Back pain near the shoulder blade can limit your movement and impact your daily activities. It’s important to get it checked out to prevent serious complications.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications like ibuprofen and naproxen may help reduce pain and inflammation. Other measures include stretches and exercises to strengthen your muscles.
Muscle Strains
Muscle strains, or pulled muscles, are the most common causes of back pain between your shoulder blades. Overuse or improper movement can cause these injuries. You can usually treat mild strains at home by applying ice to the injury and taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If you’re not making progress after three days of rest, switch to heat. Heat can help increase blood flow and speed healing.
Hunching your back or sitting in poor posture for prolonged periods of time can put stress on spinal discs, muscles, and ligaments. Over time, these routine imbalances can lead to muscle strains, as well as rib misalignment, which can cause sharp pain that’s relieved when you take a deep breath.
A board-certified doctor will ask you about your symptoms and conduct different tests to find the source of your pain. They may recommend an MRI or ultrasound. These scans use sound waves or magnetic fields to create an image of the muscles, bones, and tissues in your body.
Degenerative Disc Disease
As we age our spinal discs lose some of their water content. When the discs dry out, they can become stiff and painful. They can also form bone spurs that reduce the height of the spinal canal and can compress the spinal nerves. This is called spinal stenosis.
This condition can cause pain from the neck and shoulders to the lower back, buttocks and thighs, or down one or both legs (sciatica). Pain is usually constant, but it can flare up for days or months and come and go. It can be triggered by sudden movements or by bending or lifting something. It may be accompanied by numbness or tingling in the arms and hands.
Treatment includes resting, applying hot and cold packs to the area, and physical therapy to improve spinal alignment, posture and flexibility. Some people benefit from steroid injections or spinal decompression surgery. In some cases, acupuncture can provide relief. Surgery is generally reserved for those who do not improve with conservative treatments.
Pinched Nerves
Sometimes, a pinched nerve may trigger sharp pain that is aggravated by certain movements. The pain is usually more noticeable on one side, and it may be accompanied by a “pins and needles” sensation or muscle weakness in the back or shoulders.
You should seek medical attention if your pain does not improve after a few days of home treatments, especially if it is severe and affects your daily life. Your doctor will take a thorough history and perform a physical exam. X-rays, a CT scan or an MRI may help pinpoint the location of the problem. They may also inject dye into the spinal canal and use electrical tests like electromyography to check your nerve function.
Your provider may recommend physical therapy to help tone muscles in your upper back, reducing pressure on your spinal nerves. They may also teach you to adjust the way you lift and sit so you do not place unnecessary strain on your back muscles. If these conservative methods don’t provide relief, surgery can help relieve pressure on the nerve.
Shoulder Injury
The shoulder is a complex joint, comprised of three bones: the upper arm bone (humerus), the collarbone (clavicle), and the shoulder blade (scapula). It also has cartilage and several fluid-filled sacs. Generally, shoulder problems result from soft tissue injury or disease.
Occasionally, shoulder injuries can lead to more serious conditions. These include a dislocated shoulder, which occurs when the shoulder joint’s ball (the top rounded part of the upper arm bone) moves out of the shoulder joint socket (glenoid). This is the most common type of shoulder injury. Another problem that can cause pain under the shoulder blade is a tear in the shoulder ligaments, which connect the scapula, acromion, and clavicle to each other in the shoulder joint. You may also develop shoulder pain when the rotator cuff becomes inflamed. In addition, a rib can become misaligned in your shoulder blade. This is rare, but can result from repetitive stress or reaching for something overhead.back shoulder blade pain