Pain Under Right Shoulder Blade

Pain is the way of our body to communicate that there is something wrong. Often, we ignore the pain in the hope that it will correct itself. Surprisingly, it does happen that the pain vanishes without any medication. However, pain in certain body parts should neither be ignored nor does it go off on its own. Pain under right shoulder blade, is one such condition, which needs medical intervention for diagnosing the cause.

Causes of Pain Under Right Shoulder Blade

There are multitudinous causes of sharp shoulder pain on the right side. Some of them are of minor consequence that need no medical intervention, while some others are grave and need to be addressed as early as possible. In any case, you need to identify the cause for pain under right shoulder blade.

Heart Attack
In males, heart attack symptoms include pain in shoulders, while in women, the symptoms include pain between shoulder blades. However, heart attack is determined by several other symptoms as well. Hence, if you are exhibiting other symptoms along with the pain under right shoulder, then do not hesitate to call the ambulance as early as possible. The other symptoms of heart attack include excessive sweating, left chest pain, dizziness, vomiting etc.

Gallbladder Attack
Gallstones and other gallbladder diseases often cause pain under right shoulder blade. Gallstones often obstruct the bile flow and cause pain in upper abdomen. Although, more often than not, the person experiences pain in upper abdomen, it may also move up, towards shoulders. Gallstones attack lasts for 15 minutes to a few hours. Moreover, once the attack is over, it may not surface for another weeks or even months. In severe cases, a person may experience, vomiting or nausea in addition to shoulder and abdomen pain. Normally, gallstones attack results after a heavy meal, rich in fats.

Incorrect Posture
Incorrect posture often results in body pain. Slouching, while sitting on the chair, uncomfortable distance from the keyboard, leaning incorrectly etc., all result in muscle strain, which eventually manifests as a pain under right shoulder blade. Similarly, muscle pain resulting out of an incorrect sleeping position, also contributes to pain under right shoulder blade. Athletes and other sportsmen also experience right shoulder pain quite often. It is mostly due to a muscle injury while playing.

Liver Diseases
Liver diseases such as liver cancer and liver abscess may also cause pain in the right shoulder blade. Liver cancer is responsible for shoulder pain when it spreads to other parts of the body. Besides, liver abscess, which is a bacterial infection to liver also causes pain in the shoulder region. The infection eats away a part of your liver, generating a gaping hole in the liver, which is often the source of pain. As liver is located right underneath your rib cage, the pain from liver easily travels to shoulder region.

Breast Cancer
Often, shoulder pain is an indication that the cancer has left breast and spread to other parts of the body. If you have cancer in the right breast, then you will more commonly experience pain in right shoulder. Women suffering from cancer must get screened on a priority basis if they experience pain under the right shoulder.

Arthritis
Finally, arthritis can also cause a stabbing pain in and around your shoulder region. It also restricts the movement of your arm. Arthritis pain can be controlled with the help of certain medications.

Apart from the above mentioned causes, there are some perfectly benign causes of this condition, which include pinched nerve, muscle spasms, sprains etc. Hence, you need not always jump to worse conclusions should you experience this condition.

Nonetheless, it is wise to consult a physician for appropriate diagnosis and prompt treatment. Also, do not forget to keep a check on other symptoms (if any) that may accompany this condition.