Pain between the shoulder blades can occur for various reasons. Some types of pain do not pose a potential threat to human health, but do cause discomfort. Other types of pain require immediate response as they indicate pathological conditions in the body that can be life-threatening.
Causes of discomfort
The pain syndrome in the interscapular area is characterized by a wide variety. The pain may be sharp, stabbing, or dull, and may be aching, aching, or bursting in nature. Sometimes the discomfort is just tingling and numbness. There are also cases when pain radiates from the back to neighboring parts of the body. However, regardless of the nature of the manifestations, they are always unpleasant and indicate problems in the human body.
The causes of pain between the shoulder blades can be as follows:
- Lack of regular physical activity – exercise, sports, swimming.
- Sedentary work.
- Sudden physical activity, especially when performed by an untrained person.
- All types of injuries sustained by a person in impacts, falls, and car accidents.
The following diseases can provoke the appearance of pain:
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine.
- Intervertebral hernia.
- Thoracic or cervical radiculitis.
- Intercostal neuralgia.
- Bad posture.
- Angina pectoris and coronary heart disease.
- Pleurisy.
- Lung infection.
- Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.
The type of pain can indicate what disease caused it. In the case of coronary heart disease, the pain also occurs in the chest in most cases. But back pain is more often accompanied by diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Diseases with characteristic symptoms
For each disease that is accompanied by pain between the shoulder blades, the sensations are individual. In diseases of the musculoskeletal system, pain increases when turning the body or head, breathing, sneezing, coughing and during any physical activity. This is typical for osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia and hernia. In addition, nitroglycerin does not relieve pain in such cases.
With neuralgia, a person's nerves hurt, so unpleasant sensations arise when palpating the problem area. The pain may be dull or severe in the affected area.
In heart disease, the pain is often localized between the shoulder blades. At the same time they are oppressive in nature. Other symptoms include:
- cardiac arrhythmias;
- increased blood pressure;
- Difficulty breathing.
The pain radiates to the left arm, neck, head and even to the teeth. This condition can be a harbinger of a heart attack, in which a person needs urgent medical attention.
In lung diseases, in addition to back pain (dull pain), there is also coughing and difficulty breathing. In tuberculosis, blood clots can be passed out along with sputum. Such diseases of the body pose a potential danger to human life and therefore need to be treated in a timely manner.
With a cold, painful sensations of a stabbing nature may occur. For example, if a person has spent a long time in a draft.
Recommended treatments
You should not self-medicate and focus only on the painful signs of the disease. For an accurate diagnosis, the patient is recommended to consult a doctor. Only in a medical institution can a person carry out the necessary examinations and provide qualified assistance.
In the case of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, efforts are initially aimed at eliminating pain. For this, a person is prescribed painkillers and ointments.
If a person has a confirmed intervertebral fracture, they may need surgery.
To treat infectious diseases and other respiratory diseases, a person is prescribed complex treatment. An attack of angina pectoris must be stopped with nitroglycerin tablets, and then the patient must undergo a comprehensive examination. Based on his results, the doctor can not only choose the right treatment, but also give the patient recommendations for further actions, for example, if he is recommended hospitalization and surgery.
How to relieve pain
You can manage pain using different methods. Therefore, drug therapy cannot be avoided for diseases of the heart, lungs and other internal organs.
To eliminate pain due to diseases of the musculoskeletal system, the following procedures will help:
- A massage that should only be performed by a professional masseur. It is not recommended to do this with intervertebral hernias, as well as in the acute stage of osteochondrosis.
- Exercise therapy is effective. Therapeutic exercises are a set of exercises aimed at restoring the spine and eliminating discomfort.
It is acceptable to use painkillers: tablets, creams, gels.
Precautions
To prevent pain between the shoulder blades, a person must carefully monitor their health. At the first symptoms, you should consult a doctor immediately.
To prevent cardiac and respiratory diseases that cause pain in the interscapular region, it is recommended to follow a healthy lifestyle:
- stop smoking;
- balance the diet;
- do not overcool;
- avoid stressful situations;
- Get a cardiogram regularly.
- Check blood pressure.
To prevent diseases of the musculoskeletal system, it is recommended:
- Lead an active lifestyle. It is advisable to visit the gym and swimming pool at least twice a week. If this is not possible, the exercises can be replaced with jogging in the fresh air, cycling, skiing or an active ball game.
- If a person's professional activity involves sedentary work, it is recommended to do a short warm-up for the neck and shoulders every hour.
- You should only sit on comfortable chairs with backrests, as this reduces the strain on the spine during sedentary work.
- Don't stay slouched, but try to maintain the correct posture.
By following these rules, you can protect yourself from many diseases. However, if a person begins to show signs of discomfort in the back, it is better not to hesitate and undergo a timely medical examination. Self-medication without an accurate diagnosis can make the situation worse.