Everyone faces back pain sooner or later. Problems with the spine can arise due to a sedentary lifestyle, excessive physical activity, and the wrong ratio of work and rest. Pain between the shoulder blades is a common symptom. However, not everyone takes this kind of unpleasant sensations seriously enough and is in no hurry to visit a doctor. This is a big mistake, since there are a huge number of causes of pain: from the most banal to life-threatening. In any case, problems with the spine interfere with normal pastime. A person feels discomfort when walking, cannot sit for a long time, it is difficult for him to sleep, etc. In this article, we will analyze the causes of pain between the shoulder blades, as well as treatment methods and preventive measures.
Description
Unpleasant sensations between the shoulder blades haunt a person in all matters. The pain is aggravated by raising the arms, inhaling, after sleeping. These and other symptoms, including burning in the chest, should not be ignored. These signs serve as a warning of a very serious illness, so it is better todon't joke about this and make an appointment with the doctor.
Pain in the upper spine is often felt in the following cases:
- late pregnancy;
- after sleep;
- when inhaling and exhaling;
- after being in an uncomfortable position for a long time;
- with excessive physical exertion.
The nature of discomfort is very different, it all depends on the causes of back pain between the shoulder blades. It is divided into several types: aching, sharp, burning, etc. Each type has its own characteristics, which we will cover in our material.
Why does it hurt between the shoulder blades
It is worth noting that discomfort in the area under consideration is not a separate disease - it is just a symptom. Therefore, it is very foolish to try to drown out the pain, not knowing the reasons for its occurrence. After all, you can completely get rid of torment only by eliminating them.
So, the most common causes of pain between the shoulder blades:
- Diseases associated with the spine. Most often, patients have scoliosis, kyphosis and osteochondrosis. Only a specialist can determine this, so do not delay making an appointment.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system. Back pain between the shoulder blades does not always occur due to problems with the spine, often diseases of the internal organs become its culprits. If discomfort occurs due to disturbances in the work of the heart, then treatment of the back will not help. This pain usually comes on suddenly after intense physical activity and then subsides abruptly.
- Lung problems. Here, along with pain, other symptoms are observed, such as cough, weakness of the body, fever.
- Gastrointestinal tract. Disturbances in this system can lead not only to discomfort in the upper spine, but also to nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. Such signs clearly hint at diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms are hard to miss because they happen all the time and haunt the person.
- Muscle contraction. Pain between the shoulder blades and in the chest does not always indicate a deformity of the spine. Quite often, discomfort occurs as a result of muscle spasm. Aching pain is almost always chronic. This affects the muscles close to the spine.
- Professional ailments. This category of diseases is more common in those people whose pain occurs due to the specifics of work. At risk are all those who work in a sitting position for a long time. You can select drivers, seamstresses, office workers, etc.
Signs
Having talked about the specific causes of pain between the shoulder blades, it is worth noting the fact that, depending on the disease, additional symptoms are inherent in it. They help to identify the disease more accurately.
Auxiliary signs can be: crunching in the vertebrae of the thoracic region, numbness of the limbs, shortness of breath, shortness of breath, convulsions, etc. In fact, there are a huge number of symptoms. Often, patients experience pain between the shoulder blades and radiates to the sternum. It saysabout problems with the cardiovascular system. Moreover, a person feels a dull pain, which disappears only after the cause is eliminated. Sometimes, along with unpleasant feelings between the shoulder blades, the patient has difficulty urinating, fever. These signs usually indicate problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Pain during pregnancy
Quite often, girls in position complain of pain between the shoulder blades. What to do in such a situation? First you need to identify the cause. In most cases, this is a temporary phenomenon, and it is associated with several factors. Here are the main ones:
- weight increases throughout pregnancy, and with it pressure on the spine;
- the uterus is known to grow very quickly, which leads to a shift in the center of gravity;
- load is increasing all the time, including on the spinal muscles.
Skilled professionals are in no hurry to prescribe treatment for expectant mothers. This is due to the temporary nature of the discomfort. That is, after the end of the pregnancy and the birth of the baby, all painful symptoms should go away by themselves. If after this the pain still does not recede, then effective therapy is needed.
Pregnant women can be advised to wear comfortable clothes and shoes, get plenty of rest, get enough sleep, do simple physical exercises daily to strengthen the back muscles, eat right, spend more time in the fresh air. Simple actions are muchwill make life easier for expectant mothers, and the pregnancy will proceed well.
Types of pain
As already noted, back pain between the shoulder blades can be of a different nature. Since each person has his own threshold of sensitivity, it is difficult to systematize all types of unpleasant sensations. But nevertheless, highly qualified specialists succeeded in this matter and were able to put everything on the shelves.
So, types of pain between the shoulder blades:
- Sharp. There is such an unpleasant sensation as a result of pinched nerve endings, with severe inflammation. Previously, such a symptom was called sciatica, but this word is no longer used in modern medicine. Sharp pain occurs during biliary colic.
- Burning. This kind of pain is observed in two situations: when suffering from osteochondrosis or coronary heart disease. The burning sensation comes on suddenly and goes away just as quickly after taking painkillers.
- Aching. If the patient feels such pain, then with almost one hundred percent certainty it can be argued that these are problems with the spine. In this way, scoliosis, kyphosis and hernia do not let you forget about yourself.
- Strong. Pain between the shoulder blades of this kind occurs with pancreatitis, intercostal neuralgia, etc. Similar sensations are observed in patients during a heart attack. In addition to painful feelings, high blood pressure and tachycardia take place here.
- Spicy. This kind of unpleasant sensation occurs against the background of inflammation of the gallbladder. The patient feels discomfort after eating fatty foods. Besides,if there is a sharp pain between the shoulder blades in the spine and gives it to the chest, we can talk about thoracic osteochondrosis.
- Stupid. Often the most harmless type of pain occurs as a result of excessive physical exertion, problems with muscles and ligaments. In rare cases, when an unpleasant feeling lasts for a long time, this indicates a disease of the gastrointestinal tract or osteochondrosis.
Disease Diagnosis
If you experience back pain in the middle between the shoulder blades, immediately consult a doctor. With the help of modern technologies, it will be possible to quickly determine the diagnosis. Usually, doctors use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography) and X-rays for this.
However, the correct diagnosis can be made by identifying additional symptoms. Scoliosis, for example, is distinguished by the fact that the patient feels constant pain between the shoulder blades. She gives it to the chest. Appears as a result of a long stay in one position. Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine, so the discomfort is localized in one place.
Osteochondrosis is characterized by aching pain. In addition, difficulty in breathing and a strong cough are found. If you sharply straighten the spine, you can hear a crunch. Angina pectoris is characterized by pain attacks, each of them lasts no more than 5 minutes. The nature of the painful sensation is burning, radiates to the arm and left shoulder blade.
A heart attack can be identified by pain in the lower jaw area, as well as the appearance of shortness of breath. Ulcerof the stomach is distinguished by such concomitant symptoms as nausea, vomiting and heartburn. The patient is relieved only after vomiting.
When pancreatitis is observed acute unbearable pain. Pneumonia is indicated by high body temperature, cough and shortness of breath. Inflammation of the gallbladder is characterized by sharp stabbing discomfort. Plus, the person suffers from nausea and vomiting.
An experienced doctor will make these conclusions after a visual examination and questioning of the patient. Then you need to resort to therapeutic measures to confirm the diagnosis. After that, the doctor prescribes therapy, which the patient must adhere to.
Treatment with drugs
It is worth noting that medication should be taken under the strict supervision of the attending physician. As for the choice of medicines, it is not recommended to carry it out on your own. In each specific situation, different drugs will be effective, consider the most common cases.
To relieve pain, doctors prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Diclofenac, Movalis, Nimesulide are considered especially effective. Medicines are aimed at relieving inflammation and muscle tone, as well as improving blood circulation.
If the pain syndrome is pronounced, then it is necessary to remove it by radical methods. This refers to an injection containing lidocaine (novocaine) in combination with prednisone. Injections should not be made frequently, about once every three days, and the total number of injections should not exceed four. Otherwisemedicines will only harm the body, increasing the likelihood of complications.
Sometimes the doctor prescribes diuretics. This is done to relieve swelling at the site of inflammation. However, before taking them, you need to make sure that there is enough potassium in the body. In addition, the attending physician has the right to prescribe additional medications. It depends on the specific disease, type and nature of pain. In any case, do not neglect the advice of qualified specialists in order to avoid negative consequences.
Methods of self-relieving pain
It must be said that self-medication is not worth it, here we mean non-drug therapy, which was advised to use by the attending physician. After all, taking medicines does not cover all problems at once, the intervention of alternative medicine in this case is necessary.
Therapy methods directly depend on the causes that caused the pain in the middle between the shoulder blades. If the basis of discomfort is muscle spasm, then you can contact a masseur or chiropractor. Thanks to the services of these specialists, the patient's blood circulation will improve and the position of the muscles will improve.
If the source of the problem is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, then of all the independent ways to eliminate the trouble, dieting stands out. In this case, you will not be able to eat fried, s alty, fatty and spicy foods.
Sometimes a doctor suggests acupuncture to a patient. This method has recently become verypopular, but not everyone recognizes its effectiveness. Acupuncture will help the body to relax, resulting in improved overall well-being.
Gymnastics
Where without exercise? Pain between the shoulder blades quite often worries people. In addition to drug treatment, physiotherapy and massage, it is necessary to do gymnastics regularly. Physical exercise helps to prepare the muscles for stress, due to which lactic acid is released and the body slowly returns to normal. It is worth noting that gymnastics is done only during the weakening of discomfort. In this case, nothing can be done through pain.
All exercises should be done slowly and smoothly. The main rule of such gymnastics is to listen to your body. If you feel tingling or pain, stop the exercise and put it off indefinitely. It is these tasks that allow you to understand how the recovery process goes. It is worth trying to perform complex exercises about once a week. As soon as the number of such tasks is reduced to zero, the restoration can be considered perfect.
There are three main stages of training: warm-up, gymnastics and stretching. The importance of a warm-up cannot be underestimated. If you do not warm up the muscles, then the likelihood of injury increases markedly. It is worth warming up with the help of squats, circular movements of the shoulders, turning the head.
Then you can proceed to the main exercises. Here, doctors recommend doing tilts, circular rotations of the body. EnoughThe following exercise is considered effective: first you need to lie on your stomach, stretching your arms along the body. The first step is to raise the chin and hold this position for thirty seconds. Then you need to simultaneously raise the torso and legs. Do everything smoothly, without sudden movements.
The final part is stretching. Muscles during this slowly go out of active work and return to their normal state.
Prevention of pain between the shoulder blades
In order to protect yourself as much as possible from such a symptom, you must adhere to certain recommendations:
- active and he althy lifestyle;
- getting rid of bad habits, in particular smoking and drinking alcohol;
- exercising;
- do not overload the spine;
- posture control, try to walk and sit with a straight back;
- sleep comfortably.
However, not always a person can prevent discomfort in the shoulder blades. If pain occurs, then try to unload the spine and take more time to rest. With constant incessant pain, you need to see a specialist. According to the rules of medicine, eliminating an unpleasant feeling is quite simple, you just need to find the cause and undergo a full-fledged complex treatment prescribed by a doctor.
