It hurts and burns between the shoulder blades. Burning in the back in the spinal region. Burning as a symptom of scoliosis

There are diseases whose clinical picture includes pain between the shoulder blades:

There are many possible causes of pain between the shoulder blades. We are always talking about some kind of pathology, so pain should be considered as a secondary symptom of the current pathology.

What reasons can be given for back pain between the shoulder blades? All causes of back pain between the shoulder blades can be divided into three groups:

How to get rid of a pain symptom

Scoliosis is considered the result of an extremely careless attitude towards oneself: a person spends a long time in uncomfortable positions, lifts weights incorrectly, and bends over sharply. As a result, overstrain of certain paravertebral muscles increases, which often pull the vertebrae with them.

Pain in this case is observed periodically, especially after eating food, which is clearly the initiator of the attack. Vomiting relieves the condition immediately. Often with this disease, belching, regurgitation and excessive salivation are observed. The underlying disease needs to be treated.

Methods of pain relief directly depend on the diagnosis. If it is associated with muscles, then the most common warm-up (several swings of the arms) can help. In all other cases, you need to consult a specialist, as self-medication will not be effective.

Scoliosis: symptoms, treatment

Naturally, the treatment of pain in this case is fully determined by the diagnosis, and accordingly can be completely different. But since we have already figured out that most often the reason is hidden in the muscles, let's deal with this option.

The answer to the question “what to do if your back hurts between your shoulder blades?” It is obvious that you need to be treated.

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate: this is fraught with complications. However, to relieve pain before visiting a doctor, you can take a single anti-inflammatory tablet (Ibuprofen, Ketorolac) and an analgesic (Analgin, Novigan, etc.).

Almost everyone has experienced discomfort in the back area. A burning sensation in the back is a condition that a person feels as a small tingling sensation with an irritating effect, reminiscent of a burn. In some situations, against the background of such complaints, sensitivity disturbances are observed. If these complaints persist for a long time, it can lead to general discomfort.

• local, felt in a specific place;
• diffuse, when affecting several areas of the body;
• permanent;
• periodic;
• with impaired sensitivity at the site of irritation;
• and without loss of sensitivity.

Everyone has their own sensitivity threshold for this condition, so it turns out that some react violently to these complaints, while others practically do not notice them. Some patients describe the feeling that their back is “burning” or “baking.” In any case, such a manifestation of the body indicates that something is going wrong.

The main causes of complaints are diseases of the spine. In an adult, a burning sensation may occur:

1. in the cervical;
2. in the chest;
3. and lumbar spine;
4. in the intercostal area, on the sides of the back.

This condition is rarely accompanied by fever, but constant and prolonged discomfort affects a person’s performance and emotional behavior.

Causes of burning in the back in an adult

Such complaints are more typical for adults. Since most often patients complain of discomfort in the back area, we can say that this condition is provoked by various diseases of the spine. The main diseases of the spinal column are as follows:

These conditions develop against the background of prolonged stress on the spine. Complaints occur in women and men, the latter more often, this is due to different physical activity. Additionally, provoking factors are incorrectly selected shoes, habitual body position (office workers), unbalanced sports activity, obesity, constant hypothermia, myositis.

A burning sensation in the back is not an independent disease. This is a symptom that occurs with a particular condition. It should be noted that there is no sharp burning sensation.

This symptom is characterized by a gradual appearance and intensification. The mechanism of occurrence of such pain is quite complex. It is based on the fact that the spine cannot cope with the load and, as a result of the redistribution of functions, some muscles tense and stretch so much that they objectively cause a burning sensation.

If the strength of the capsular-ligamentous apparatus is impaired or due to injuries, there is additional damage to nearby muscles. As a result, in order to limit severe pain, a person unconsciously tries to redistribute the load to other muscle groups, which gradually become overstrained and cause chronic pain.

A burning sensation is formed as a result of constant irritation of the nerve endings of the damaged area. Since these complaints are accompanied by more severe pain, patients do not always identify them in time.

Taking into account all of the above, it should be noted that treatment of an acute condition does not always end with complete recovery. In this regard, we must not forget that after receiving the main therapy, it is necessary to undergo an additional course of restorative measures, which will contribute to the treatment of chronic pain, which includes a burning sensation.

Unfortunately, if preventive measures for spinal diseases are not taken, a person may be in a state of illness constantly.

An adult cannot always correctly localize a burning sensation, and during an examination, the doctor, collecting anamnesis, may suspect a completely different disease.

Diseases that may be accompanied by a burning sensation on the sides are as follows:

• intercostal neuralgia;
• shingles;
• neuropathy due to metabolic disorders and malnutrition;
• rib injuries.

Intercostal neuralgia is a condition that is not accompanied by the appearance of fever and rash, but a burning sensation in the area of ​​the intercostal spaces is almost constantly present. As a rule, this condition is associated with chronic compression of nerve endings, which leads to the development of these complaints. When changing position, the burning sensation may go away, but for a short period of time.

A burning sensation on the sides of the back, which is accompanied by rashes, is a sign of a disease such as shingles. A characteristic feature of this disease is a one-sided process.

Elements appear along the nerve trunks, most often in the intercostal area. Additionally, the disease is characterized by general weakness and fever. The rash that appears is of a herpetic nature, and is therefore accompanied by a feeling of burning and discomfort.

In addition to the fact that the elements appear on the sides of the chest, they are formed on the back surface of the back. Treatment should be comprehensive, aimed not only at relieving pain, but also at treating the viral infection.

Unpleasant feelings in the interscapular area are quite common. They are especially typical for people who lead a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle associated with a forced body position.

As a result of redistribution of the load on the spine, incorrect posture, and low activity, chronic tension in the back muscles and malnutrition occur, which leads to the formation of a burning sensation in the interscapular area.

As a rule, pain in this area is a sign of osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine. This condition is not accompanied by fever, but, like other diseases, requires examination by a doctor.

Burning in the chest and back, at rest and with exertion

It was previously said that in addition to diseases of the spine, the causes of burning can also be diseases of other organs and systems. That is why it is so important to consult a doctor if such complaints arise. Before treating degenerative diseases of the spine, it is necessary to exclude more serious conditions, such as myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, gastric ulcer or pancreatitis and others.

Diseases that may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the chest and back are the following:

• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• metabolic disorders in endocrine diseases.

Everyone knows that a burning sensation in the chest or chest area can be a sign of myocardial infarction. This is a condition that some suffer on their legs, so if discomfort appears in the chest, the patient should first be shown to a therapist.

During the initial examination, the doctor will be able to perform an electrocardiogram, which will confirm or refute the diagnosis. Additionally, during the examination, the doctor will be able to exclude diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which can also be accompanied by a burning sensation in the chest or back.

Treatment and observation should be carried out by several doctors. The insidiousness of this symptom is that, without attaching much importance to it, a person can trigger the disease.

Pain syndrome such as a burning sensation in the back in the area of ​​the shoulder blades is a fairly common occurrence. It can be associated not only with a long uncomfortable position of the human body (during a night's rest, or when a person sits in one position for a long time), but also with any awkward movement. Most often, this condition is associated with a very serious disease of the body.

The etiological factors that cause a burning sensation in the back along the spine can be divided into two groups. The first consists of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and muscular system. In this case, the burning sensation in the spine or upper back is neurogenic in nature. These may be the following diseases:

• Kyphosis;
• Osteochondrosis;
• Scoliosis;
• Spondyloarthrosis;
• Intervertebral hernia;
• Intercostal neuralgia;
• Disc protrusion.

The second group includes diseases of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system. These are pathologies such as coronary heart disease, chronic pathologies of the lungs and pleura, liver and gallbladder diseases and peptic ulcers of the stomach and intestines.

In addition, there are nonspecific causes, which include incorrect position during sleep and work, muscle spasms due to excessive physical activity and problems with ligaments, joints and tendons.

To correctly make a diagnosis, it is necessary first to exclude cardiogenic causes of pain, which indicate ischemic myocardial damage or acute coronary syndrome. To do this, an electrocardiogram is recorded and blood is drawn to determine troponin, a marker of damage to the heart muscle.

The next step is a survey x-ray of the chest, abdomen and pelvic area. Then, targeted images are taken of the cervical spine, or the thoracic or lumbar region of the spine. Each vertebra, its shape and position are assessed. Tomography complements this list of studies.

If the doctor suspects that a burning sensation under the left or right shoulder blade at the back of the back is caused by a stomach ulcer or gastroesophageal reflux disease, it is advisable to perform an esophagogastrouodenoscopy.

The most common diseases in which patients complain of pain and burning are spinal osteochondrosis, vertebral hernia and protrusion. Patients experience not only pain, but also a burning sensation under the right or left shoulder blade at the back of the back, numbness in the hands and other manifestations of this condition.

The main reason for this type of pain is compression of the nerve trunks and roots, caused by displacement of the vertebrae and a decrease in their size. These sensations can be both temporary and permanent.

Neck injuries cause a symptom that is associated with damage to the nerve endings sandwiched between the vertebrae. The patient feels a burning sensation in the subscapular region. This symptom also appears when the patient has heartburn or non-erosive reflux.

Scoliosis can also cause muscle inflammation and burning or sharp pain in the back. Radiculitis also manifests itself due to the involvement of muscle fibers in the inflammatory process.

Intercostal neuralgia can cause a situation where the back in the area of ​​the shoulder blades and the area of ​​the chest along the ribs burns, burns and hurts. Compression of the nerve fibers occurs, and this causes all the manifestations described above.

Injury to the shoulder blades, the appearance of a closed injury to the elbow, bursitis (when inflammation of the synovial membrane of the shoulder joint occurs), tuberculosis and tumor neoplasms also cause acute, burning or aching pain in the shoulder blades.

There are similar sensations with peptic ulcers, pathological processes in the kidneys, liver dysfunction, gallbladder diseases and abscesses.

Pain under the left shoulder blade may be indicated by a disease such as a perforated stomach ulcer. This is characterized by increased body temperature, vomiting and sharp burning pain in the epigastrium. The same condition is observed with injury to the spleen.

With heart pathology, the patient feels that there is a burning sensation between his shoulder blades and a burning sensation in his chest. Another cause of these sensations may be dorsalgia. The pain radiates to the abdomen, chest cavity and interscapular region. It is caused by myocardial infarction, progressive angina and dissecting aortic aneurysm.

If your back burns very often, then the reasons for this lie in a history of bronchitis, pharyngitis, sore throat or ARVI. All these situations can be complicated by bacterial left- or right-sided inflammatory changes in lung tissue. Pneumonia causes inflammation in the pleura. It can cause pain and burning in the back between the shoulder blades.

Causes a burning sensation under the right or left shoulder blade from the back and shingles. At the same time, blisters appear on the skin. In the early stages, a burning sensation from the back and tingling appears. The cause of this disease is the smallpox virus. It appears due to weakened immunity.

There is no single approach to treating this disease. It will depend on the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease. If the appearance of pain and burning in the back is associated with dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system without injury, then a therapeutic and protective regime is needed. It helps relieve muscle tension and restore impaired functions.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for pain relief. You can use products such as Celebrex, Voltaren, Movalis. To eliminate muscle pain, Mydocalm, Sirdalud or their analogues are prescribed. Medicines are used in combination with analgesics, massage, physiotherapy and exercise therapy. This treatment is most effective, and the burning sensation in the back on the right or left is eliminated in a very short time.

As an additional treatment, manual therapy sessions are prescribed. With its help, you can reduce muscle blockade, reduce pain impulses and improve joint mobility. Acupuncture is actively used. After courses of this technique, nerve conduction is restored, the pain decreases and the back will stop burning and burning.

For bronchopulmonary and cardiac diseases, as well as for pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, the patient is prescribed individual treatment, since the back can burn for a variety of reasons.

Patients with a heart attack and progressive or unstable angina are hospitalized. If an aneurysm and severe gastrointestinal pathologies are diagnosed, then doctors recommend surgical treatment.

All patients are prescribed vitamins and antibiotics. For chronic pain, in situations where the back burns between the shoulder blades for a long time, antidepressants are prescribed

Any discomfort that occurs in the back requires professional diagnosis. A burning sensation between the shoulder blades can occur for various reasons. It is a symptom of many diseases of the spine, but often indicates problems with vital organs. Only a specialist can figure out what caused such an unpleasant manifestation. You should consult a doctor as early as possible, this will allow you to start treatment in a timely manner and completely get rid of discomfort.

First of all, if a burning sensation occurs, localized between the shoulder blades, the presence of spinal pathologies is suspected. They are the most common causes of this symptom. Among the diseases that are most common are:

The thoracic spine is another common cause of discomfort between the shoulder blades. The disease is characterized by disruption of the structure of the intervertebral discs and inflammation of the spinal nerves. It is accompanied by numbness in some areas of the skin and chest pain. Unpleasant sensations intensify with deep inhalations and exhalations, coughing, and physical activity. If left untreated, the pathology can lead to problems with the heart, intestines, and spinal cord compression.

A burning sensation between the shoulder blades can also indicate problems not related to the spine. Such reasons include coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, stomach ulcers, cholecystitis. Discomfort is also associated with occupational diseases, which lead to degenerative changes in the thoracic region. Thus, the risk group includes people whose work involves the need for prolonged strain on the back muscles - seamstresses, PC operators, drivers.

Diagnostics

The examination necessary to determine the cause of a burning sensation between the shoulder blades, as well as to assess the condition of the spine and internal organs of a person, includes a set of various procedures and methods. First of all, the doctor conducts a primary diagnosis, which allows him to narrow down the number of suspected factors that led to discomfort. Next, the patient is sent for various instrumental studies and laboratory tests. One of the stages of the examination is often differential diagnosis, which allows you to accurately determine what caused the discomfort. Patients with complaints of a burning sensation between the shoulder blades may be referred for the following procedures:

Among the tests that need to be taken by a person complaining of back discomfort are general and biochemical blood and urine tests. In addition, blood clotting and the presence of cardiac, renal and liver markers are checked.

Which doctor will help with treatment?

In order to receive effective therapy, you need to go to a medical facility. Self-treatment or the use of traditional medicine, as a rule, leads to a worsening of the patient’s condition and the appearance of complications. If you experience a burning sensation between your shoulder blades, you should make an appointment with doctors in the following specialties:

You may also need help from a rheumatologist, cardiologist, orthopedic surgeon and specialists such as a gastroenterologist, hepatologist.

At the initial appointment, the doctor collects anamnesis, analyzes complaints, conducts a physical examination, during which he examines the skin, palpates the spine, measures pulse, blood pressure, and body temperature. To obtain more information, he conducts a survey. So, the doctor may ask.

From time to time a person experiences discomfort or pain in different parts of the body. In most cases, the cause and treatment are easy to determine. But there are times when a slight tingling or burning sensation can be the first symptom of a serious illness.

Now I would like to talk about one of these phenomena- burning under the left shoulder blade. Let's try to understand the causes of burning in this place, and also find out how and with what to treat such an ailment.

Anatomy of the back area

First of all, you need to understand the anatomy of the back. Only having a general idea can we talk about a specific disease.

In medicine, it is customary to divide the entire back area into five areas:

• Spinal region. It corresponds to the contour of the entire spinal column.
• Scapular region. Covers the entire area of ​​the shoulder blades. The area is sometimes referred to as the posterior upper surface of the chest.
• Subscapular region. As the name suggests, this area is located on both sides just below the shoulder blades.
• Lumbar region. It starts from the seventh ribs and goes down to the sacrum.
• Sacral region. It, like the vertebral one, is not paired and is located in the area of ​​the sacrum (coccyx).

In this article we will talk about the burning sensation under the scapula, which means special attention will be paid to the scapular and subscapular areas.

However, it is worth saying that all areas are interconnected and constantly function among themselves. Such a division is conventional.

Character of the burning sensation

Almost every person has experienced a burning sensation at least once, which is often accompanied by pain under the left shoulder blade. It is worth saying that such a burning sensation varies and is often accompanied by other symptoms.

Let's look at what a burning sensation can be and what to do about it:

• Mild burning sensation, which is accompanied pain in the morning or after sitting in one position for a long time. This is a common occurrence and there is no need to be alarmed. The burning and pain will go away after a short warm-up for half an hour.
• Severe burning sensation when turning the body, on inhalation or exhalation. Most often it appears along with pain. It is neuralgia, and there is no need to worry, it goes away within 10 – 15 minutes.
• A burning sensation that won't stop for several days, and also negatively affects the general condition of a person. This is already a serious signal to go to the doctor.

It is worth saying that burning or pain under the shoulder blade can be of varying strength. The stronger it is, the worse it is for the body.

Sometimes it's a slight tingling sensation, and sometimes people describe it as feeling like a hot nail under the skin. The latter can be the cause of a serious illness that should not be left to chance

Causes of burning under the left shoulder blade

There can be a lot of reasons, so let's look at them in more detail to get an overall picture of the disease:

Most serious diseases can be divided into two main groups.

Let's look at them and find out some features:

• Diseases of internal organs. If we talk about internal organs, burning is almost 100% caused by heart disease.
  These include the following diseases: angina pectoris, aortic aneurysm, heart attack, myocarditis, pericarditis.
  It is important to say that with heart problems, people often complain of a burning sensation more than pain. These symptoms are especially pronounced during heart attacks.
• Diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This includes many diseases, most of which relate to the spine.
  As a result of various diseases (the most striking example is osteochondrosis), the spine begins to change its location, bend and collapse.
  The consequence of this may be a burning sensation under the shoulder blade. This often happens with cervical osteochondrosis, when changes in the vertebrae in the cervical region lead to compression of the nerve roots.

It is also necessary to say that the cause of the burning sensation may be another disease. The human body is represented by a single system, so a failure in one part of the system can negatively affect another

Symptoms of burning under the left shoulder blade

It is worth saying that burning itself is a symptom of a particular disease.

But despite this burning sensation can be of varying strength:

• Mild burning sensation for 5 – 10 minutes. This is not a deviation and is not a cause for concern.
• A burning sensation that is accompanied painful sensations. The pain is either constant or occurs frequently. Most likely, the problem is in the musculoskeletal system; you need to see a doctor.
• Very strong burning sensation which can spread over a large area. It doesn't go away, it only gets worse. Most likely, there is a heart disease.

In addition to burning, various diseases often cause other symptoms.

Let's look at them:

• Pain. It may be constant or occur when performing certain actions.
• Shiver.
• Numbness or numbness of the upper extremities.
• General deterioration condition.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of diseases, the symptom of which is a burning sensation under the left shoulder blade, is quite difficult. It is impossible to make a diagnosis on your own at home.

Let's look at the diagnostic process:

• Examination by a doctor. Depending on the symptoms, the pediatrician may refer the patient to a surgeon, traumatologist, or cardiologist. There, doctors will examine the patient and listen to his complaints.
• X-ray. It is quite difficult to make a diagnosis by examination, so most often patients are sent to an x-ray room. Based on the image, you can find out what is the cause of burning, pain and other symptoms.
• MRI. Such examinations are resorted to extremely rarely and only in the most serious cases. Most often this is associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Treatment

It is almost impossible to give instructions on specific treatment for burning sensation, since it is sometimes very difficult to find out the true cause of burning sensation.

To get rid of the burning sensation, you need to get rid of the causes of its occurrence.

Let's see how the treatment works:

• Examination by one of the doctors: pediatrician, surgeon, traumatologist, cardiologist.
• Based on diagnosis a person is prescribed a course of treatment for a particular disease.
• Treatment is overwhelmingly in most cases, drugs.
• Sometimes prescribed physiotherapy.
• Massage. A massage is often prescribed, which can relax the body and relieve tension.

It is important to say that treatment at home without consulting a specialist can cause negative consequences and sometimes become truly dangerous.

Very often you can hear advice about compresses, rubbing and physical activity. On the one hand, these are effective methods, but they are effective only if the general diagnosis is understood. For example, with a heart attack that causes a strong burning sensation under the shoulder blade, compresses will not help.

To summarize, I would like to say, that the burning sensation under the left shoulder blade is a “double-edged sword.” On the one hand, this may be a natural process in the body. On the other hand, a burning sensation under the left shoulder blade can be the first sign of very serious and dangerous diseases.

It is necessary to closely monitor your health and undergo regular medical examinations.