Pain between the shoulder blades can occur for several reasons. Some types of pain do not pose a potential threat to human health, but cause discomfort. Other pains must be treated immediately, as they indicate pathological conditions in the body that can be life-threatening.
Causes of discomfort
Pain syndrome in the interscapular region is characterized by a wide variety. The pain may be sharp, sharp or dull, and may be bothersome, aching or explosive in nature. Sometimes the feeling of discomfort is reduced only to tingling and numbness. There are also cases where back pain radiates to nearby parts of the body. But 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 may be the following:
- Lack of regular physical activity: exercise, sports, swimming.
- Sedentary work.
- Sudden physical activity, especially if it was performed by an untrained person.
- All types of injuries that a person suffered during impacts, falls, car accidents.
The following diseases can cause the appearance of pain:
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine.
- Intervertebral hernia.
- Thoracic or cervical radiculitis.
- Intercostal neuralgia.
- Poor posture.
- Angina and coronary heart disease.
- Pleuritis.
- Pneumonia.
- Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.
The nature of the pain may suggest what illness caused it. Thus, in coronary heart disease, in most cases the pain will also affect the chest. But more often back pain is associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Diseases with characteristic symptoms.
For each disease associated with pain between the shoulder blades, the sensations are individual. Thus, in diseases of the musculoskeletal system, pain increases when turning the body or head, breathing, sneezing, coughing and any physical activity. This is typical for osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia and hernia. Also, in such cases, nitroglycerin does not relieve pain.
With neuralgia, a person's nerves hurt, so unpleasant sensations are observed when palpating the problem area. The pain may be dull or intense in the affected area.
In heart disease, the pain is usually located between the shoulder blades. At the same time, they are oppressive in nature. Additional symptoms are:
- heart rhythm disturbances;
- Increased blood pressure;
- difficult breathing.
The pain radiates to the left arm, neck, head and even the teeth. This condition can be a harbinger of a heart attack, in which a person requires emergency medical attention.
In lung diseases, in addition to unpleasant sensations in the back (dull pain), the person is bothered by cough and difficulty breathing. In tuberculosis, blood clots can pass along with sputum. Such conditions of the body pose a potential threat to human life, so they must be treated in a timely manner.
With a cold, painful sensations of a stinging nature may appear. For example, if a person spent a lot of time on a draft.
Recommended treatments
You should not self-medicate, focusing 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 will a person be able to carry out the necessary research and provide qualified assistance.
In diseases of the musculoskeletal system, efforts are initially directed at eliminating pain. For this, a person is prescribed pain relievers and ointments.
If a person has a confirmed intervertebral hernia, he may need surgery.
To treat infectious diseases and other disorders of the respiratory system, a person is prescribed complex treatment. An angina attack should be stopped with nitroglycerin tablets and then the patient should undergo a complete examination. Based on its results, the doctor will not only be able to choose the appropriate treatment, but also give recommendations to the patient about future actions, for example, whether hospitalization and surgery are recommended.
How to relieve pain
You can cope with pain using various methods. Therefore, in case of diseases of the heart, lungs and other internal organs, drug therapy cannot be avoided.
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 masseuse. It is not recommended to do this in case of intervertebral hernia, as well as in the acute stage of osteochondrosis.
- Exercise therapy is effective. Therapeutic exercise is a set of exercises aimed at restoring the spine and eliminating discomfort.
It is acceptable to use pain relievers: pills, creams, gels.
Precautionary measures
To prevent pain between the shoulder blades, a person must carefully monitor their health. At the first symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.
To prevent heart and respiratory diseases that cause pain in the interscapular area, it is recommended to follow a healthy lifestyle:
- stop smoking;
- balance the diet;
- do not cool too much;
- avoid stressful situations;
- periodically do a cardiogram;
- control blood pressure.
To prevent diseases of the musculoskeletal system, it is recommended:
- Live an active lifestyle. It is advisable to visit the gym and swimming pool at least 2 times a week. If this is not possible, exercises can be replaced by running outdoors, cycling, skiing or actively playing ball.
- If a person's professional activity involves sedentary work, it is recommended to perform a brief neck and shoulder warm-up every hour.
- You should sit only on comfortable chairs with a backrest, as this reduces the load on the spine during sedentary work.
- Don't slouch, try to maintain correct posture.
If you follow these rules, you can protect yourself from many diseases. But if a person shows the first signs of discomfort in the back, it is better not to delay and undergo a medical examination in time. Self-medication without an accurate diagnosis can make the situation worse.