Pain in your upper back between your shoulder blades can happen for different reasons. It could be from pulling a muscle, having a problem with the discs in your spine, arthritis, or sometimes, something more serious. How the pain is treated depends on what’s causing it, but often, it involves doing stretches and taking medicine for the pain. This article talks about why you might have this kind of pain and when it’s a good idea to see a doctor.
Causes of Pain Between the Shoulder Blades
Pain between the shoulder blades can come from different parts in that area, like:
- The skin between the shoulder blades
- Muscles like the rhomboids, middle Trapezius, and lower Trapezius, which help move your shoulder blades. [0]
- The middle part of your spine, called the thoracic spine
- The thoracic aorta, a big blood vessel from the heart
- Parts of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Parts of the heart
- A part of the lungs
Sometimes, you might feel pain there even if the real problem is somewhere else.
Muscle Strain
The top reason for pain between your shoulder blades is when you strain (pull) a muscle. This can happen if: [1]
- You don’t sit or stand with good posture, especially if you lean forward a lot.
- You lift really heavy things.
- You do activities where you twist your body, like playing golf or tennis.
- Your mattress doesn’t give your back enough support when you sleep.
Trauma
Sometimes, accidents or strong impacts can hurt your shoulder and cause problems that make it painful. For example: [2]
- Shoulder Joint Separation: This can happen when there’s a strong force that pulls your collarbone away from your shoulder blade. It’s not the same as a dislocated shoulder, where the ball of the upper arm bone comes out of the socket.
- Rotator Cuff Tears: The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that keep your shoulder joint stable. Trauma can lead to tears in these tissues, which can be quite painful.
Imagine if you fell or got hit really hard, the force could hurt your shoulder or foot anatomy in these ways. It might feel sore, and you might not be able to move your arm or foot like you usually do. It’s like your shoulder or foot anatomy gets hurt from the outside, and that’s what we mean by trauma.
Herniated or Bulging Discs
When the discs in your neck or upper back start to wear down, they can cause trouble by pressing on your nerves or spine. This can make your shoulder area hurt. [3]
Other things that might happen with a herniated disc include:
- You might feel parts of your body going numb.
- You could get a tingling feeling.
- Your arms might hurt.
- Sometimes, if your neck moves a certain way, the pain could change – like getting better or worse.
It’s like a cushion in your spine is getting squished and causing these problems.
When to Get Help from a Doctor or Call 911
Sometimes, the reasons for shoulder blade pain can be really serious and even dangerous for your life.
You should dial 911 immediately if you have these symptoms together with your shoulder blade pain:
- Feeling like you can’t breathe properly.
- Having pain in your chest.
- Feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
Even if you just have a strong feeling that something is really wrong, don’t wait. It’s important to get medical help quickly because some of the serious reasons for shoulder pain need urgent treatment.
Treatment and Diagnosis
When you have pain between your shoulder blades, the doctor will ask you questions about how you’re feeling and your past health. Here are some things they might want to know:
- When did the pain start?
- Did it come on quickly or slowly?
- How strong is the pain?
- Does the pain feel like burning, sharp, dull, stabbing, or nagging?
- Is there anything that makes the pain worse or better?
- Do you have any other problems, like chest pain, trouble breathing, losing weight without reason, struggling to swallow, pain in your jaw, or pain in your arm?
- Did you have any accidents or injuries?
- Have you recently started new exercises or lifted heavy things?
- Does your family or you have a history of heart issues, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure?
- Have you smoked, or do you smoke now?
You might also need special pictures of your body, like X-rays or MRIs, to help the doctor understand better.
The treatment will depend on why you have the pain. If it’s because your muscles are strained, you might be given medicine you can buy without a prescription, like Advil. You might also do gentle stretches, use ice, and avoid activities that make your muscles work hard. This should help the pain go away as your body heals.
For more serious problems, like a torn muscle in your shoulder, you might need an operation to fix it. If the pain comes from something else, like your heart, you might need medicine or changes in how you live your life to help you feel better.
Conclusion
Having pain between your shoulders is something many people feel. Sometimes, it’s because of a pulled muscle or an accident, like hurting your shoulder. But, it could also mean something more serious, like heart problems or cancer.
If you’re having this kind of pain, especially if it’s getting worse or staying for a while, it’s a good idea to talk to a doctor. And if you also have other problems like chest pain or trouble breathing, call 911.
And remember, you have the right to get another opinion from a different doctor if you want. You might start by seeing an orthopedist. They’re experts in bones, joints, muscles, and similar things in your body.
FAQs
Feeling pain in your upper back between your shoulder blades could be a sign of a heart attack, stroke, or another serious heart problem.
If your shoulder blade pain comes with chest pain, feeling dizzy, or having trouble breathing, you should get medical help right away.
To ease a little pain between your shoulder blades, you can do a few things:
1. Use a warm or cold pack on the area.
2. Take medicines you can buy without a prescription to help with the pain.
3. If the pain is worse, your doctor might give you stronger medicines.
You can also try gentle stretches or see a special doctor called a chiropractor who can help your body feel better.
If the pain keeps coming back, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
They might send you to a physical therapist who can figure out why you’re hurting and show you exercises that could help you feel less pain.
Yes, really bad pain between your shoulder blades could be a sign that there’s a problem with your lungs. This might happen if a blood clot from your leg goes to your lungs. You might also feel like you can’t breathe well, get dizzy, sweat a lot, have cold and sweaty skin, get a fever, and your legs and feet might swell up.