What causes shoulder blade pain with lupus?
Shoulder blade pain can stem from several lupus-related causes. Here are the most common reasons:
Lupus-Related Causes:
* Muscle pain during flares - Body aches and muscle inflammation (myositis) are common during lupus flares and can affect your shoulder area
* Joint pain - About Show Full Answer
What causes shoulder blade pain with lupus?
Shoulder blade pain can stem from several lupus-related causes. Here are the most common reasons:
Lupus-Related Causes:
* Muscle pain during flares - Body aches and muscle inflammation (myositis) are common during lupus flares and can affect your shoulder area
* Joint pain - About 95% of people with lupus experience joint pain or stiffness, which often affects the shoulders
* Tendinitis - Lupus can cause inflammation in the tendons connecting muscles to bones in your shoulder
Medication Side Effects:
* Steroid use - Long-term or high-dose steroids can lead to avascular necrosis, where reduced blood flow weakens shoulder bones
* Biologic medications - Some lupus treatments can cause pain in the arms and shoulders
Other Considerations:
* Fibromyalgia - About 20% of people with lupus also have fibromyalgia, which increases pain sensitivity throughout the body
* Referred pain - Sometimes shoulder pain actually comes from inflammation elsewhere, like the gallbladder or heart tissue (pericarditis)
A MyLupusTeam member shared: "My right shoulder blade is hurting. It makes it hard to do things around the house, to sleep and to type. It even hurts to take a deep breath."
Contact your rheumatologist if the pain limits your movement, gets worse over time, or comes with swelling or new symptoms.
March 23
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