to hurt. This is not easy to bring discomfort and brings a lot of inconvenience, but it can also upset a person for a long time.
With the modern pace of life, the population often neglects their health, citing lack of time. People try not to ask the question: why does the back hurt in the area of the shoulder blades?
They prefer not to waste precious time going to the clinic and treat themselves at home, not suspecting that this signal can be a symptom of the presence of serious or even dangerous diseases.
The main reasons
Why can there be a dull ache between the shoulder blades? The symptoms of back pain in many people are associated with various mechanical injuries to the spine, pinched nerves or muscle strain.
It should be remembered that the pain syndrome can be caused by pathologies of the chest organs.
The causes of back pain between the shoulder blades can be conditionally divided into three categories:
- Diseases of the spinal column;
- diseases of internal organs;
- Other factors.
It should be clearly and clearly understood that pain is a symptom and not an independent disease. Before you start using the medicines found in your home pharmacy, you should find out the reason: why does the back hurt between the shoulder blades?
To do this, you need to visit a medical institution, consult a doctor and describe in great detail the symptoms, the time of their occurrence and possible provoking factors: injuries, professional activities, etc.
This information should help specialists determine the direction of the examination and make a diagnosis.
An incorrect or untimely diagnosis can be harmful to human health. Therapy may be prescribed that will not bring a positive effect and result in the loss of valuable time in the treatment of the main cause of pain.
It is important that a person himself understands the causes of pain and knows the possible list of pathologies that cause it.
muscle strain
Spasm or overstrain of muscle tissue is not a pathology, but rather a symptom of excessive physiological stress, or vice versa, its absence.
According to experts, back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is often experienced by patients whose professional activities are associated with long-term static muscle tension.
The risk group includes, first of all, people with the following specialties:
- cashiers;
- Office workers;
- Developers
- Drivers etc.
However, doctors say that a person's professional activity is not always the main cause of this symptom. In a large number of cases, during the examination of patients who had complaints of pain in the area of the shoulder blades, dysplasia was found in most of them.
Hereditary pathology, characterized by a defect in fibrous structures due to insufficient production of collagen - the substance responsible for the strength and elasticity of connective tissue.
For this reason, muscle fibers and ligaments are simply unable to withstand prolonged physiological stress.
Injuries
Perhaps the most obvious factor that causes back pain in the shoulder blade area is injury. Different types of hematomas, fractures, and sprains that occur on the back as a result of mechanical damage are necessarily accompanied by a severe pain syndrome.
Spinal injuries can pose a real threat to human health. Displacement of the vertebral discs or injury to the spinal cord can cause complete or partial sensitivity of the limbs, limitation of motor functions, and in special situations lead to complete paralysis.
If the spine between the shoulder blades hurts for a long time due to a mechanical injury as a result of emergencies, seek medical help immediately, even if the injury seems minor.
Any bruise or unsuccessful landing from a height can cause damage to the spinal discs, which can only be diagnosed with the help of special equipment.
Only a specialist after a visual examination and additional X-ray examination, magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography can assess the severity of the injury and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Intercostal neuralgia
Another name for this disease is thoracalgia. A disease that practically does not develop in children, but affects older people due to age changes, bruises and hypothermia.
It is manifested by acute and painful symptoms of pain in the rib area. Back pain in the area of the shoulder blades is also an accompanying symptom, which often occurs and intensifies when the body position is changed.
Patients may hear complaints of pain during breathing, especially at the moment of sharp inhalation or exhalation.
Attention! Pain in the back between the shoulder blades and other symptoms similar to neuralgia can be a signal that the patient has heart pathologies. It is important to recognize the problem in time and take appropriate measures - this will save valuable time and possibly save the patient's life.
The main factor that causes shooting pain in the upper back in this disease is the pinching or squeezing of the nerve roots.
This disease develops against the background of many factors: bruises, osteochondrosis, excessive physiological stress, metabolic disorders, stress, colds.
Muscle spasms or, conversely, excessive muscle tone of the extensors of the back, shoulders and shoulder blades can also contribute to the development of the disease.
The symptomatology of neuralgia is very similar to the manifestations of some heart pathologies - ischemic disease, angina pectoris. Timely diagnosis and timely response can save a person's life.
First you must learn to distinguish neuralgia from heart disease. Two main differences between these pathologies are used for rapid diagnosis.
Neuralgia is characterized by:
- The pain syndrome lasts a long time;
- Symptoms are aggravated by body movements, when you try to inhale or exhale sharply and press on the ribs.
The difference, for example, with angina pectoris is that neither body movements nor sneezing increase the pain syndrome. However, dynamic physical movements can affect heart rate and blood pressure.
Symptoms disappear partially or completely within a few minutes after using a vasodilator, such as nitroglycerin. To exclude the possibility of heart disease, consult a cardiologist and do an electrocardiogram.
Osteochondritis of the spinal column
Pain in the spine between the shoulder blades is considered one of the main symptoms of osteochondrosis. The disease is characterized by damage to the intervertebral discs.
In the course of development, the disease begins to affect other areas of the musculoskeletal system, and it can also affect the body's nervous system. Lumbar, thoracic and cervical osteochondrosis are distinguished according to the localization of the disease.
The main factor in the development of the pathology is malnutrition of the cartilage tissue of the joint. Previously, this disease was believed to affect only the elderly group of patients, associating it with age-related changes in the body.
However, today experts note an increase in patients at a younger age.
Experts cite the main factors in the development of the disease: sedentary lifestyle, hereditary factors, salt deposition, unbalanced diet.
Attention! If your back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades due to the diagnosis of osteochondrosis, remember: physical activity, organizing a comfortable workplace and a balanced diet are effective methods of treatment and prevention of the disease.
Therefore, severe chest pain rarely occurs due to osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. This part of the spinal column is the least mobile and degenerative tissue changes take place here much more slowly than in the cervical or lumbar region.
Often, cervical osteochondrosis is a very common cause of pain between the shoulder blades in the spine. The pain "shoots through" the entire spinal column, descending from the upper parts of the spine to the lower back.
Herniated spinal discs
Hernia of intervertebral discs, according to some experts, is present in 30-40% of the population at one stage or another.
Most often, this pathology affects young people who lead an active physical lifestyle. Injuries or heavy physical exertion are the main cause of the development of the disease.
The mechanism of the disease is simple. The intervertebral disc is a semi-liquid, jelly-like substance surrounded by a fairly dense shell. The main task of the disc is to soften and absorb the movements of the vertebrae.
Due to various factors: injuries, skeletal muscle weakness, severe physiological stress, spine pathology, etc. There is compression or decompression of the spinal column and tearing of the outer sheath of the disc.
At the same time, the gelatinous content protrudes into the spinal canal and compresses one, two or more nerve endings, causing numbness of the extremities and pain.
Important! In the acute phase of the course of the disease, massage or heating sessions are categorically contraindicated.
Contrary to popular opinion, it is not recommended to give up physical exercises in the treatment of diseases.
It has been proven that refusing physical activity leads to muscle atrophy and prolongs the duration of the disease.
In the initial stages of development, the hernia is treated conservatively, but in the absence of positive recovery dynamics within six months, the issue of surgical intervention can be considered.
Pathologies of internal organs
Pain between the shoulder blade and the spine can cause a person to have diseases of the internal organs.
First of all, it refers to the organs of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The most common respiratory problems are: tuberculosis, pneumonia.
Common pathologies of the cardiovascular system are ischemic disease or, in ordinary people, "angina pectoris". It refers to pathologies that are potentially life-threatening.
It has similar symptoms with neuralgia and it is important to learn to distinguish between them.
If you have symptoms: severe back pain between the shoulder blades, shortness of breath, cold sweat and rapid pulse, seek medical help immediately.
In some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the back between the shoulder blades also hurts. The main reasons for this: peptic ulcer, gastroesophageal reflux, diffuse spasm of the esophagus.
These pathologies often cause the following symptoms: burning in the esophagus, chest pain.
Patients complain of pain in the middle of the solar plexus and pain in the back between the shoulder blades. Also, it should not be ruled out that back pain in the area of the shoulder blades can be caused by oncological causes.
Prevention and treatment
In order to determine the effective course of treatment for a certain disease, it is first necessary to answer the question: why does the back hurt between the shoulder blades? To do this, you should undergo a comprehensive examination by a specialist.
Treatment is prescribed after passing all the necessary procedures and based on the diagnosis made by the specialist. With the development of certain diseases, self-medication can be not only ineffective, but even dangerous.
As you know, any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Back pain in the shoulder blades can have different causes. What to do to eliminate them?
The answer is simple - engage in prevention. Most diseases develop against the background of an unhealthy lifestyle: give up bad habits, do sports, eat a balanced diet, and this will reduce the risk of developing various diseases by at least half.