Causes of pain in the central region of the back (between the shoulder blades)

Pain is one of the main symptoms that our body signals that a pathological process has occurred. It is completely non-specific and can accompany a large number of diseases. Very often, patients complain that their back hurts between the shoulder blades, and sometimes it is quite difficult to diagnose the pathology that causes it. Because there can be many reasons and it is almost impossible to make a correct diagnosis without special research methods.

Among shoulder blades, back pain can be of the most diverse nature.

Inciting factors and nature of pain

The pain syndrome in the region of the shoulder blades can be quite diverse, and the ability to accurately determine its nature is of great diagnostic importance. Consider the possible features of this symptom:

1. According to the duration - acute or chronic.
2. According to the intensity - painful, strong or weak.
3. By nature - to press, squeeze, stab or cut.
4. Additional sensations may also occur: a feeling of fullness, crawling, numbness, heaviness in the back, tingling.

It is known that there are certain predisposing factors that can cause pain in the area of the shoulder blades. Let's consider them in more detail.

• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Spinal cord injuries and other injuries.
• Jumping from a height, sharp weight lifting, fast running, that is. physical exercise performed by an untrained person.
• A very low level of general physical fitness.
• History of chronic diseases of the stomach and heart.
• Sedentary work.
• Pathology of chest organs.

All these factors do not always cause pain in the back between the left and right shoulder blades. Only when certain circumstances coincide, a pathology arises and pain syndrome as one of the symptoms of its manifestation.

What diseases can cause pain?

"Why does the back hurt in the area of the shoulder blades? " Question. interested in many people. Consider the pathologies that may be a manifestation of this symptom.

Diseases of the spine in the thoracic region:

• Kyphosis. This is a disease that causes the spine to bend backwards. In the initial stage, a person has a simple stoop, and in the final stage, a vertebral hump. This pathology, as a rule, appears due to improper body position when sitting at the desk and writing in childhood. The disease is manifested by constant pain in the area of the shoulder blades and a characteristic curvature of the spine.
• Scoliosis is another disease associated with deformation of the spine. With it, the spine bends to the right or left. The reason is the constant wrong position of the body. In this disease, the pain syndrome occurs due to excessive tension of the muscles that bend the spine and compression of the nerves. The pain is periodic in nature, there may be a feeling of numbness.
• Spondylarosis. This disease belongs to the group of degenerative-dystrophic pathologies affecting the spine. This is manifested by the destruction of the intervertebral joints, resulting in bone protrusions. The pain syndrome is constant, sometimes cramping and sharp, localized in the back between the right and left shoulder blades.
• Kyphoscoliosis. This pathology is a combination of kyphosis and scoliosis in one patient. That is, the spine bends backwards and to the left or right. The pain can be localized in the area of the shoulder blades.
• A ruptured disc. This is one of the most complex diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This is manifested by the fact that the contents of the disk are out of bounds. As a result, the spinal cord and roots are compressed in the chest area, which causes pain in the back between the shoulder blades.

• Osteochondrosis. Pain sensations arise due to compression of the roots of the spinal cord and are painful in nature. Sudden movements, lifting weights can increase the pain. This pathology is the most common cause of pain in the thoracic spine near the shoulder blades.

A disease, a feature of which is the development of dystrophic processes in the intervertebral discs. As a result, they lose their elasticity and ability to recover.

• Mechanical damage to the spine. When hitting, falling from a height, car accidents, various degrees of damage to the spine can occur. All this will certainly be accompanied by a whole list of symptoms, which will be pain in the spine in the region between the right and left shoulder blades.

Diseases of the spinal nerves:

• Cervical or thoracic sciatica. Radiculitis is inflammation caused by damage, compression, irritation or disruption of the spinal nerves. Often, this disease is the result of certain disorders in the spine: curvature, progression of osteochondrosis, displacement of vertebrae, etc. . If the spinal cord is damaged, inflammation and swelling develop, resulting in pain in the area. between the shoulder blades and along the damaged nerve. The patient may also complain of numbness or burning sensation in the same area.
• Intercostal neuralgia. Inflammation of the intercostal nerves. Because they are close to the surface of the skin, they are often affected by pathological processes. The pain syndrome can be localized both between the right and left scapula, as well as along the intercostal nerve, having the character of a belt.

Diseases of the mediastinum and chest:

• Cardiac ischemia. As a result of a number of reasons (atherosclerosis, spasm of coronary vessels, thrombosis, etc. ), the normal blood flow from the coronary vessels is disturbed, as a result, the heart experiences a lack of oxygen, which causes burning. pain behind the sternum during exercise. Also, the pain can be localized in the thoracic lumbar region, is transmitted to the left arm and shoulder blade.
• Pleurisy. Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleura (the membrane that covers the lungs). If the damaged area of the lung is closer to the spine on the right, the pain can be localized in the back near the shoulder blades. Body temperature also rises and weakness occurs.
• Myocardial infarction. This is a necrosis of a part of the heart muscle as a result of acute circulatory disorders. The pain is very strong and sharp. It is located in the heart region. It can also be localized to the thoracic spine and under the left shoulder blade and may spread to the left clavicle and arm.
• Subdiaphragmatic abscess. Pain, as a rule, is localized between the shoulder blades, under them or more to the right (if the abscess has arisen on the right side of the diaphragm). It has a sharp character. It increases body temperature.

Diseases of other organs:

• Pyelonephritis. This is purulent inflammation of the kidneys. The pain syndrome is localized in the lumbar region, under the shoulder blade and can radiate to the thoracic spine. Against this background, the body temperature rises, there is often a painful urge to urinate, and shivering.
• Poliomyelitis or tuberculosis. These infectious diseases can affect the human skeletal system, including the spine. If the thoracic region is involved in the pathological process, then the pain is localized under the scapula or in its area and along the spine.

The result

As you can see, the list of diseases is not small, so often doctors cannot immediately diagnose the cause of pain between the shoulder blades. If you have this symptom, then you should not delay going to the medical facility, because the cause can be very serious and requires urgent treatment.