10 Causes Of Pain Under Shoulder Blades

Our shoulder blade is a triangular shaped bone in our upper back and its purpose is to help support pivotal movements of our shoulder. It’s possible to experience pain near or under your shoulder blade that is quite severe or an ache that arrives in waves. The cause and the diagnosis can be determined on the kind of pain, its frequency, and if the pain occurs with movement. Here we will look at 10 causes of pain under the shoulder blade.

Poor Posture

Remember when mom told you to sit up straight with your shoulders back and your head up? There were reasons even if we didn’t understand at the time.

If you work at a computer or laptop all day, it is easy to fall into a slumped position with your shoulders and your head down. Sitting that way too long can lead to spinal changes that can eventually cause pain under the shoulder blades. It weakens muscles and puts added pressure on your spinal discs, muscles, and ligaments.

Sit up straight. Mom would be proud.

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Agreeing to help your neighbor paint his ceiling, or taking care of tasks like rearranging furniture can come back to haunt you. You mean well, but you’ll pay for it later, and that usually means upper back pain near the shoulder blades.

If you are not used to using these muscles, you can strain them and sprain your ligaments, leaving you with upper back pain.

Lifting Heavy Object Incorrectly

We should also add that lifting anything heavy over your head can lead to shoulder blade pains. One should always lift heavy objects close to your body and lifting over your head can injure your shoulder or spine. The result is pain under or near your shoulder blade.

Gallstones Or Gallbladder Inflammation

These issues can cause back pain between your shoulder blades, usually more to the right with pain in the right shoulder. You may also have nausea and vomiting. This will also be accompanied by sudden pain in the right quadrant of the abdomen. Seek medical attention if you experience these symptoms.

Heart Conditions

Some serious heart conditions can be exhibited as shoulder blade pain. Aortic dissection is a serious condition that occurs when your largest artery develops a tear. Heart attacks can also be accompanied by pain near or under the shoulder blade.

Other Causes

Other causes of shoulder blade pain can involve the following:

• Cancerous tumors involving the chest like stomach, liver, esophageal, pancreatic, and lymphomas.
• Some abdominal and pelvic conditions like liver disease, peptic ulcer disease, acid reflux, and gallstones.
• Lung cancer and mesothelioma.
• Pulmonary embolism.
•  A collapsed lung.

When To Call Woods Mill Orthopedics

Unless you know the cause of your pain is most likely something benign like your posture or improper lifting, the best course of action is to see your physician to determine a diagnosis. Shoulder blade pain can be serious or life threatening in some cases.