When a person experiences prolonged stress or the body is overcooled, he may feel pain in the back and chest area under the shoulder blade. Most often, sensations of quite severe pain are accompanied by motor difficulties. It is difficult to turn, bend, make any movements, even breathe fully. It is generally accepted that the person was shaken, turned the wrong way, or something got under his shoulder blade. In fact, from a medical point of view, all this has one reason - a pinched nerve, which is not actually a diagnosis.
What to do if a nerve is pinched under the scapula
Why does a nerve become pinched?
For what reason does pinching occur, and why specifically in the shoulder blade? After all, there are nerves throughout the spine. This is true, but it is in the thoracic area, where the shoulder blades are located, that the nerves are most susceptible to various influences. Second in line is the back, which is supplied with lumbar nerves. A person may also experience pain in the shoulder, collarbone and neck when the nerves of the cervicothoracic area are pinched.
Pain may radiate to the neck
This diagnosis is noteworthy in that a person often makes it himself, saying that a nerve is pinched, and a compress or poultice at home, without bothering to see a doctor, or it will go away on its own. And in most cases, especially if the scapular nerve is inflamed due to hypothermia, the pain actually begins to subside the very next day.
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Important! But a pinched nerve in any part of the spine is a symptom that needs to be addressed by a doctor. No pain arises in the body just like that. And the diagnosis signaled by this symptom can only be established by a medical professional.
The cause of the pain must be determined by a doctor
It’s worth starting to understand the problem with the question: how does pinching occur? It occurs due to the fact that the nerve is compressed by the tissues surrounding it. This can be bone or cartilage tissue, muscle or tendon tissue. For this reason, pain can occur at any spinal level.
By the way. Nerves can become pinched not only in the spine; facial, radial, ulnar nerves and so on can also be pinched, causing pain in the corresponding organs.
The disease is spread throughout the body and occurs in a large percentage of patients, but as such there is no diagnosis of “pinched nerves”. This is because it is not a disease, but only a symptom of it. And not even one, but many diseases. This is why diagnosis is important to identify the cause of the pinched nerve.
It is important to undergo an examination and find out the cause of the pinched nerve.
Why a nerve may become pinched:
- due to injury;
- due to tumor;
- a growth forms on the bone tissue;
- the patient leads a sedentary life;
- he experiences excessive stress;
- there is an intervertebral hernia;
- osteochondrosis is present;
- hypothermia occurs;
- disc protrusions are formed;
- this is a consequence of arthrosis;
- the patient has arthritis;
- gastrointestinal diseases;
- there are diseases of the endocrine system;
- tumor-like formations;
- history of an autoimmune disease.
The nerve can be pinched due to herniated discs, as well as for many other reasons.
As you can see, there are many reasons for a nerve to be “pinched.” There are also indirect accompanying circumstances that will help or provoke the process. Excess weight and old age, damage to posture and hereditary factors, as well as pregnancy, are called provoking factors.
Nerves can become pinched during pregnancy
The following can directly cause an attack of pain from a pinched nerve:
- lifting weights, if you do it abruptly or take significant weight;
- a certain position that is not comfortable that a person takes during sleep;
- sleeping on a mattress that is too hard/soft or of poor quality;
- being in a draft, wind, or low temperatures;
- overeating with existing obesity;
- injury to the back or chest.
A nerve may be pinched due to an uncomfortable posture during sleep.
These reasons are secondary. And, unlike the list of reasons given above, they are much easier to deal with. In a short time it is possible to return to your normal life and stop experiencing pain. If the problem is a disease, then the patient must undergo long-term complex therapy so that pinching does not recur.
Important! Neither in the second, nor even more so in the first case is it possible to self-medicate. Yes, if constriction occurs for a secondary reason, it is enough to limit yourself to ointments, compresses and certain medications, but in order for them to be prescribed correctly, you need to go to the doctor.
Traditional methods of therapy
Traditional medicine should be used only as an addition to the main course of therapy, so as not to have to think about what to do if complications arise. Doctors recommend using her methods at home after completing treatment. The following methods have shown themselves to be the best:
Among the ointments that can be made at home, a mixture of bay leaves and juniper needles has a good anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. To prepare, you will need to prepare 2 main ingredients and butter. Initially, you need to mix bay leaves and juniper pine in a ratio of 6 tbsp. l. to 1 tbsp. l. Next, you will need to add 100 g of melted butter to the powder and mix well. The finished ointment should be applied to the damaged area; A bath with herbal decoctions can relax muscles and reduce pain.
It is necessary to collect water and it is important that its temperature is approximately 37°, and then you can add the rest of the ingredients. A mixture of oak and spruce bark, which needs to be boiled for 30 minutes in a container with 5 liters, showed good results.
water. The finished broth must be filtered and poured into the prepared bath, and you need to bathe for at least half an hour; When a nerve is pinched, rubbing infusions are often used. For this purpose, you can use wormwood inflorescence. It needs to be infused in 400 ml of boiling water, and then rubbed with the resulting product on the damaged area of the back. For oral administration, it is recommended to use tansy infusion. You need to take 1 tbsp. l. crushed ingredient and pour it into a glass of boiling water. Then you need to wait 2-3 hours and you can take the prepared drink 3-4 times a day before meals, 1 tbsp. l.
How does the patient feel?
How can you understand that the pain that has overtaken a person is due to compression of the nerve? According to symptoms. You need to know that there are different types of nerves. And depending on the type of damage, the strength, speed of occurrence and duration of pain are determined.
Important! If a sensory nerve is pinched, severe pain will immediately occur, which can hardly be tolerated, and motor functions will be impaired. If the motor or autonomic nerve is damaged, the pain will come some time later, will be deep and aching, and the damage will affect the internal organs and the vascular system.
- The main symptom of a pinched sensory nerve in the area of the scapula is severe pain that occurs suddenly and has a stabbing, cutting, piercing nature. They can “shoot through” and “burn”. They will hit you under the shoulder blade or in the shoulder, as well as in the arm.
- Motor function will be impaired, that is, turning the body, bending, raising arms and other movements will be performed with great difficulty and will be accompanied by increased pain.
- The back muscles under the shoulder blade may become stiff and feel tight.
- An unpleasant feeling of heaviness in the heart area may appear, which does not go away even when the patient takes a horizontal position and tries to rest.
- Headache and numbness of the hands are not mandatory, but possible side symptoms.
Stitching pain under one or both shoulder blades, often radiating to the arm
Features of symptoms
Nerve endings run from the spinal cord throughout the body. They reach every muscle, so a person often experiences pain not only at the site of a specific pinched nerve.
The nerve may be pinched under the scapula or between the vertebrae located at the level of the scapular line, or in almost the entire cervicothoracic area of the spine.
However, most often in the area of pinching the pain is most intense. And since the shoulder blade, especially the left one, is located at the level of the heart region (although some heart diseases and their attacks can cause pain on the right side), painful sensations can easily be mistaken for manifestations of cardiac pathology.
When a nerve is pinched, the pain can be confused with heart pain.
Advice. If there is pain in the shoulder blade, under it or near it, on both the left and right sides, especially if the syndrome is intense, difficult to tolerate, or too sudden, you should go to the doctor immediately. If this is not possible, and the pain intensifies, you need to drink a painkiller, take a horizontal hard surface and call an ambulance.
Causes
Many people experience discomfort in the back and shoulder blade. There are several reasons that can cause these unpleasant sensations. But usually the pain is caused by excessive strain on the muscles, an uncomfortable sleeping position, chronic diseases of bone and joint tissue, and herpes zoster.
Shoulder muscle strain
This problem often occurs in people who are forced to constantly perform the same action. Since in this case, predominantly one hand works (for tennis players, golfers, assembly line workers), the lesion is noted on the side of the working limb, that is, only on the left or right.
Sleeping in an awkward position
Many people have woken up at least once with pain in the shoulder blade area. The reason for this is incorrect posture or head rotation. Pain occurs due to pinched roots after a night's rest, exacerbation of osteochondrosis, or a hernia of the cervical or thoracic spine.
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Scapula fracture
A fracture of the scapula causes very severe pain. Increased discomfort is observed from moving the hands. At the same time, upon examination, swelling and blanching of the damaged scapula are noted.
Shingles
Pain is also characteristic of herpes zoster. This disease is caused by the herpes virus type 3, which is also the cause of chickenpox. The infection affects the nerve endings, and the disease is accompanied by severe pain. It can cause an attack of neuralgia or simulate nerve pinching between the shoulder blades.
Osteoarthritis
Severe disorders of bone and cartilage tissue in the area of the shoulder blades do not develop immediately. But at the stage of delamination and atrophy, characteristic chronic pain begins. The cause of the disease is trauma, age-related changes, autoimmune processes, and metabolic disorders.
Rotator cuff injury
Rotator cuff tears are the most common injury in athletes. Damage to one or more muscle fibers is accompanied by pain in the area of the scapula.
Myofascial syndrome
Myofascial pain occurs as a result of the formation of lumps (trigger points). They are characterized by pain on palpation, during movement of the limb. Because of this, the activity of the diseased limb is sharply limited, and the affected muscle pinches the nerve as a result of spasm.
During pregnancy
During pregnancy, many diseases can worsen. With osteochondrosis, the load on the spine increases, hormonal levels and metabolic processes change. All this can provoke a pinched nerve under the right shoulder blade or under the left. The growing uterus causes disc displacement and lower back pain, the general architecture of the spinal column is disrupted, and pain is noted in other parts.
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Preventive measures
If back pinching occurs frequently, although it is not associated with a serious pathology, preventive measures will help.
- Hypothermia should be avoided. You should not be in drafts, go outside in the cold without warm clothes, or stay in a cold room for a long time.
- Try not to lift excessive weights. If this can be avoided, it is impossible, for example, when working as a loader, to do this, correctly distributing the weight load and without sudden movements. Wear a corset.
Special corsets are perfect for fixing the spine in one position.
Frame hyperextension orthosis - Avoid injury, especially when playing sports. Wear a supportive corset.
- If you have a history of osteochondrosis or any musculoskeletal pathology, pathology, undergo preventive examinations, do home exercise therapy, visit the pool and follow all medical recommendations.
- Be sure to purchase and use an orthopedic or at least anatomical mattress for regular sleep.
Visit your doctor regularly
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If you want to learn in more detail what to do if a nerve is pinched in the scapula, and also consider the causes and alternative treatments, you can read an article about this on our portal.
Any problems with posture, traumatic situations, eating disorders, deviations to an overly active or, on the contrary, static lifestyle, as well as winter sports can provoke an attack of pain due to a pinched back between the shoulder blades. Preventive measures taken in a timely manner will help you avoid this and lead a full, healthy life, without pain.
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Video - Pain between the shoulder blades
Other diseases - specialists in Moscow
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VertebrologistOrthopedist
Gromov Ilya Sergeevich
Moscow, st.
Azovskaya, 24, building 2 POM VI/KOM 5,6,7/ET 1 (Scoliosis Treatment Center named after K. Schroth) +7 Registration
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VertebrologistOrthopedist
Kudryakov Stepan Anatolievich
Moscow, st. Azovskaya, 24, building 2 POM VI/KOM 5,6,7/ET 1 (Scoliosis Treatment Center named after K. Schroth)
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Orthopedist
Diagnostics
Since pain between the shoulder blades can indicate the course of a variety of diseases and pathologies, subsequent examination is carried out only on the basis of the diagnosis. If you suspect the presence of cardiovascular diseases, you need to do an ultrasound examination of the heart and an electrocardiogram.
To exclude diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is necessary to conduct an ultrasound examination of these organs. If musculoskeletal disorders occur, an x-ray and, if necessary, a tomography should be performed. All these examination methods must be performed first in order to exclude the occurrence of more serious problems and disorders in the body.
To determine what exactly could have pinched the nerve endings and for what reasons this happened, you need to perform a CT or MRI. This will allow you to assess the condition of the spine and identify damage or curvature of the intervertebral discs. Electromyography helps determine the presence of damage to the nerve endings responsible for the motor activity of certain muscle groups.
A nerve conduction study is also carried out, which can reveal damaged nerves. It is advisable to perform a manual examination and blood test.
