Pain Under Right Shoulder Blade : Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Last Updated: 15/07/2022

Pain under the right shoulder blade occurs in pathologies of bone structures (scoliosis, osteochondrosis, cracks and fractures), damage to the liver and gallbladder (calculous cholecystitis, hepatitis, biliary dyskinesia), respiratory diseases (pneumonia, pleurisy, pneumothorax). Diagnostic search includes ultrasound, radiological and invasive techniques, which are complemented by laboratory research methods. You can eliminate pain in the right subscapular region with the help of analgesics and antispasmodics. A complex of drug treatment and physiotherapy is prescribed to eliminate the causes of pain.

Why does it hurt under the right shoulder blade

Musculoskeletal pathologies

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system are the most common causes of pain on the right under the scapula. Improper gait and posture, prolonged sitting and a sedentary lifestyle - all this leads to damage to the structures of the spinal column and causes noticeable pain. Discomfort under the right shoulder blade is noted when the thoracic spine or muscles located in this area are damaged. Main etiological factors:

  • Osteochondrosis. The degenerative process is manifested by sharp pains, which become more noticeable with awkward movements, shaky driving, sitting in an uncomfortable position. The discomfort is very strong, because of which the person is forced to walk, leaning slightly to the right, and spare the affected side. When the process is complicated by an intervertebral hernia, a person experiences excruciating constant pain.
  • Scoliosis. The curvature of the spine is accompanied by tonic muscle tension, which causes pain in the area of ​​the scapula. Unpleasant sensations develop after prolonged standing or sitting in one position, when there is a maximum load on the spine. The pains are dull or aching in nature, aggravated by palpation of the back.
  • myofascial syndrome. At first, patients are concerned about deep pain of moderate intensity in response to palpation of trigger points or after exercise. Gradually, the pain becomes permanent, the feeling of discomfort does not disappear even at rest. Symptoms are combined with paresthesia, numbness.
  • Bechterew's disease. For this pathology, ascending spread is specific. First, pain occurs in the lower back, and when the thoracic vertebrae are involved in the process and the radicular syndrome develops, the discomfort shifts to the right subscapular region. Soreness directly under the scapula indicates damage to the 7th-8th thoracic roots on the right.

Scapular injuries are rare, accounting for no more than 5% of all injuries of the shoulder girdle, but they can also cause pain under the right shoulder blade. With bone cracks, a person experiences sharp pains of moderate strength, but movements in the shoulder joint are preserved. A fracture of the scapula is accompanied by severe edema and hematoma, crepitus, acute pain, aggravated by movement.

Pain under right shoulder blade

 

Diseases of the hepatobiliary system

The irradiation of unpleasant sensations from the right hypochondrium to the area of ​​the scapula is due to the peculiarities of the innervation of these structures and their anatomical proximity. Symptoms are aching, dull, stabbing, or throbbing. Soreness can be clearly localized under the right shoulder blade or spread over a large area of ​​the back. The most common pain syndrome is provoked by:

  • Dyskinesia of the gallbladder. It is manifested by periodic aching or stabbing sensations, which depends on the type of disorders - hypomotor or hypermotor variant. There is a clear connection of pain with the intake of fatty foods, the use of carbonated drinks and other harmful products. Soreness disappears after 1-3 hours on its own or after taking antispasmodics.
  • Chronic cholecystitis. For inflammation of the gallbladder, periodic dull pains under the ribs on the right, radiating to the shoulder blade, are pathognomonic. They disturb a person for several months, periodically change their intensity. Complemented by nausea, bitterness in the mouth, instability of the stool.
  • Hepatitis. The inflammatory process is characterized by severity and moderate pain in the right hypochondrium, but usually discomfort radiates to the subscapular region. In this case, the patient experiences deep, constant pain that is not associated with physical activity or eating.
  • Hepatic colic. Sharp unbearable pains that are felt on the right in the hypochondrium, under the scapula and radiate to the collarbone, indicate blockage of the bile duct with stones. Excruciating symptoms make a person rush around the room, not finding a place. There is repeated vomiting, body temperature rises.
  • Biliary peritonitis. Immediately after perforation of the gallbladder wall, severe cutting pains occur in the hypochondrium, which spread to the space under the right shoulder blade, intensifying even with minor movements. To alleviate the condition, the patient lies on his right side, tucking his knees to his stomach. Against the background of soreness, reflex vomiting opens, stool retention is observed.

peptic ulcer

An ulcer of the duodenum or antrum of the stomach, as a rule, causes radiating pain under the right shoulder blade, in contrast to a defect in the body of the stomach, which provokes similar sensations on the left. For the disease, hungry or nocturnal discomfort is typical, which decreases or completely disappears after eating. The pain is complemented by nausea, vomiting that brings relief, sour belching and constant heartburn.

Hernia of the white line of the abdomen

With the localization of the protrusion on the right, pain can be felt in the subscapular area on the same side. Discomfort occurs with straining, physical exertion, flatulence. A person is faced with moderate dull painful sensations that last several hours and disappear when the hernia is spontaneously reduced into the abdominal cavity. With the progression of a hernia of the white line of the abdomen, when the protrusion becomes irreducible, pain is constantly experienced.

Pathologies of the respiratory organs

Right-sided focal lesions of the lungs and pleura, especially if they are located closer to the back, are often manifested by pain in the corresponding subscapular region. Discomfort has a clear relationship with specific respiratory symptoms: cough, expectoration of sputum, shortness of breath. Basically, pain occurs in an acute process: pneumonia, dry and exudative pleurisy, exacerbation of tuberculosis. Symptoms are accompanied by fever and general malaise.

Pain under the right shoulder blade occurs with surgical diseases of the chest. Severe pain radiating to the back develops with pulmonary infarction. They are accompanied by hemoptysis, impaired function of external respiration, and a state of shock. Right-sided tension pneumothorax is characterized by gradually increasing pain in the chest and near the scapula.

kidney disease

In the inflammatory process in the right kidney, irradiation of pain in the lower back is more often noted, but they can also occur under the scapula. Painful sensations in pyelonephritis are of moderate intensity, they are constantly disturbed, their character does not change after eating or physical activity. At the same time, a person notices dysuric disorders, an increase in body temperature, and a change in the color of urine.

Skin lesion

Pathological processes in the dermis of the subscapularis also cause pain and discomfort, but the sensations are superficial, which distinguishes them from deep radiating pain in somatic diseases. Possible causes of pain are boils and carbuncles, neoplasms (basal cell carcinoma, melanoma). Occasionally, an unpleasant sensation occurs when foci of chronic diseases (psoriasis, atopic dermatitis) are localized under the right shoulder blade.

Diagnostics

Pain under the right shoulder blade is disturbing in diseases of various organs and systems, which requires the involvement of several specialists and careful differential diagnosis. During a physical examination, the doctor detects skin manifestations, signs of injury or curvature of the spine, which can provoke pain in the subscapularis. For diagnostics, instrumental methods are the most informative:

  • CT scan of the spine. In orthopedics and traumatology, standard radiography is also used, but computed tomography provides a clearer and more detailed visualization of bone formations. In the pictures, the specialist determines postural disorders, damage to the vertebrae, signs of Bechterew's disease. Neurological complications of osteochondrosis can be detected by MRI of the spine.
  • Abdominal ultrasound. Given the high prevalence of hepatobiliary disorders, standard diagnostics include ultrasound examination of this area. On ultrasound, biliary calculi, thickening of the gallbladder wall, and inflammatory changes in the liver are clearly visible. To assess the contractile function of the bladder, a test is made with a choleretic breakfast.
  • ERCP. Invasive endoscopic examination of the biliary tract is the main method for diagnosing cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, and functional disorders. The study is carried out for contrast visualization of the ductal system, finding filling defects and inflammation.
  • X-ray of the OGK. Diagnosis of pulmonary diseases is impossible without a standard x-ray in 2 projections. The doctor pays attention to focal infiltrates in the lungs, effusion in the pleural cavity, symptoms of pneumothorax. It is extremely rare for x-rays to confirm dextrocardia - then the pain under the right shoulder blade can be of cardiac origin.
  • Additional invasive methods . To detect problems with bile secretion, duodenal sounding is prescribed. In difficult-to-diagnose pulmonary pathologies, bronchoscopy, pleural puncture, and transthoracic biopsy are recommended. Gastrointestinal diseases with atypical course require diagnostic laparoscopy.

Instrumental studies are supplemented by laboratory methods. In the hemogram, special attention is paid to leukocytosis and an increase in ESR as nonspecific signs of infection. A biochemical blood test is informative for verifying the syndrome of cytolysis and cholestasis in pathological processes in the liver and gallbladder. An increase in acute phase parameters confirms the presence of active inflammation.

The detection of kidney damage is based on the results of a clinical analysis of urine, a study of the concentration function according to Zimnitsky, and a study of the cellular composition according to Nechiporenko. If necessary, the diagnostic complex is supplemented with a bacteriological method - sputum, feces, urine or other biological material is cultured on nutrient media.

Therapeutic exercises for back pain

 

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

Without establishing the cause of pain in the water with the right shoulder blade, the doctor cannot give specific recommendations. If the patient's condition is satisfactory, the examination is carried out on an outpatient basis, standard analgesics of the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or antispasmodics are prescribed to alleviate the pain syndrome. If, in addition to pain, the state of health deteriorates sharply, the person is immediately hospitalized.

Conservative therapy

After finding out the origin of pain under the right shoulder blade, complex medical treatment is carried out. Most diseases are subject to outpatient therapy, but during a period of severe exacerbation of a chronic process, it is advisable to take a course in a hospital. Drugs are selected based on the localization of violations:

  • In case of damage to the hepatobiliary system , choleretic agents are used - choleretics, cholekinetics, or combinations thereof, hepatoprotectors, antibacterial drugs. To correct hypermotor dyskinesia of the biliary tract, antispasmodics are prescribed.
  • In case of vertebral pathology , therapeutic blockades or electrophoresis with analgesics are performed to relieve severe pain. In order to eliminate the neurological complications of osteochondrosis, B vitamins and neurometabolic agents are used.
  • In bronchopulmonary diseases , massive antibiotic therapy is most often recommended, and expectorant, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine drugs are indicated to eliminate the associated symptoms. When infected with a Koch bacillus, long-term anti-tuberculosis treatment is required.

Pharmaceutical treatment of the causes of pain under the scapula on the right is supplemented with non-drug methods. This is especially important in diseases of the spinal column, the correction of which requires the wearing of supporting corsets, traction therapy, kinesiology taping and exercise therapy. According to strict indications, massage and manual therapy are performed. With functional changes in the bile duct, methods of acupuncture, ozocerite applications, and inductothermy are effective.

Surgery

Surgical methods are appropriate for serious injuries of the scapula and bones of the shoulder girdle, when open reposition of bone fragments and osteosynthesis are indicated. In orthopedic practice, surgical interventions are resorted to with compression of the spinal cord, accompanied by unbearable pain. Among the minimally invasive methods, puncture vaporization of the disc, microdiscectomy are popular.

With hepatic colic, biliary peritonitis, perforation or bleeding from a duodenal ulcer, emergency assistance from abdominal surgeons is required. In case of pulmonary infarction, pulmonary hemorrhage and tension pneumothorax, the participation of specialists in the field of thoracic surgery is necessary. Treatment of skin neoplasms is carried out by oncodermatologists who combine surgical, chemotherapeutic and radiation treatment.

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