The pain under the right shoulder blade is polyetiological, it becomes a manifestation of local neuralgia, as well as a consequence of many diseases. It is not always possible to reliably determine the source - the true source may be located at a considerable distance.
The syndrome occurs in many patients over 30-35 years of age and accounts for almost 45% of all clinical manifestations.
The nature of the pain under the right shoulder blade from behind - how can it hurt, and how to describe the pain to the doctor?
Unpleasant sensations or severe pain are not an independent disease, but a clinical symptom. It is important for future patients to understand how it hurts under the right shoulder blade - this will help the doctor promptly and quickly diagnose the pathology and prescribe timely therapy.
Important criteria for assessing a symptom are:
- Characteristic aspects, or how it hurts (there are acute pulsating, dull and intrusive).
- Time (with constant or temporary flow).
- Strength (when circumstances increase or subside).
Clinicians take into account the circumstances surrounding the occurrence of pain. For example, a significant increase in holding the breath after inhalation, contraction of the diaphragm, and sudden movement of the right hand.
There are several characteristics of pain under the right shoulder blade from the back:
- Dull pain. The syndrome develops against the background of muscle spasms, exacerbation of the organs of the hepatobiliary system, lungs, and renal structures. They differ in duration, their intensity usually increases at night. Well-being suffers, but patients are able to endure.
- Acute pain. The condition is not relieved by medications or position changes. Well-being usually suffers, and other symptoms of clinical distress appear.
- Aching and intense. Such pain is a consequence of pathologies of osteochondral tissue: osteochondrosis, sciatica, chondrosis, arthrosis. One of the dangerous diseases is osteoporosis of the spinal column.
The doctor must collect a clinical and life history, past injuries, and past infections. Age and the presence of concomitant diseases play an important role.
Pain under the scapula from behind is often combined with other clinical manifestations: fever, malaise, impaired joint mobility, shortness of breath.
If atypical symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor!
Injuries, infections, oncology, as causes of pain under the right shoulder blade from behind
Why does it hurt under my right shoulder blade? Subscapular pain under the right shoulder blade from behind from the back of varying intensity should be differentiated from neurological damage, acute infections and oncogenic processes.
According to statistics, the cause of pain under the right shoulder blade is typical factors.
1. Traumatic factor
The appearance of sudden pain under the right shoulder blade from the back is often caused by bruises, subluxations, dislocations of the forearm and even a violation of the integrity of bone tissue.
Soreness persists for a long time after prolonged exercise, tendon strain, or ruptures due to falls. In this case, the pain is localized, the affected area has hematomas and bruises.
For mild injuries, without damage to bone tissue, the pain goes away on its own.
More complex clinical situations are traumatic lesions of the suprascapular nerve on the right and pneumothorax (traumatic). In the first case, the pain has an unclear localization, radiates markedly, and spreads over the entire shoulder. In the case of patients, the main pain is in the sternum, which subsequently radiates to the subscapular region in the projection of the lungs.
2. Oncology
At the stage of tumor formation, the asymptomatic period, the latent phase, predominates.
Unfortunately, symptoms appear only with progressive malignancy, and pain spreads throughout the body. Thus, cancer of any localization provokes a painful syndrome in the first place.
Important!
Concomitant signs of the oncological process are a significant deterioration of the condition (literally, fading), an increase in temperature, mainly in children, and a sharp increase in lymph nodes.
3. Infectious diseases
Infectious processes in the body tend to migrate along descending or ascending pathways. Thus, a diseased tooth with a fistula or can cause generalized sepsis with the formation of infiltrative foci of any location.
Common infectious processes causing subscapular pain are:
- Inflammation of the lower parts of the respiratory system (complicated bronchitis, focal pneumonia, purulent pleurisy). The main symptoms are pain in the diaphragm, chest, wheezing, hyperthermia, and spasmodic cough. During diagnostic tapping there is almost always a reaction from the patient.
- Inflammation of the diaphragm. The condition is characterized by the formation of a purulent infiltrate between the upper angle of the liver and the diaphragm, resulting from perforation or perforation of a stomach or small intestine ulcer, liver abscess, or surgery on the abdominal organs. If you suspect a subdiaphragmatic abscess, urgent medical attention is required.
Considering that there are many causes of pain under the right shoulder blade from behind, it is important to assess the degree of potential danger.
An emergency reason for hospitalization or urgent medical examination is:
- Long-term continuous pain (from 3-4 days).
- Unchanged localization, the patient clearly points under the right shoulder blade.
- The effect of analgesics is insignificant or does not occur.
- The general condition worsens.
- High body temperature.
- The appearance of tumors.
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
If the pain is constant, does not depend on a person’s activity and does not calm down even at night, then this significantly worsens the quality of life.
Timely differential diagnosis helps not only alleviate the condition, but also save lives.
What diseases of the internal organs can cause pain under the right shoulder blade from the back?
The causes of pain under the right shoulder blade from the back can be congenital or acquired diseases of the internal organs.
Progressive pathologies with anomalies in size, location and growth against the background of an inflammatory process always give radiating pain (polycystic kidney disease, hepatosis, megalia, -pathies).
1. Hepatobiliary system
If the right side hurts under the scapula, then one may suspect the development or exacerbation of existing liver pathologies (secondary cirrhotic changes), damage to the gallbladder tissue.
Radiating pain in the right side under the scapula occurs when the tissue of the liver structures is destroyed, the lumen of the ducts is blocked by stones or sand.
At risk are patients with cholecystitis, progressive hepatitis, and chronic cholelithiasis. The syndrome itself is intense, reminiscent of paralyzing colic. Weak pulling appears against the background of chronic pathologies.
2. Nephro-urological pathologies
The kidneys are anatomically located closer to the back, so when their function is impaired or inflamed, a characteristic symptom occurs - pain under the right shoulder blade in the back.
The effleurage reaction is positive or absent. It is necessary to differentiate kidney diseases from spinal osteochondrosis.
So, with nephritis, acute pyelonephritis, high fever, malaise, painful and frequent movements are associated.
If the pain is in the right side under the shoulder blade, then the right kidney is probably predominantly affected.
3. Digestive organs
If there is pain under the right shoulder blade at the back, the cause may be pathologies and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The anatomical location of the organs of the digestive system suggests irradiation of pain to the subscapular region on the right or left.
Diseases include pancreatitis, exacerbation of stomach ulcers, and pathologies of the spleen (especially tumors).
Note!
In the acute phase, the pain is intense, often aching under the right shoulder blade, the syndrome goes away after taking antispasmodic drugs and painkillers.
Widespread pain appears with the appearance of cystic cavities, tumor neoplasms, polyps, dysplasia of tissues of internal organs (for example, against the background of their growth).
Pathologies and deformations of the musculoskeletal system as causes of pain under the right shoulder blade in the back
Osteoarticular deformities are a consequence of multiple negative factors: non-infectious, autoimmune, inflammatory. Destruction and thinning of musculoskeletal structures leads to impaired joint mobility and irreversible changes in the structure of the skeleton.
Video: Pain in the right side from the back
If there is pain under the shoulder blade on the right side, then you should consider the likelihood of developing the following conditions:
- Humeroscapular periarthritis(inflammation of small and large articular segments, structures).
- Subscapularis bursitis(inflammatory lesion of the synovial bursa).
- Myositis(inflammation of muscle structures as a result of excessive cooling, trauma, impaired blood flow, bacterial damage).
Typically, pain under the right shoulder blade radiates to other parts of the musculoskeletal system; the localization is not always clear.
Other pathologies are arthrosis, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, osteoporosis, tumors, osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone tissue, which can also be classified as an infectious group of diseases).
Neurological causes of pain under the right shoulder blade from the back
Neurological pathologies with severe pain syndrome include those in which there is an irritating effect on the nerve roots, peripheral and central nervous system as a whole. The inflammation is accompanied by intense aching pain under the right shoulder blade, with a tendency to intensify with mobility.
Very often, osteodeformations provoke compression of the nerve processes, so it is not always necessary to separate both directions.
If there is pain under the right shoulder blade at the back, the reasons are due to the following conditions:
- Neuralgia localized in the intercostal space. The pathology is accompanied by acute shooting pains that radiate in the intercostal space and reach the scapular region. The main reason is compression of the nerve roots, acute neuroinfections. Unpleasant sensations intensify with reflex tension of smooth muscles.
- Damage to the brachial plexus. The painful syndrome is accompanied by paresthesia (numbness) of the shoulder, hands, partly of the cervical spine, and characteristic pain when abducting or raising the arm.
If there is a stabbing sensation under the right shoulder blade against the background of a complicated cardiac history, it is important to undergo additional examination by a specialized specialist in a timely manner. Symptomatic pain may be due to cardiomyopathy, significant enlargement of the chambers and ventricles of the heart.
The human body is a very precise system that reacts sharply to any dysfunction of organs and tissues. When turning, changing position, or immediately after sleep, pain may occur under the right shoulder blade from the back.
This can happen due to injury, disease of the spine, or as a result of an inflammatory process in the muscles or internal organs.
It is important for the patient to listen to the nature of the sensations: what exactly hurts on the right side under the shoulder blade - soft tissue, bone, or the sensation even comes from the depths of the chest.
Naturally, the pain syndrome cannot be ignored, because pain in the area of the right shoulder blade can signal, for example, tuberculosis or malignant neoplasms of the lungs and pathological processes in the bone tissue at the level of the shoulder blades.
It is unlikely that the patient should figure out on his own why his back hurts in the area of the shoulder blades. The reasons for this may lie in banal stress-induced neuralgia, and in inflammatory processes of deeper tissues.
In the absence of external damage to the skin, one can assume, for example:
- soft tissue bruise;
- rib fracture, spinous process or scapula fracture;
- lung diseases (pleurisy, tuberculosis);
- congenital pathologies of anatomical structure;
- neoplasms (benign and malignant);
- scoliosis;
- neuralgia;
- myositis;
- osteochondrosis.
Pathologies of internal organs, such as pancreatitis, liver and kidney diseases, can provoke back pain on the right. The reasons must be sought together with a doctor, and not independently.
The pain felt by the patient under the shoulder blade on the right side from the back can be of a different nature, which must be taken into account when diagnosing.
Be sure to also pay attention to the intensity, frequency and precise localization of sensations.
If the sensations occur periodically, tell your doctor about related events (change of position, turning, sitting for a long time, eating, coughing, etc.). If sharp pain appears, note whether it is always the same intensity and whether it increases over time.
The nagging pain is rarely severe, but can be constant or cramping. Any features of the subjective perception of sensations may be important for making a final diagnosis.
Increasing or decreasing dull pain is not very typical for bone diseases. Problems with internal organs (kidneys, liver, stomach, and, less commonly, heart and lungs) are more likely.
There is a feeling that the right hypochondrium is constantly aching. Aching pain under the right shoulder blade is more often considered as a renal symptom.
Mild, constantly present pain under the right shoulder blade, which is characterized by an even, calm manifestation, may indicate muscle overstrain from prolonged exposure to a static position, their stretching under sudden loads, or the initial stage of one of the spinal diseases.
The occurrence of spinal diseases, with the exception of injuries, is not spontaneous. Any process takes time.
Patients who ignore mild pain and heaviness in the shoulder blades will sooner or later be forced to face acute attacks of back pain.
The first in the list of possible causes is worth mentioning intervertebral disc pathologies: complete destruction.
All these conditions are accompanied or are a consequence of the underlying disease - scoliosis, osteochondrosis, arthrosis, etc.
Scoliosis
Incorrect back position when working at a desk or computer is the most common cause of spinal curvature in children.
It is important that the set of such exercises is selected taking into account the individual characteristics and concomitant diseases of the patient. Yes, movement is life, but only properly organized movement brings benefits.
Sudden pain between the shoulder blade and the spine on the right is often the result of developing neuralgia or sprain.
Try to put your nervous system in order, ask your doctor to prescribe sedatives, vitamins and muscle relaxants.
Maintain a sleep and rest schedule. Protect your back from unbearable loads. At the first sign of discomfort, stop lifting weights and make it a rule to take technical breaks during the working day.
Preventive measures help not only to avoid the development of the disease in the early stages, but also to completely prevent their possible occurrence in the future. Back problems rarely begin all at once.
The spine resists traumatic factors for a long time and maintains its own performance, but testing the capabilities of your own body is at least unwise.
Among the pathologies that provoke pain under the scapula, there may be not only diseases of the spine and joints. Some of these pathologies can be determined by the nature of the pain, others require additional research.
And although the patient can try to make a diagnosis on his own, following the instructions of medical reference books, it is still better to consult an experienced doctor and undergo a full course of examinations and procedures.
Video about pain under the right shoulder blade from behind from the back
In the human musculoskeletal system, the scapula, together with the ribs attached to it, plays the role of a frame to which the muscles are attached. The whole combination ensures mobility of the shoulder girdle. A symptom such as pain under the right shoulder blade at the back is usually attributed by many to manifestations of osteochondrosis, the consequences of a draft, or incorrect body position while sitting or sleeping.
But the causes of pain are sometimes associated with completely different disorders.
Why does pain occur on the right side of the back?
- Inflammatory processes that occur in the musculoskeletal system and pinched nerve endings in the spine can result in painful sensations below the scapula. Osteochondrosis and scoliosis disorders often provoke pain in the posterior subscapular region.
- When the spinal discs wear out as a result of stress, the pain can be girdling, radiating not only under the shoulder blades, but also between the ribs.
- Acute, sharp pain radiating to the right side is characteristic of gallbladder diseases, when a stone clogs the duct and the spasm spreads to the scapular part. Similar sensations are caused by kidney infections associated with the formation of stones and salt deposition.
- Inflammatory processes in the organs of the respiratory system are complemented by a state of discomfort in the upper back. And even a simple cough produces a painful spasm in the muscles of the ribs and shoulder blades.
- When bones are fractured, especially with a displacement towards the spine, a dull pain occurs, accompanied by swelling and hematomas.
- Changes and deformations in the structure of the scapula are possible due to improper fusion of bones. The shoulder blade may have a wing-shaped shape, which affects the work of muscles and nerve processes.
- Inflammatory processes in the synovial fossa, called synovitis, are marked not only by pain, but also by a characteristic crunching sound when moving the right hand.
- Neurological ailments cause pain in the right side, radiating under the shoulder blade.
- Disturbances in the hematopoietic process lead to the formation of tumors, both benign and malignant, which are accompanied by pain in the upper back on the right. The same symptoms appear in the tuberculosis process localized in this area.
And only a complete examination of the patient will reveal why pain occurs in the back of the right subscapular region.
How to treat pain under the shoulder blade on the right
Therapy for pain syndrome should be aimed at the source of diseases of the internal organs or pathologies of muscles and bones.
Medical treatments to combat pain under the right shoulder blade
- The administration of drugs using a weak electric current is effective for pain in various parts of the musculoskeletal system. Thanks to ionization, the drug penetrates deep into the layers of the skin. The influence of direct current irritates tissue receptors, increasing blood and lymph circulation, accelerating the restoration of affected cells, and eliminating pain. The advantages of this painless method are that it is possible to inject several medicinal solutions into the affected area, increasing their effect without causing disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.
- The operating principle of shock wave therapy is based on the conversion of an acoustic impulse into a sound wave that penetrates deep into the lesion without causing any harm. Treatment with this method restores the metabolism of tissue cells, improves their nutrition, and promotes better absorption of nutrients. After two sessions of shockwave therapy, pain in the right shoulder blade disappears.
- The analgesic effect of magnetic therapy is used in the treatment of disorders in the right subscapular region. The device is placed below the shoulder blade, securing it with a diaper or towel. The therapeutic effect is based on the induction of electrical currents of constant or variable value.
Medication for pain in the lower scapular area
- Diclofenac can relieve symptoms of pain. Tablets are taken orally twice a day, depending on the severity of the syndrome, from twenty-five to fifty milligrams. Having achieved the required therapeutic effect, the dose is reduced. The solution is administered intramuscularly in a single dose. The medicine is used only to relieve symptoms; it does not treat the cause of the disease.
- The drug Indomethacin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It relieves both muscle and neurological pain. The oral dose, divided into two doses, does not exceed 25 milligrams. Injections of the drug are administered intramuscularly at 60 milligrams no more than twice
- Baralgin actively affects the human body, relaxing smooth muscles and reducing pain. Tablets are taken in a daily dose of no more than two grams, which is divided into three times. Take the drug with caution for those who have kidney or liver pathologies.
- Spasmodic pain caused by kidney or gallbladder diseases is relieved with Papaverine in tablet form. The drug reduces smooth muscle tension, blood pressure, and calms. A single dose for adults is up to sixty milligrams, for children the minimum dose is up to five, and for teenagers – up to twenty milligrams.
How to relieve back pain under the right shoulder blade using folk remedies
At home, you can take a number of measures to reduce pain in the area under the right shoulder blade:
- Dissolve a tablespoon of yarrow herb with a glass of boiling water and leave for about an hour. Take a tablespoon three times throughout the day;
- A slimy decoction of oat grains is obtained from a glass of raw material, boiled in a liter of water and evaporated by a quarter. The medicine is drunk half a glass before meals three times throughout the day. You can add honey or milk to the drink;
- Therapeutic baths relieve back pain and calm the nervous system. 250 grams of calamus roots are poured with cold water, brought to a boil, and cooled. The warm solution is poured into the bath;
- One kilogram of oak or spruce bark is poured into five liters of water, boiled for an hour. The strained broth is used for healing baths;
- An ointment prepared from fifty grams of kerosene, a quarter glass of sunflower oil, three tablespoons of grated laundry soap, a teaspoon of soda, is rubbed thoroughly onto the affected area;
- Relieves pain on the right side behind with a remedy made from equal parts of pork lard and hop cone powder.
Any recipe for a folk remedy should be discussed with your doctor before using it.
If we are talking about pain under the right shoulder blade from the back, diagnosis in this area is difficult due to a number of reasons of a specific and purely human nature. Patients visit doctors if the pain under the right shoulder blade from the back becomes unbearable. A long wait does not allow timely identification of the first signs and localization of the disease at its source.
Typically, a considerable amount of time passes from the onset of the disease to its detection. The patient forgets about the circumstances of the incident and complains to the doctor about completely different symptoms, which makes it difficult to make a diagnosis.
Trying to understand the danger of the complaints described by patients, attention is paid to the distribution of symptoms and their manifestation. The following types of pain in the back area under the right shoulder blade are distinguished:
- Aching pain between the shoulder blade and the spine on the right is most often a consequence of body stiffness.
- The pain under the shoulder blade is debilitating and prolonged. It can hurt not only under the right shoulder blade, but also in the right arm. Symptoms occur when the arms are suddenly thrown up and down, or when there is any movement of the torso and neck. The cause of the dull pain under the right shoulder blade is ambiguous; it is unlikely that you will be able to understand it on your own.
- Pain under the shoulder blade on the right reveals itself unexpectedly, for example, with increased coughing, trying to inhale air, or moving disproportionately quickly. The reason is not always harmless. With constant unpleasant symptoms, it makes sense to understand this problem.
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If the pain in the right back bothers you more than once, but occurs periodically, you should find the cause and immediately begin treatment.
Causes
The causes of pain under the right shoulder blade are not at all easy to determine. This requires certain knowledge and equipment. Initially, the doctor makes only a preliminary diagnosis based on exactly how the pain manifests itself and why it hurts in this particular area.
Blunt pain
If we are talking about dull pain from the back, then its possible causes should be sought in:
- Spasm of one of the muscles and a damaged scapular nerve;
- Diseases of internal organs.
The reasons why lie in:
- Pyelonephritis;
- Chronic cholecystitis;
- Tumors of the liver, pancreas, right kidney, or lung;
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
Prolonged dull pain under the shoulder blade on the right side of the back appears with diseases of the gallbladder, kidneys and pancreas. With pancreatitis, the pain begins suddenly, the person does not sleep and takes positions that are not comfortable for him in a lying position, since the torture of getting comfortable causes even more inconvenience. The listed diseases are a source of considerable trouble.
It's a dull pain
Prolonged aching pain in the back on the right, tingling and pulling sensations indicate disturbances in the functioning of the spine.
A nagging pain under the right shoulder blade may be the first sign of osteochondrosis, chondrosis and spondylosis. It occurs in people who do not pay enough attention to sports.
Sedentary work, lack of opportunity to do exercises, all this will inevitably lead to cervical osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. Unpleasant sensations are not the only sign of illness. Patients experience numbness in their fingers and severe headaches. The cause may be a simple pinched nerve or neurological diseases.
It is possible that back pain is a consequence of a tumor. In the latter case, it is necessary to carry out a full examination of the patient by specialists of various profiles. It is pointless to look for the cause in the very place where pain is concentrated; most likely, the pain below the shoulder blade only radiates to the indicated place. The cause may also be pancreatitis, in its chronic form, bronchitis, pneumonia, cirrhosis, or hepatitis.
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It is possible that the aching pain in the lower part of the scapula that is located to the right of the spinal column is a consequence of cholecystitis and pyelonephritis. With cholecystitis, it can radiate into the chest, taking on a paroxysmal form . Pyelonephritis is accompanied by a burning sensation in the upper part of the scapula, which developed as a result of inflammation of the right kidney.
At the time of gallstone disease formation, the painful sensations are also aching. With cholelithiasis, pain in the shoulder blades occurs along with nausea, vomiting and high fever. The skin turns yellow and a fever begins.
Acute pain
Burning and tingling in this area are usually not associated with the spinal region. should be looked for in damage to internal organs. Symptoms occur primarily in people with abnormal heart rhythms, vascular diseases, problems with the digestive tract and rectum. Often back pain occurs when:
- Hepatic colic;
- Acute cholecystitis;
- Gallstone disease;
- Hypertensive form of gallbladder dyskinesia.
If the cause of back pain is one of the listed diseases, other characteristic symptoms will arise over time, including irritability, sweating, insomnia and fatigue.
Unabated sharp pain in the back under the shoulder blade indicates a subdiaphragmatic abscess, which is at the last stage. Unpleasant sensations intensify when trying to inhale and disappear when exhaling, being reflected in the right shoulder blade. If it hurts on the right side under the scapula, then this indicates hepatic colic or a purulent infiltrate. In the latter case, the patient will develop a fever and may have problems with urination.
Particularly worried if the right shoulder blade hurts. As mentioned above, short-term pain in the area of the right shoulder blade does not mean anything. You should start worrying only if the pain does not go away for 1-2 hours in a row.
A recent injury may also cause pain; in this case, you should contact a specialist immediately. Fractures or the onset of an infectious process cannot be ruled out; in the latter case, the chance of quickly getting rid of the problem without the help of a specialist is quite low.
Diagnosis and treatment
A lot depends on how quickly the correct diagnosis is made, and above all, the life of the patient himself. The first time you feel unwell, you should consult a therapist. It is the therapist who must perform an initial examination of the patient and question him about other symptoms that a person ignorant of medicine may not pay due attention to.
After conducting such an examination and identifying alarming signs, the therapist is obliged to refer the patient to a vertebrologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, traumatologist, or neurologist. To determine the location of back pain in the area of the shoulder blades, the patient will have to take an x-ray, donate blood and urine.
The treatment prescribed based on the results obtained, regardless of the nature of the pain on the right side, begins with taking painkillers.
If we are talking about a common cold, the doctor will prescribe appropriate medications and recommend warming compresses and ointments for the lower back. In other cases, the patient is prescribed anti-inflammatory, antiviral, neurological and other drugs designed to treat not just the symptoms, but also the very cause of the disease.
Pain in the area of the shoulder blades is often not only formed at the moment of uncomfortable movement of the arm, but also causes a serious illness. This phenomenon has one feature, which is that the cause can be located at a great distance from the place where the pain appears. There are a huge number of nerve endings in the area of the right shoulder blade, and it is often very difficult to detect the true cause of the pain.
The type of pain that occurs under the right shoulder blade completely depends on the disease itself. The true cause of unpleasant sensations can be determined precisely by their nature. Painful sensations can manifest themselves in the following form:
- aching pain occurs when you are in an uncomfortable position and when you tilt your head forward for a long time;
- sharp pain under the right shoulder blade appears during coughing, sneezing, deep inhalation and any movement;
- sharp pain under the right shoulder blade can occur spontaneously during movement or, conversely, at a moment of rest;
- a dull pain under the right shoulder blade can last a long time and worsen when turning the head, sneezing and, in some cases, radiate to the arm;
- nagging pain intensifies with changes in posture and prolonged physical activity, decreases during the day;
- stabbing pain suddenly appears and also suddenly disappears, and it is not associated with organ diseases and is only a neurological disorder.
Causes of pain
Depending on what type of pain occurs in a person, the cause of the pain is identified. Pain in the right hypochondrium has a large list of causes.
A dull and aching pain can form during muscle spasm if a person is in an uncomfortable position for a long time. She can also talk about disturbances in the functioning of the gallbladder, kidneys and pancreas.
Acute and sharp pain under the shoulder blade often indicates problems in the functioning of internal organs, namely in the cardiovascular, digestive and excretory systems.
Acute pain is often accompanied by fever and severe vomiting. If such symptoms occur, you should immediately call emergency medical help.
Drawing and stabbing pain under the right shoulder blade may be a symptom of the development of chondrosis in the first stages, osteochondrosis, spondylosis and neuralgia. In very rare cases, the causes of such pain are cancer.
Severe pain can occur with displaced intervertebral discs and pancreatitis. Unpleasant sensations may intensify as the disease progresses.
A burning sensation under the shoulder blade occurs when the nerve roots are pinched, pneumonia or when angina develops. These diseases require immediate treatment.
If the right shoulder blade hurts continuously, this may be a symptom of bile duct dyskinesia (impaired motor function of the gallbladder). In this case, pain first forms in the right rib cage, and then it goes to the scapula and shoulder on the right side. Such pain is tolerable, although it causes a lot of inconvenience.
Pressing pain in the right shoulder blade indicates a subdiaphragmatic abscess (abscess). If the pain under the right shoulder blade intensifies when inhaling, and the blood pressure also decreases and sweat appears, then this may be the cause of colic in the kidneys.
Pulsating pain most often appears simultaneously with sharp pain and can cause serious illness. Severe, unexpected pain is a sign of spontaneous pneumothorax and hepatic colic.
If the pain radiates under the shoulder blade on the right side, then this is a symptom of cholelithiasis. This pain may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and fever.
If the cause of pain is pathologies of internal organs, then other symptoms may appear that are more characteristic of this disease.
Diagnosis of diseases
In order to find out why your back hurts in the shoulder blade area, you should contact a therapist for an initial examination and conduct a full examination. After this, it will be much easier to find out the causes of pain.
The doctor conducts a visual examination, clarifies the nature of the pain, prescribes an ultrasound of the internal organs and the necessary tests.
After all the results are received, treatment will be carried out by a highly specialized specialist - a cardiologist, nephrologist, urologist or other doctor.
If there is pain on the right side under the shoulder blade, and the cause is internal organ disease, then treatment is aimed at eliminating the main source of the lesion. After treatment of the cause of the disease gives positive results, pain in the back under the shoulder blade will begin to go away.
If the pain between the shoulder blade and the spine on the right is due to problems with the spine, then the source of inflammation begins to be treated. Treatment is carried out using traditional medications - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics, corticosteroids and chondroprotectors.
If back pain in the area of the shoulder blades occurs during an exacerbation of neuralgia, then warming and anti-inflammatory ointments, such as Voltaren, Diclofenac or Fastum-gel, as well as special patches that have an analgesic and warming effect, are used for treatment.
The cause of pain under the shoulder blade can also be a psycho-emotional state. Frequent causeless irritation occurs, the body quickly gets tired and problems with sleep appear. In this case, treatment may consist of sedatives and medications.
When pain below the scapula is caused by a fracture of the scapular neck, surgical intervention is required. Emergency surgery also removes a subdiaphragmatic abscess that causes severe back pain. This is due to the fact that if an abscess breaks into the abdominal cavity, it can cause the development of another dangerous disease - peritonitis.
All infectious diseases that cause pain under the shoulder blade on the right behind are treated with antibiotics. Back pain begins to subside after the disease subsides. If the diagnosis is scapular tuberculosis, then treatment is carried out using anti-tuberculosis drugs.
If renal, liver or biliary diseases are detected, which are accompanied by nagging pain under the right shoulder blade, the patient is prescribed a course of antispasmodics and analgesics. If acute back pain on the right is caused by stones in the urinary system, then treatment will be aimed primarily at removing them.
Tumors that form in the early stages of development are removed, and in some cases, additional radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be prescribed.
When the pain under the right shoulder blade from the back is eliminated with the help of medications, post-medication therapy is prescribed. It helps improve muscle tone and remove the feeling of stiffness. Such therapy includes massage, swimming, manual therapy and physiotherapy.
These procedures relax the muscles, strengthen the vertebrae of the thoracic and cervical spine and prevent further pinching of the nerve roots.
Therapeutic exercises are prescribed when the source of inflammation has been removed and back pain is almost no longer a concern. All exercises should be performed only after warming up. To treat pain in the scapula and below, the following set of exercises is prescribed:
- While lying on your back, you should touch the floor with your shoulders as much as possible.
- Move the arm in which there is pain as far as possible to the side.
- With your free hand, touch the parietal area and tilt your head in the direction where there is discomfort.
- You should hold your head in this position for as long as you can. The muscles should be tense at this moment.
- Make the same tilt in the other direction.
- Relax completely and repeat the exercise after 3-4 minutes.
In addition to special exercises, lighter exercises may be prescribed that help relieve tension from the scapular region and lower back. Such activities include bringing your shoulder blades together, forming a lock of your hands behind your back and lifting them up, and a light massage at home. You can also use a simple hang on the bar.
Prevention
There is no special prevention of pain in the area of the shoulder blades. If the pain is caused by a disease of the internal organs, then the development and exacerbation of the disease should be prevented.
If the causes of pain are neuralgia and muscle spasms, then it is enough to play sports, do muscle-relaxing exercises and avoid hypothermia.
If osteochondrosis causes discomfort, then you should talk to your doctor about preventive measures. In this case, a course of medications and physical therapy may be prescribed.
There are a large number of reasons that cause pain in the area and at the bottom of the shoulder blades; a doctor will be able to identify them after a full examination. In order not to aggravate the situation, at the first sensation of pain you should not self-medicate or ignore the pain, but should immediately consult your doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.