Pain in Shoulder Blade and Neck
Pain in shoulder blade and neck may be due to many causes involving bones, joints, muscles, the heart, lungs or chest, the abdomen and the pelvis. On rare occasions cancer may be the cause of this type of pain. Depending on the cause the treatment may involve medication, surgery, physical therapy or other types of treatments like electrical stimulation or radiation.
Several different muscles in the upper back, shoulders and thoracic area can get strained causing shoulder blade pain including the rhomboid minor and major, the levator scapula, the serratus anterior, the teres minor, teres major, infraspinatus and the trap muscle. These muscles can be strained in a variety of situations from poor posture, lifting with overhead motions, heavy or repetitive activity and trauma. Direct injury to the scapula such as a fall on the shoulder, rib fracture or thoracic joint injury can also result in pain in these areas.
Above the shoulder joint there is a small joint, called the acromioclavicular joint, that connects the top of your shoulder blade to the collar bone. This joint helps the larger shoulder joint move through its full range of movement by sitting between the bones to stop them rubbing together. This joint can dislocate if the surrounding tendons and ligaments are strained or torn.
The AC joint is most commonly injured from a fall on the shoulder or being hit on the side by something hard. This can lead to a wide range of injuries from a minor sprain to complete separation of the joint showing a large bump or lump above the shoulder. The shoulder joint can also be irritated by conditions such as arthritis in the bones of the joint, a herniated disc or problems with the cartilage. Neck problems like a pinched nerve in the neck spine, spinal stenosis or a slipped disc can also contribute to shoulder pain.pain in shoulder blade and neck