Most people are able-bodied citizens; as a rule, they work physically or their work involves sitting on a chair for a long time in one position. But every person is sometimes bothered by an unpleasant condition - pain in the upper back. If your back hurts in the upper part or another segment of the spinal column, then pathological changes occur in the internal organs or the spine and nearby tissues are affected. Today you will learn the reasons that cause pain in the upper back.
What causes the pain?
If the upper back hurts, then the processes of dystrophy and degeneration are localized in the thoracic spinal region. Why does my back hurt? The causes of upper back pain vary widely.
Pain between the shoulder blades can be caused by:
- mechanical injury, sprain;
- tension caused by physical work;
- scoliosis changes;
- physical inactivity.
Aching pain in the back at the top, in the middle, in the lower back is often caused by pathological processes of vertebrogenic origin. A person may be sick:
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical segment, pain may occur when raising the arm up. The discs between the vertebrae with cartilage are deformed.
- Arthrosis. Degeneration processes occur in joint tissues.
- Osteoporosis. Bones with this disease will be fragile.
Also, the upper back and neck on the right, left, and center bother people because the discs have shifted, because the vertebrae have deviated from the spinal axis. Pain in the upper back is often associated with pathological changes occurring in the internal organs. Severe pain on the left will occur with diseases of the heart and blood vessels during ischemic, atherosclerotic processes, also due to angina pectoris, pericarditis. Such sharp pain occurs due to the fact that the heart does not cope well with its functions and hemodynamics are impaired.
Pain in the upper back also occurs due to pathologies of the respiratory system. The pain syndrome is localized on the right; the left side may also hurt; it will manifest itself in pleurisy, pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema and other diseases of the respiratory system. In case of gastrointestinal pathologies (gastritis, ulcerative processes, cholecystitis), the pain syndrome is localized in the abdomen, subcostal area, and can radiate upward, so the pain will be in the upper back.
With pancreatitis, pain will spread to the upper torso area, shoulder girdle, and shoulder blade area. Pain syndrome can manifest itself in other conditions, even in mental disorders, when the brain centers are affected. When panicking, the patient breathes heavily, the upper spinal region is painful. With herpes zoster, a discomfort will occur behind the sternum; one side may hurt, for example, the right. With heartburn, pain will appear after eating.
It is not easy to make a diagnosis based on one symptomatic manifestation.
Pain syndrome is caused by various circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to be examined in a medical institution, then treated.
Symptoms
To correctly establish a diagnosis, it is necessary to evaluate the parameters of the pain syndrome:
- It is acute or the pain is dull, in the form of shooting or throbbing.
- The location can be on one or both sides, or the central chest area will be painful.
- Pain sensations can be intense, weak, or growing.
- It can hurt constantly or periodically.
- Pain can occur with movement, exertion, if a person sneezes or coughs.
Vertebrogenic pathologies
If the nerve roots of the neck and chest are pinched, tension will arise, respectively, in the cervical and chest areas. Osteochondrosis of these parts of the spine will manifest itself:
- Numbness.
- Low skin sensitivity.
- No pain when at rest.
- Low physical activity.
- Irradiation of pain to the upper limb, shoulder.
- Hyperemia or pallor of the skin.
If the heart and blood vessels are affected
With left-sided pain in the upper back, the pain affects the scapular area, arm, neck, collar area, and the jaws and teeth may hurt. In a person, the painful syndrome intensifies during movement, his blood pressure parameters constantly change, his face turns pale, perspiration appears, he is scared and anxious. Also, inhalation does not occur completely, and a rapid pulse is observed.
Such symptoms characterize angina pectoris if the paroxysmal state lasts a few minutes. Stress and physical work can provoke discomfort. If such symptoms are not eliminated by medications, then you should call the emergency room as soon as possible.
When the respiratory system is affected
If inflammation occurs in the lung tissues or other respiratory organs are affected, then pain in the upper spinal zone will occur. The person will cough, expectorate mucus, breathe unevenly, while coughing the pain will intensify, and he will begin to shiver.
If the gastrointestinal tract is affected
Pathological processes can affect the abdominal organs and spread to the upper spinal area. The person will feel discomfort in the epigastric zone, and his digestion will be disrupted. Also, there will be bitterness in the oral cavity, the patient will feel nauseous, and will be indifferent to food. For example, with gallstone pathology, pain will affect the cervical region, and if the pancreas is inflamed, the pain will be girdling.
The nature of the pain syndrome depends on the specific disease
Kidney dysfunction
The discomfort arising from renal dysfunction will not only affect the lumbar segment. The pain may be intense in the upper back on one or both sides. Such symptoms are characteristic of pyelonephritis. Also, the patient’s urine will darken, he will begin to shiver, swelling will appear, blood pressure will increase, and pain will appear when urinating.
Muscles are overstrained
The patient must understand what circumstances led to the pain. It happens when you turn your head sharply, carry heavy objects, distribute weight unevenly, or exercise for a long time. Aching, burning pain will cover the shoulder area with the neck, chest, scapular area, will move to the spine area, the person will feel weakened.
If there is panic
Panic occurs in various conditions and mental disorders. It causes pain caused by overstrain of the spinal muscles. Tachycardia with tremor, hyperhidrosis will also appear, the person will vomit, and sleep will be disturbed.
Treatment plan and preventive measures
If you have pain in the neck, you need to give up intense physical activity and perform therapeutic exercises in a gentle manner, normalize your work, sleep and diet. You should also avoid hypothermia and drafts. It is important to properly organize your working and sleeping spaces: choose a chair with a supportive back and a comfortable table, choose orthopedic accessories for sleeping. Your doctor will recommend medications and procedures to you. When muscles become inflamed, medications are prescribed to help eliminate pain and inflammation. Comprehensive treatment of spinal diseases may include:
- taking medications;
- physiotherapy;
- exercise therapy;
- massage;
- special diet;
- manual therapy;
- acupuncture.
With retrolisthesis, non-drug treatment methods are often sufficient: manual therapy, exercise therapy and physiotherapy. A chiropractor will help return the displaced vertebra to its correct position. Physiotherapy eliminates pain and excessive muscle tension. Exercise therapy will help strengthen the muscle corset, which will prevent displacement of the vertebrae in the future. For spinal deformities, as well as arthrosis and osteochondrosis, complex treatment helps eliminate all pathological changes caused by the disease. A combination of physical therapy, medication, acupuncture and exercise therapy allows you to:
- normalize the tone and width of blood vessels;
- relieve compression of the nerve roots;
- eliminate pain and spasms;
- restore the integrity and elasticity of the intervertebral discs;
- strengthen the muscle corset;
- normalize the shape of the spine;
- prevent complications from occurring.
Remember: attempts at self-medication can lead to accelerated progression of the disease and cause increasing stiffness and pain, numbness in the arms or legs, paralysis and impaired brain function. In clinics of the “Hello!” network Experienced doctors work who specialize in joint and spine health problems. The high competence of doctors and the use of modern diagnostic equipment make it possible to quickly diagnose diseases even at the beginning of their development. A wide arsenal of treatment and rehabilitation options provides patients with fast and high-quality treatment and the most complete recovery.
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Treatment
What to do if you have severe pain? If the pain is severe, then analgesics are used that will quickly eliminate the discomfort. Sometimes non-steroidal drugs are used to relieve the inflammatory process. It is important to establish the correct diagnosis, after which treatment is applied.
For vertebrogenic pathologies, physiotherapy is indicated, massage and blockades are used
Exercise therapy complex
To get rid of discomfort in the upper spinal zone, perform therapeutic exercises. Rotate the shoulder girdle. Rotate anteriorly and posteriorly. You can do several approaches, perform slowly. The head is tilted with rotation. First, you need to touch your neck with your chin, then the movement is performed in the opposite direction. Throwing the head back is done carefully. Then the head is turned right and left, in a circle.
Raise their shoulders. The head drops completely. When you inhale, your shoulders rise completely; when you exhale, you lower them. Stretches the muscles. The back is straight, the stomach is tucked, the arms are extended in front of you, palms forward. As you inhale, raise your arms up and stretch. As you exhale, lower your arms.
Surgical intervention for the problem
Doctors usually do not resort to working with surgical instruments, but some diagnoses still influence the specialist’s decision about surgical interventions:
- Presence of herniated intervertebral discs. Together with the cervical vertebrae, the intervertebral discs form the column of the spine. The discs are responsible for shock absorption of this part of the body, as well as for mobility in any direction. The protrusion of the hernia compresses the nerve endings, further inflammation occurs;
- During compression of the spinal cord;
- When the spinal roots are compressed.
Basically, the purpose of the operation is to remove micro-areas that cause spinal cord injury. Science is working to develop methods that do not require the use of a scalpel. The problem will soon be solved using a laser.
After operations, a situation that was exciting until recently is most often forgotten. However, doctors try to avoid this path, as there is a high probability of accidents and many complications. For this reason, it is better to pay attention to your feelings in time. When suspicions arise, it is important to correct the problem immediately.
The tips listed will help get rid of the unpleasant symptom and prevent inflammation. If fever, inability to tilt the chin, and migraine are present, medical attention should be sought immediately. Such sensations may indicate the development of meningitis, which can be fatal.
Who is at risk?
More often, pain in the upper spinal zone may occur in older people. Their bones and muscles become thinner. Therefore, physical activity with calcium intake, vitamin D and other multivitamin preparations is indicated for them. Discomfort often occurs in pregnant women. Their organs are displaced, and their high body weight puts stress on the spinal column.
If work involves prolonged sitting, the spinal column will always be overstrained. Gymnastics and walks in the fresh air are required. Pain syndrome should not be tolerated; self-medication will only aggravate the general condition and cause complications that are difficult to cure. Therefore, it is better not to take risks, but to seek help from professionals.