Back of shoulder pain is quite a common experience, with reasons for the pain ranging from minor incidents to major conditions, such as heart failure or liver issues .Now, to know exactly what the reason for this pain, requires a thorough medical examination. Patients that are suffering from this condition ought to know the causes and the subsequent prevention methods. In this article, we will go through a variety of the different causes of pain for the back of the shoulder, as long suitable treatment options.
The shoulder blades are these triangular pieces of bone at the back of the shoulder, scientifically also known as the scapulae. Each scapulae will help to connect the upper arm bone to the collarbone and this has three muscles attached to it . These muscles are what helps to move these shoulder joints. The shoulder in itself has quite a fairly large range of motion. As the shoulder can move in so many ways, the chances of injury are higher, and this is what can cause shoulder blade pain. In other cases, shoulder blade pain can be caused by a nearby organ undergoing problems or stress. In this case, some conditions may result in pain in a particular side of a shoulder more than another. For example, a cardiac arrest would likely cause pain in the left sided shoulder as the heart is located on the left side of the body.
Usually though, the main cause of pain in the back of the shoulder is usually due to musculoskeletal strain. Overuse, strains, sleeping awkwardly, can all fall into this category. They don’t necessarily have to be directly affecting the shoulder blades, they could be. The resultant treatment then usually depends on the cause of the pain. For basic cases of perhaps overuse or strain a person may be able to do some home remedies. These may include:
- rest
- ice
- Taking medication such as Panadol or Ibuprofen.
- medicated rubs and ointments
- Massages by chiropractors
- Exercises for frozen shoulders
When the back of the shoulder pain it would be a good idea to treat the underlying conditions which are causing the pain . For example, one may be experiencing this shoulder pain due to a cancer growth, and the cancer may require radiation to treat, or chemotherapy, or other therapies. Therefore, when a person knows the cause of this shoulder blade problem, the treatment that can be taken can likely be more targeted and effective.
In the case of musculoskeletal trauma, the person may be able to trace the origin of the pain to a collision or a sports injury of some sorts . In some cases, the source of the pain can be traced to the different sleeping positions the person sleeps in and the type of mattress the person is sleeping on.
