Pinched nerve at the shoulder

Definition

A trapped nerve in the shoulder means that surrounding tissue (usually hardened muscles) exerts pressure on a nerve, resulting in pain and possibly functional impairment. In most cases, sudden, burning or stabbing pain occurs in the shoulder area. These are usually one-sided and can radiate forward to the sternum. A herniated disc can cause similar complaints, but this occurs very rarely in the shoulder area, i.e. at the level of the thoracic spine. The most important measure in case of a trapped nerve in the shoulder is movement.

Causes

Muscular tension is a common cause of a pinched nerve in the shoulder. These press on the nerves and thus trigger the symptoms. These muscle tensions, in turn, can be caused by one-sided strain or incorrect posture.

Similarly, signs of wear and tear of the spine can promote the development of a trapped nerve or the corresponding symptoms. Furthermore, incorrect lifting or an unfavorable movement can lead to muscular tension and thus also to entrapment of the nerve at the shoulder. Untrained back muscles also increase the risk of developing such symptoms.

In general, a trapped nerve at the shoulder can be the result of both under- and overloading. A healthy amount of exercise is therefore best suited to prevent nerves from becoming trapped. Nevertheless, in many cases the cause of the complaints remains unexplained.

Frequent or violent coughing can cause a nerve at the shoulder to become trapped. The consequences are usually stabbing and movement-dependent pains that emanate from the back and can radiate forward. However, if a severe infection with a severe cough causes pain in the ribs, this can also have another cause.

Especially if the pain occurs mainly when breathing in, it can also be pleurisy. If in doubt, a doctor should be consulted. If the pain prevents the patient from breathing, treatment with painkillers should be carried out so that the lungs can unfold freely and the inflammation cannot spread.

Pain in the shoulder or shoulder blade usually originates in the back and has a harmless cause. However, similar symptoms can also cause pleurisy, which should be treated with antibiotics if necessary. In such an illness, however, there are other complaints in addition to the pain, such as coughing, fatigue and fever.

An extremely rare but also very dangerous cause of symptoms that can be comparable to those of a trapped nerve is a tear in the aorta (aortic dissection). This can occur in the case of a pronounced vascular disease. This is accompanied by sudden onset of extreme pain, which is often felt between the shoulder blades.