Shoulder blade pain is a very painful and uncomfortable problem that can prevent you from performing your everyday activities.
Advertisement:
This pain is sharp and severe, and it is commonly accompanied by numbness, weakness, and swelling in the shoulder area.
Shoulder Blade Pain
The causes of this type of pain are not always obvious. The shoulder blade pain can be caused by something simple, such as bad sleeping posture, or some serious problem, such as heart or lung diseases.
This condition should never be ignored because it can disrupt your ability to concentrate on your daily tasks and it can be a sign of some major underlying health problem.
Pain between the Shoulder Blades
The most common causes of this type of pain are:
Wrong posture – Sleeping or sitting in a wrong way can lead to a pain between the shoulder blades.
Stress – Excessive stress levels increase your risk of experiencing pain in this area. This pain can often be accompanied by a severe backache.
Arthritis and osteoporosis – The pain between the shoulder blades is a common symptom of these two conditions.
Heart conditions – Experiencing pain in the shoulder or upper back is one of the warning signs of a heart attack. This pain starts in your chest and extends to your shoulder blades.
Right Shoulder Blade Pain
Many conditions can cause pain under the right shoulder blade. The shoulder blade is a triangular bone which is protected by complex surrounding muscles. It can cause pain by itself, or it can be a result of a referred pain.
This pain can be caused by a number of serious conditions, including arthritis, liver problems, gallbladder issues, or heart attack. The right shoulder blade pain can be mild, moderate, or severe.
Left Shoulder Blade Pain
Most commonly, the pain under the left shoulder blade occurs due to a damage of the muscles and joints of the neck vertebrae or shoulders.
In some rare cases, however, the shoulder pain can be related to another organ in your body. Some of the possible causes of this type of pain are:
Dislocation – A dislocated shoulder can be extremely painful. However, your doctor can fix this problem by performing a simple procedure.
Arthritis – In the case of arthritis, the inflammation of the shoulder joint can extend to the shoulder blade, causing chronic pain that can become more intense in the later stages of the disease.
Lung problems – this type of pain can be caused by many lung issues, including bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, or pleurisy. Usually, these conditions cause severe chest pain which extends to the shoulder blades.
Treatment of Shoulder Blade Pain
Once the cause of your pain is identified, you and your doctor can discuss the appropriate treatment options.
Most commonly, this pain is addressed with non-invasive treatments, such as a use of a sling to sustain the shoulder, rest from exhausting activities, physiotherapy to improve your muscle strength and flexibility, certain medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to relieve the pain, or corticosteroid injection into the painful region to alleviate the inflammation.
Also, some lifestyle changes, like following a healthy diet, improving your sleep position, and practicing some stress-relieving techniques can help you to reduce the pain. However, some conditions that cause a shoulder blade pain may require a surgery.