Shoulder Blade Pain When Breathing

The shoulder blade is a triangular bony structure that is located at the back of the shoulder. A physical injury or overuse of the shoulder (joint) is the most common cause of shoulder blade pain. As a result, moving the affected arm becomes quite difficult. A sharp shooting pain down the arm is experienced during normal movement of the arm. The pain is often accompanied by a prickling sensation that makes matters worse.

Shoulder Blade Pain When Breathing

How can the normal breathing process cause pain between the shoulder blades. However, this is true and there have been instances wherein people experience slight irritation in their shoulder blade while breathing. For days, people struggle to bear this pain that aggravates with every deep breath. To avoid taking a deep breath can be a temporary solution to lessen the pain. It is observed that laughing or yawning also triggers this shoulder blade pain.

People who suffer from this shoulder problem are also unable to sleep properly. Disturbance in sleep can have an adverse impact on their day-to-day routine. In some cases, there have been reports of pain under left shoulder blade when breathing. This is quite painful and to concentrate on office work or any other activity becomes a daunting task.

Pain under right shoulder blade that radiates down the arm is a cause of worry for many. It is distressing pain that aggravates upon deeper breathing. To cope up with this bothersome pain, one has to have a high tolerance level. Complaints of mild to moderate shoulder pain when breathing have also been reported. In order to resolve the issue, it is of utmost importance to determine the cause of shoulder blade pain.

Causes

Lung Problems
In case the lungs have been affected with some infection, it can cause shoulder blade pain. Lung issues are common among smokers and hence they are vulnerable to this type of problem. People diagnosed with lung collapse do feel this pain during deep breaths.

Cervical Spine Problems
Shoulder blade pain is often associated with degeneration of the cervical spine (neck). The cervical spine, that originates from the base of the skull, is made up of 7 bones, intervertebral discs, and has 8 cervical nerves that exit from the spinal cord. In case of damage to any of the nerves, also referred to as 'pinched nerve', it can cause shoulder blade pain while breathing. Any injury that displaces intervertebral discs from its normal position puts undue pressure on the cervical nerves. As a result, the nerves get compressed, which may lead to shoulder blade pain that worsens with breathing.

Treatment

An MRI scan of the neck will help to determine whether there is any nerve impingement that is causing this type of problem. A chest CT scan is essential to diagnose lung disorders. In some cases, doctors recommend trigger point therapy to alleviate shoulder blade pain.

Shoulder blade pain when breathing is relatively uncommon and many times, other factors are responsible for this problem. For instance, sitting or standing in an improper manner for long periods of time can cause shoulder blade pain. Therefore sitting on a chair that provides appropriate support to the back and neck is important. One can use a neck pillow while sitting on office chairs for better support to the neck. Burning pain in the shoulder is usually indicative of either bad posture or some underlying disease or disorder. In either case, it is important to get to the root of the problem for effective treatment measures to be undertaken.