Shoulder is the area that has the most number of unstable joints and there are countless factors that cause pain between shoulder blades. There may be range of pain starting from mild forms to very intense pain. Similarly the pain may occur in both the shoulder blades or in any one of them. Shoulder is the site for many types of problems in human beings since they are subjected to stress at the most.
Shoulder blade is called scapula medically can suffer from various problems. Pain may occur on the blades, between the blades and on any part of the shoulder. Shoulder pain should be approached carefully along with symptoms and underlying medical condition.
Cervical pain is the pain radiating between the shoulder blades can occur due to many reasons. Pain may develop on the facet joint area of the cervical spine, involving the muscles also. Sometimes, the muscles and tissues splint causing intense pain. It also restricts the normal movement of the shoulder joints in the person. The muscles may get stretched beyond certain extent or become stiff causing more pain.
Milder form of back pain is common in many adults which arise from the neck portion. Initially it is the muscle that triggers the pain and it can be one of the back muscles or front muscles. If there is compression in the nerve, it can also cause shoulder pain between blades.
Health Issues That Cause Pain
If there is intense pain on the posterior side of the shoulder blades, it can be due to underlying health problems in the organs. This is termed as visceral pain and any abnormality in your heart, lungs, liver, spleen, stomach and gall bladder may induce pain here.
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Scapula Fracture
If there is intense pain in the left shoulder blade, then it may be due to scapula fracture. Motor vehicle accident and sudden fall may cause fracture in scapula along with rib fracture and concussions.
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Pancoast Tumor
There may be pain due to presence of sulcus tumor which is a type of lung cancer. Here the pain will originate in the left shoulder spreading to the tissues and surrounding ribs. Pancoast tumor will be often malignant (non cancerous) growing into a big mass disturbing the chest wall and shoulder nerves.
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Irritation
Muscle irritation is one of the common causes of shoulder pain. The main cause is frequent change in posture may tighten the muscles causing irritation and swelling.
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Dysfunction
If any joint connecting the spine to the ribs become non-functional, it can cause serious upper back pain. Thoracic spine may not function well, if there is dysfunction in the joints.
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Irregularities
In case the bones of upper back or lower back get enlarged due to some reason, it causes skeletal irregularity. It can lead to structural problem causing severe pain between the shoulder blades.
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Heart Failure
It can be a symptom of heart attack more so in women. It may cause sharp deep pain in the left shoulder followed by other signs like breathlessness, fatigue, cold sweat, nausea and dizziness.
Pictures of Pain between Shoulder Blades
Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Pain between Shoulder Blades
Treatment
For mild forms of shoulder pain, you can apply hot water pack on the affected area. Gently massage the area to release the muscular knot. Do small stretching exercise to get relief. If the pain can be managed through over the counter pain killers, then you need not visit your doctor. But if there are other symptoms accompanied with shoulder pain, then you should not delay to visit the clinic.
