You probably know the back pain I mean. It’s that nagging, cannot-be-ignored pain between your shoulder blade and spine. It often feels like a knot or spasm.
It’s usually on the side of your dominant hand. If you’re right-handed, it will probably be on the right side of your back.
There are two likely causes and one that often gets the blame, but usually isn’t the cause.
The rhomboid muscle (there is one on each side of your back) often gets blamed as being the cause of that pain. The reason for this is probably because the muscle happens to be in the same area as your back pain. This is the muscle most massage therapists will probably try to rub out for you, but it may or may not (probably not) be the cause of your pain.
If this massage doesn’t help, or the muscle “won’t release,” then the rhomboid muscle is not the cause of your pain.
A more likely cause is that the muscles where your knot is located are being overstretched or strained. They are complaining about this by causing pain. Overstretched muscles will go into spasm to keep from being stretched further and torn.
Your back muscles can get overstretched when the muscles in front of your body (your chest and neck) are short and tight. Over-stretching can also occur when you work or play a lot with your arm stretched out in front.
You can correct this by strengthening the muscles between your spine and shoulder blades. The stronger muscles won’t be so easily overstretched and so won’t go into spasm like they do now. Also, strengthen the muscles behind your neck gently so you won’t go into “forward-head” posture, which also strains your upper back muscles.
Loosen, relax and open the muscles in front of your body, too, with stretching or massage.
Another likely cause of this back pain could be the scalene muscles, which are located on each side of your neck. These muscles can harbor trigger points. Trigger points in the scalenes refer, or cause, pain into the rhomboid area.
Often a massage therapist will try to work out a pain by working where it hurts. That only works sometimes, in some situations.
You can see in the two likely causes above, that the problem can be elsewhere. The pain between your spine and shoulder blade may be caused by muscles in front of your body being short or trigger points in your neck.
The first thing I would suggest today would be to begin a strengthening program for your upper back. This will help you get rid of that nagging pain between your spine and shoulder blade.
It doesn’t matter whether you call them “knots” or muscle spasms or contractions, they hurt! And you CAN get rid of them naturally. 🙂 This is good…
Because You Deserve To Feel Better!
Thanks. I found the site very informative. I’m glad someone knows about the pains I have been having because it is hard to explain this exact location to some people. I’m going to try the exercises and hope they work because as you mentioned, YES!! This hurts.
Hi Destinee,
Thank you for writing Sometimes it is very hard to explain where the pain is. I’m glad this article helped.
Give your body time to heal as you do the exercises. Some people have immediate relief! But for others it takes longer. So don’t give up. Give it a few weeks or months of regular movement (think of the exercises as movement.) You will keep moving in the right direction. 🙂
If a movement (or pressure on an area) feels appropriate to you, that means it’s the right thing to do. If it feels slightly uncomfortable, that means your muscles aren’t used to it yet–keep going.
But if it feels ‘wrong’ when you do a new movement (or when someone presses on a painful area) then it is the wrong movement for your body at this time.
And there are more articles at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com that will help you get rid of the pain in your back naturally.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn,
Came across your site after experiencing some uncomfortable “tightness” around my right shoulder blade/lat area. I have to say your answers to people’s problems have been fantastic so I’m wondering if you can help me.
My problem is never painful, just sometimes affects me in such a way that I have to stop certain activities and try and stretch my back out. The problem is worst when doing activities where I’m reaching my right arm out in front of me e.g. washing the dishes or using a mouse on a computer. I’m pretty sure the problem relates to going to the gym, which I enjoy doing but lately haven’t been going as often due to this tightness. I also sprained my neck about 2 years ago so maybe this is related. I always try to stretch before, during and after gym work but admit this hasn’t always been the case. I find it doesn’t do a lot of good anyway. I’ve also tried an exercise program just related to strengthening the back but became pretty disillusioned with this as it didn’t seem to be improving things.
The problem did ease when I managed to avoid doing the activities that aggravate my back but the tightness did return as soon as I started them again.
I’d love to get to a point where I can resume normal activities without having this hinderance and am really desperate to hear any advice you can offer. If you can possibly recommend any exercises/stretches that might help then I’d be really grateful.
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Hi Dan, Thank you for your kind words!
Your back muscles seem to be complaining from being stretched. Sometimes you cannot help but reach ‘too far’ like when doing dishes but at the computer here are some things to do:
1. Place the mouse in front of you at your midline, close to your waist.
2. Bring your elbow close to your waist.
3. Switch to your left hand for mousing (and do #1 and #2, too.)
Those things will prevent over-stretching of your back muscles when mousing.
Ask someone to pick up the outer edge of your lat muscle, close to your armpit. Ask them to grab it (not just the skin but the muscle) and hold and “pinch” it. Your latissimus muscle may be in spasm or contraction trying to keep from being stretched too far. Muscles do that. Pinching it will help it relax. If it is really uncomfortable, that’s the right spot. After holding for, oh, maybe a minute, it can be released. About 20 minutes later you will notice that the area feels more relaxed.
Stretching cold muscles does not help as much as stretching warmed muscles.
When you were doing the exercises to strengthen your back, were you also stretching the muscles in the front of your body? They are the other half of the equation. The stretches that you do with your arms should be upward and backward. There is a shoulder rotating video at http://budurl.com/CircleArms that will help get balanced muscles around the shoulder blade.
Here are my best long-distance guesses right now:
The muscles in the front of your body are so shortened and ‘tight’ (because most of our lives we work with arms held in front) that they get to instantly take over and contract further when you do anything with your arms in front. That does strain the back/shoulders. Are your shoulders rolled forward? That’s a clue. Or, when you lay on your back on the floor, are your shoulders on the floor rather than rolled up away from it?
Guys who go to gyms often like to work on their chest muscles. When the pectorals are strong (same as short and tight) they cause stress on the back muscles so that ‘just a little more’ stress from any activity can cause back strain.
Take some time to look into a mirror, Dan. Look really hard while you are standing straight, facing the mirror. Do you look level and straight? Are your shoulders at the same height? If the right one is lower, that’s an indication the lat area muscles on that side needs some pinching or upward stretching (or both.) The rib muscles on the side of your body need some attention, too. You may be able to press into your rib muscles yourself if you can reach them.
Thank you for writing! I would also love for you to be able to do activities without discomfort around your shoulder blade.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi, I am 28 and I have instense non-stop pulling & tighness pain in what I call the triangle. There are 3 points all on the left side that always have the pain which I can never get rid off. They are at the base of the neck next to the spine, mid-back next to spine, and the area right between the shoulder blade and spine. They frequently have knots and I constantly “pop” my back twisting side-to-side and pulling up on left side to pop mid back. I have lifted weights for quite some time and even competed in powerlifting competitions (which hasn’t helped the cause) when i was younger. I used to not stretch much but now I vigorously stretch before and after workouts. I started seeing a chriprator 8 months ago and he showed that my hips were misaligned, my spine was compensating with minute scoliosis, and my neck had a reverse curve. My hips/spine/neck are realigned and no cure to my pain. I have gotten 5 medical massages and from what I’ve read above, they just trested the symptom. Please help as this is really starting to control my life and sleep. Pain/Tearing/Pulling is constant and have dealt with gradual increase for over 6 years. Thanks.
Hello and thank you for writing. Here is my best long-distance assessment.
“Something” is pulling on your back in your ‘triangle’ and causing it to be tight on the left side. The area of the triangle you describe makes me think of the trapezius muscle.
I am sure the powerlifting didn’t help. Here’re my suspicions:
1. Your pecs are too strong and are pulling on your back. Stretching them and massage for the chest and front of your arms can help relax these muscles enough to get them more in balance.
2. You still have a scoliosis which is possibly caused by a leg length difference. This can be measured in a medical facility by x-ray. They can actually measure the length of each of your leg bones. It is different from the x-ray a chiropractor does. A leg length difference can cause scoliosis.
3. Do you always sleep in the same position on one side? This can aggravates muscles in your neck and upper back.
4. Are you left-handed? If so, using your left arm and hand in front of your body (as humans do) can pull on those back muscles.
The stretches you do can be for the tight back area as well as the opposite side of your back, but please be sure to incorporate stretches for the front of your body, too.
If there is some reason that you deliberately flex or tighten your painful triangle area, that may be the cause (and massage can help work those tight muscles out in that case) but I’m leaning toward the tight pecs or leg length difference.
I hope this helps. There are more articles that I wrote at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com – scroll down through the list of articles on the right hand side. You will find some about scoliosis and leg length differences and back pain.
I hope you find this information helpful. And please feel free to write again. I am sure you can overcome this: you just need the correct information and to take appropriate action to get rid of this upper back pain.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hello I have had this pain for a very long time. I’ve been to physical therapy. I am 22 I was told I have the back of a 70 year olds .. I did not make it to my third appointment before they kicked me out of therapy . I have sceen a orthopaedic specialist he said to try therapy again . I have bad neck pain and chronic lower back pain but the pain I have between my shoulder blades down my spine .. goes about down to the end of my ribs. I can not find any way to get it to feel any better .. it is a constant pain .. I have tryed the exercises and have been on multiple muscle relaxers and nothing .. please help me :-/
Hi Rachel,
That was really rude to tell you had the back of a 70 year old. And it wasn’t true, either!
There are a lot of reasons for back pain and most of them involve muscles. Muscles are the most overlooked cause of pain. I would estimate that about half the people who go to physical therapy get kicked out, drop out or flunk out. That’s because the cause of the pain is overlooked.
If I am understanding correctly, your pain runs along your spine? There are muscles on and next to the spine. They can be irritated by slouching. Do you slouch?
Those muscles can be treated by skilled massage therapists who know how to work closely to the spine very effectively. But if your posture is the cause, you will also have to correct it. Usually this can be done by strengthening the muscles of your back.
Muscle relaxers aren’t the answer. The correct exercises may be. If I am wrong in my long-distance assessment, please write again and give me more details.
Thank you for writing. And there are more articles from me about natural back pain relief at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Kathryn,
first off, i just want to say ‘wow’.. you’ve helped so many people with this site… i’m hoping you can help me.
I’ve been suffering for two weeks now with terrible pain in my back. initially it was central, and spread over both shoulders and the middle of my back. i went to the hospital and they did an x-ray to rule out anything broken. (i should mention, my 12 yr old son, who is 100 pounds jumped on my back while rough housing with him and his brother) the hospital prescribed toradol for pain, and flexorol for muscle relaxation… it seemed to be working fine for a few days last week… but this week is another story. the pain has changed, it’s now only or mostly, on my right side.. under my shoulder blade. i had emergency gallbladder surgery last year due to infection.. and had it removed. so i know it is now gallbladder related.. the pain is intense, and hurts so much i can barely sleep. Last night was probably my worst night to date. to describe the pain i’d have to say, it begins as a spasmy feeling.. and quickly becomes a severe ache. the medication works.. however, i still feel the ‘knot’ or stiffness on that right side. even with the use of pain killers and muscle relaxers.. i don’t know what to do. The ER doctor told me it would take around 5 days to heal.. but it’s been 9 now.. and i am getting no real relief. please help!
Eva
Hi Eva, Thank you very much for your kind comment and thank you for writing.
Based on your very good description it sounds like a muscle issue. It could be caused by muscle spasm that becomes more noticeable in certain positions. Or, it could be that you dislocated a rib when you were playing. The rib may have ‘popped’ right back into place but the muscles are still remembering the injury and complaining.
There are many more articles at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com about knots in backs and muscle spasms. They might give you more ideas about the cause of the pain. Yes, your son may have initiated the pain but something is causing it to continue. My best long distance ‘guess’ is muscle.
Please remember that I am not a doctor but my understanding about muscle relaxants is that the part of muscle that is in spasm stays tight–only the surrounding muscle (which is not in spasm) relaxes a bit and if it feels better, that’s why. And you might find that an over-the-counter drug called sodium naproxen (Aleve) works better than the pain reliever you were prescribed. If you try it, follow the directions on the bottle.
Have you tried Tennis Ball Therapy yet? Or pressure on and around that area of your back with a foam swim noodle? Here is a link to one of the articles http://www.simplebackpainrelief.com/upper-back-pain/get-rid-of-muscle-spasms-in-your-upper-back-with-tennis-ball-therapy/ at my other natural pain relief website. It explains how to use a tennis ball to help work out muscle spasms.
While you are there, Eva, scroll through the list of articles on the right hand side. You will find more that may apply to you.
And you may know that I’m really biased about the value of therapeutic massage. Hugely! If you have the resources to have massage that would be awesome. If you check the Category for Massage here at Simple Pain Relief, you will find an article (quite far down) about how to find a massage therapist who can truly help you and not just do a nice rub.
But sometimes self-massage and a tennis ball can make a big difference, too. Icing the area (cold compresses) may also help.
Rather than treat just a small area work all around the discomfort. Try breathing into the ribs on that side; make the ribs move with your breath. That helps stretch and warm the muscles around the ribs. The idea is to get more circulation into the painful area. Have you done gentle stretches yet?
Sometimes when an area is injured, even slightly, all of the surrounding muscles ‘jump in’ and get involved. Then the discomfort becomes worse.
I hope this helps you get some relief and I apologize for my delay in responding. Please write again and let me know how you are doing. You have a smart body and it just needs a little help from you (and maybe a massage therapist) to get better.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I’ve been having pain that feels like it is somewhere under my right shoulder blade (I’m right handed) and extends out toward my spine. The muscles between the spine and shoulderblade are incredibly sore and are constantly aching….the pain extends all along the shoulder blade. I have gone to the chiropractor, massage therapist, MD and have an upcoming appointment for an osteopathic manipulation and physical therapy. I have gotten this before where the pain only lasted for a few days to maybe a week. This time I am on 5 weeks with no relief. My MD prescribed me a muscle relaxer that does nothing but make me tired…does nothing for the pain. Hot showers will make it feel better for a period of time….waking in the morning it feels good until about 2 to 3 hours later when the pain sets in again.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’m only 35 years old and I feel like the pain is consuming my life as it is interfering with my work, and family.
Thank you for your time!
I am a 35 yr. old mom experiencing a ton of pain on my right side (dominant hand) between my shoulder blade and spine. The pain feels like it’s under my shoulder blade and I can’t seem to get to it….however the muscles between the shoulder blade and spine ache terribly. I have done Chiropractic, Massage, MD (prescribed muscles relaxers which did nothing for pain but rather made me sleepy). I’ve been doing the tens machine both at home and at Chiro and nothing is helping. Hot showers will help for about 2 hours. Waking in the morning will get me through about 2 hours and then the pain sets in. I’ve had the pain in the past for maybe a couple days or a week….however this time I’m going on 5 weeks. The pain is mostly constant and is greatly interfering with my work and family as it is consuming…at times the pain radiates down my shoulder into my arm. I do have an appointment for Osteopathic Manipulation and Physical Therapy coming up this week. Any suggestions as to what may have caused this or what I can do to eliminate pain would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Theresa, Thank you for the second message which has more information.
What are you doing in the first 2-3 hours that you are up in the morning? That may be a clue. Muscles get crabby for reasons so let’s figure out the reasons so you can get rid of them.
To date, it sounds like people have been chasing your symptoms. The physical therapy may help correct the root of the problem.
Do you mouse a lot?
If you look into a mirror can you tell that your right shoulder is lower than the left? Can you see if it is more forward than the left shoulder?
Have you tried ice? Ice/cold packs are a wonderful treatment but not only where the pain is. Also use the cold packs on the front of your shoulder and upper arm and below your arm pit next to your shoulder blade and even lower on your right side. That will help relax the muscles that are pulling on your painful area.
The idea is to get rid of the muscle stress that is causing your pain–not to blast away on the painful area. It cannot relax because muscles are pulling on it.
Usually working with our dominant hand causes the muscles in the front of that shoulder and arm (and even ribs) to shorten. That, in turn, causes pulling on the muscles in back.
When your shoulder blade is being pulled forward, the muscles that attach to it closer to your spine or waist are also being pulled. And they don’t like it!!!
Theresa, I hope this will help you. Please feel free to answer my questions and write again if you need more help to get rid of this pain between your spine and shoulder blade.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I am right handed and I do use a mouse/computer a lot for work. Yes my right shoulder does hang lower and I do have mild scoliosis. I have been battling with this on and off since 2006 and have asked for some imaging to be done of my neck and back to see if there is something in the soft tissue/nerves that could be contributing to this. Do you think this is a reasonable request? I just don’t want to continue with manipulations etc. until we have a fuller picture. Rather than a pain medication my doctor has now prescribed me with an anti-anxiety medication as she feels it is all stress related…I’m not so sure I agree with that. Yes I do get anxious but only after I’ve been in pain for so long.
Hi Theresa, Muscles tend to be overlooked by the conventional medicine professionals as causes of pain and of scoliosis. If you had a diagnostic test, it’s likely they would tell you that your spine is malformed or out of alignment but would overlook the REASON WHY. The reason is almost always muscles. And muscles can press on nerves and cause pain, too.
A skilled massage therapist can make a huge difference in helping you release or relax tight right-side muscles if they are the cause of your scoliosis. And, if I was a betting woman, I’d bet they are. 😉
Pain does cause stress and anxiety. You must remember that I am not a doctor but getting rid of the pain will help you get rid of the anxiety. Peeling just one layer at a time of dis-stress from the body or mind starts to cause relief.
If you can see a massage therapist to release those tight muscles, that would be great! If not, here are do it at home suggestions:
1. Stretch. But stretch the right side of your back 4 times as much as the left side. That will help make a therapeutic difference. Do this several times a day. Also stretch the right side of your chest and upper arm–backward and upward.
2. Ice. Use cold packs all around your right side muscles to help them relax and to help reduce the discomfort.
3. Check your pant legs: Is one always longer than the other? Are you “missing” a hip on one side when you look in the mirror? These would be clues that your scoliosis is caused by a leg length difference. Otherwise, I’m betting on the muscles of your back and ribs and chest on the right side.
4. Start strengthening the muscles in your back by squeezing your shoulder blades toward your spine (just a few times a day to start–3 or 4.)
5. Lift and roll your shoulders back, lift and roll back.
Massage beats stretching but stretching is the next best thing. And even following release of the tight muscles by massage, stretching will keep you from relapsing back into a short, tight right side. Theresa, I hope you will use this. Take action and start getting rid of your discomfort. Please feel free to continue the conversation.
And your doctor is missing the boat. (But remember, I’m not a doctor!) She is not looking at the whole picture–all of you–to make her diagnosis. That just means she doesn’t yet have that knowledge of how bodies work.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I am 14 and when I use the computer I lay on my side with my hand holding my head up. is that bad for your back. I have been getting back pain and it feels like my right side of the back is tighter than my left side of the back when I stretch and now at the really bottom of my back. The tail-bone and right side of my back is hurting once in a while. When I stretch I feel like my back is kind of hurting but more of it stretched out hurting if you know what i mean. I think I have bad posture when I sit. When I sit my back is slumped and my head is in front of my chest. any suggestions or help?
Hi Nick, Thank you for writing and giving me your story.
Yes, always pressing your head into the same direction can aggravate your neck.
Always laying on the same side can also cause the muscles on one side of your waist to get short or stretched too much. That means one side will be tight. In that case, that muscle (the Quadratus Lumborum or QL) that is tight can actually cause your hip to ‘hike’ up when you lay down. It can also cause it to appear as if you have a short leg.
However, sometimes people really DO have a short leg. Here are some clues if that is your situation:
1. Look into the mirror when you are standing up. Try to stand as straight as you can. Does one hip bone or your belt or waistband look lower on one side?
2. Is one pant leg always longer than the other on every pair of pants?
3. Look at your finger tips in the mirror. Are they closer to your feet on your side?
Slumping or slouching is also called poor posture. You may not notice it as much but I would bet your head is also forward when you stand. Sitting on your tail bone can make it hurt. What’s the answer?
1. Strengthen the muscles on your back, including the back of your neck.
2. Stretch and lengthen the muscles on the front of your body, including your thighs, abdomen, chest and arms.
3. Every time you catch yourself slumping, stretch up into better posture. Your muscles are used to slumping now but you can change that by correcting your muscle imbalances with strengthening and stretching.
4. When you sit in a chair, tuck your tailbone way back into the place where the chair seat meets the back of the chair. If the seat of the chair is too long for you to do that, find another chair that fits better or place a pillow or rolled towel behind your waist.
When you stretch your lower back, it can feel more aggravated until it starts to get used to stretching and moving again. Manually pressing into your waist near your spine with your thumb (or someone else’s thumb) or fist or laying on a tennis ball or similar ball. A good massage therapist can really help with releasing tight back muscles.
Nick, these suggestions should get you on the road to feeling better soon.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Ok to start off if you want to know how I got backpain this is how. Firstly my heels were hurting and it got to a point where it really really hurt. So I kept asking my mom to get me heel pads and I got this specific brand these helpers at sports chalet So I wore them for a few days and my back starting hurting and my parents didn’t do anything about it. I think maybe one side of my hips is longer but I don’t know can you help me out for what it is?
Hi Nick, Thank you for the additional information.
Here’re my best long distance guesses: Your heels may have been hurting because you are leaning forward from your heels when you stand.
You didn’t need heel pads. They could cause you to lean forward even more. 🙁 And that could be why your back started hurting after you got them.
One medical doctor said: “If we were supposed to walk with heels on our shoes, God would have given us heels on our feet.” The flatter the heel of the shoe, the better.
You probably DO need sturdy arch supports. An running shoe store will probably have them and at this time, the cost would be around $30 or less. These are STURDY not soft and cushy. They have a thin layer of metal inside. Their job is to support your arches. They will help you stand up straighter! 🙂
I hope these suggestions help you, Nick. And please remember, I’m not a doctor. But bodies are logical and we can get rid of pain when we understand why muscles complain and how bodies work.
One more thing: Sometimes your parents can help you. But sometimes you are the one who has to take action! They cannot do the exercises for you to help you get a stronger back, for instance.
And another thing I just remembered: Even though we want to have a strong back from your knees to your head, we want to have soft calf muscles.
Stretch your calves like this:
Lift your toes toward your knees. That does two things: It stretches your calves and it strengthens your shin muscles so it helps balance out both sides of your lower leg. It can also help get rid of your heel pain.
Take care,
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I went in and had some imaging done on my spine. It appears that there is some degeneration in my C5, C6 & C7 with some bulging and mild protrusion which appears to be pressing on a nerve. There is also mild scoliosis. The neurologist stated that all of my symptoms support the findings on imaging. So I am doing Osteopathic manipulations, Physical Therapy and Acupuncture. I am holding off on any nerve injections or surgery and hoping that if I can strengthen that area that it will improve greatly.
Hi Theresa,
Thank you for the update. It sounds like you are doing the right things. I like conservative treatments.
Since scoliosis can be caused by muscle imbalance I hope that your PT will help with that. There are some PT’s and massage therapists who specialize in correcting the too tight-too weak muscles around a spine and who even look to the legs and feet for possible causes.
I hope you will be feeling better quickly!
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn,
I would like to thank you for the detailed pain buster information you’ve provided to people who’re suffering from back pain.
I am suffering from pain, spreading across my left shoulder to my left arm, for the past 1 week. I have taken fermentation treatment & massage, however there is no relief from the pain.
I am a right hander, and it is not my dominant side getting the pain. I have suffered this kind of pain (only in the shoulder blade area) during winter season, mainly because of sleep postures (cuddled sleeping) and to treat it, I went with fermentation, the pain lasted for about 3 or 4 days maximum and then completely relieved of the pain.
This time, the pain is originating from my left shoulder blade, and then it eventually spreads across to neck and my left arm (till the elbow). It gives me terrific pain when I am trying to drive a two wheeler or a four wheeler, specially when my arm is stretched. The pain hurts so badly, that I take a break every 15 minutes or so, while driving.
Apart from driving, I can feel the pain and discomfort only in my left shoulder blade, when sitting in a chair or working in front of the computer.
I request you to kindly share tips to cure this kind of pain. Many Thanks and Wishing you a Happy & Prosperous New Year!
Hi Kaushik, Thank you for writing. You are most welcome and may you also have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Here are my best long distance thoughts:
Switch sides for sleeping. Cuddle on your opposite side. Will this bother the opposite shoulder after a while? Maybe. But if you switch back and forth it will help keep your muscles from being always in the same position. Or cuddle and then sleep on your back. Not as much fun but sometimes necessary.
Do strengthening exercises for your back muscles.
This can be as simple as squeezing your shoulder blades toward your spine. Start out with just a few squeezes a few times a day until your back muscles get used to being stronger again as they were when you were a child. You can do more and more squeezes as they strengthen. Try it now. I’ll bet it feels good?
You can also do this when riding your vehicles or doing anything that stretches your arm forward. We need to have strong back muscles and the muscles in the back of your neck also need to be strong to hold up our heavy heads.
When you use the keyboard and mouse, keep your elbow close to your waist. If it is a laptop, get a separate keyboard and mouse for better ergonomics.
The fermentation or fomentation treatment and massage if only applied to the area of pain cannot get rid of the cause of the symptoms. You must get rid of the cause.
If you are able to have massage therapy, that can also be a huge help with lengthening the front-of-body muscles and getting rid of tight areas.
Here is an area that I think is probably tight on you: The muscles on the left side of your back under your armpit. If someone can lift and pinch these muscles (not just the skin but the muscle) and hold it for a few minutes, you will probably notice about 20 minutes later that it feels better.
Also, stretch the muscles on the front of your chest and arm. Stretching the front and strengthening the back helps balance the body and prevents muscle pain.
Kaushik, I hope these suggestions help you get rid of your back pain quickly. And there are many articles with lots more information about the causes and cures for back pain at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com which is another of my natural pain relief websites.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn
I have had a shoulder injury for almost a year now which results in me getting about three hours sleep a night. Whilst I don’t feel much pain during the day, but after a few hours sleep will have an ache so bad between my shoulders that I can no longer sleep. The minute I get up out of bed the pain is gone, but if I try to lie back down to sleep within three or four hours of getting up the ache comes back instantly. I often get muscle spasms/fasiculations at my sternum as I wake up and can feel the muscles ‘jumping’ around. I also now get pain at the top of both my shoulders and find my dominant arm is very weak and saw when reaching overhead etc. When I wake up it is very difficult to reach above my head with my dominant hand.
The injury happened when I was hunched terribly over the mouse at my computer but never went away. It has gotten worse and worse despite seeing 2 chiropractors, 2 physios and a massage therapist. My back actually seemed to get worse after the very painful massage. The therapist noted that I had large knots in my shoulders and down on my ribs and worked on the whole back and neck (front and back area). Not long after the injury I moved from being a full time mum to my wonderful but sizeable son to full time office work, so restricted movement/sitting at a desk using a computer all day, something I’ve never done before.
Everyday I complete stomach strengthening exercises given to me by my physio as well as back, neck and chest stretches, most of which you have described in your many posts, but things are getting worse rather than better. I was able to get 5-6 hours sleep for a little while but this is no longer the case.
I was using 200mg of Celebrex to manage the pain and at least getting some sleep but this no longer works at all. I had a full spinal xray set done which showed some slight degradation in the thoracic and rib joint area, but was apparently nothing to worry about. My doctor wants a very expensive CT scan done next and says she thinks the problem is in one of the thoracic facet joints. I’m trying to find some money to get a new bed, just in case that’s the problem, but being on one income makes this difficult
I am getting very frustrated as the lack of sleep is just killing me. It’s been a year of so little sleep and trying to function when exhausted as well as look after a spirited not so little boy. I’m happy to make all the postural/stretch/OT changes in the world, if they could start improving things!
If you could make some suggestions that I could take to my health care providers I’d really appreciate it, as this has been a very expensive failure so far!
Hello Serena, I think you are on the right track. Here are some thoughts. Remember, I’m not a doctor.
Remember, too, that sometimes doctors are making guesses because they don’t know all the answers, either. I have a colleague who went through surgeries and experimental drugs all to no avail because the doctors didn’t know the cause of her pain and were guessing. They are only human, too. They never were able to get rid of it. She still has it from time to time but handles it with therapeutic massage, self massage and ice and propping herself with pillows in bed to maintain a neutral posture and sometimes has to resort to pain medicine.
What would the doctor do or suggest if it did, in fact, turn out to be a jammed facet joint?
Sometimes after deep, specific massage an individual will experience more discomfort temporarily. Sometimes the muscles aren’t used to being touched in that new way. Also, massage releases metabolic (body) wastes and between that and the new movements of the muscles it can feel like you have started a new exercise program too vigorously. If it causes discomfort it is usually for only a few days and then the soreness of the massage wears off and the body will usually feel better than it did prior to the massage (at least until we do the aggravating thing again if there is one.)
If you have massage only rarely, each time is like the first time again. But if you are able to continue massage on a fairly regular basis, the ‘newness’ goes away and typically there is little or much less tenderness after treatment.
It sounds like the therapist you went to did a good job because you said she worked on the front and back of the neck. I do like it a lot that she worked on the front of your neck. I hate it, though, when a therapist says you ‘have large knots’ or anything similar. That feels less than professional to me. And if she spent a lot of time on the ‘knots’ she might not have spent sufficient time on the front of your arms and shoulders. Typically, the symptom is NOT where the problem is!
Strengthening your abdominals isn’t such a great idea unless you are also strengthening your back. Otherwise, the strong abs pull you forward and that’s not what you want to happen. Ditto your chest muscles.
It may be that you need more strengthening of your back muscles. I especially like squeezing shoulder blades toward the spine to strengthen them. Also, laying longways over a rolled towel or foam noodle (so it is behind your spine lengthwise) will let you stretch your arms and chest muscles slightly back. Up and back, stretch the front of your body.
In and downward, strengthen the back of your body. Move your shoulder blades together and toward your waist.
You might possibly have a displaced rib. If so, it is possible that muscles are holding it in the wrong place and if you will try moving your arms in various directions thoughtfully and slowly, you may be able to determine very specific areas of pain or lack of movement. Those are clues.
Your mattress could be the culprit if it is too soft or too hard. Too hard is easier to fix with a queen or full size Tempurpedic type foam topper folded in half to create more cushion. If you are able to get a new mattress, try them out for a LONG time at the store. Don’t just pat a mattress. Bring your own pillow and get comfy. Lay on your final choice for a long time, half an hour or more in the store to get a good feel for it. Sometimes the couch is the best bed in the house.
If you are a side sleeper you are mashing your poor shoulder no matter which shoulder you sleep on. Let me know if you are a side sleeper and I’ll give you some more ideas.
Desk work is a very hard job. Sitting is not what we were designed to do. Take lots of stretch breaks and do your best to be seated in comfortable, neutral posture. Do NOT stretch to reach your mouse. Are you normal weight? Hold your elbow next to your waist when you type or mouse.
Look for self-help articles and a Tennis Ball Therapy article when you go to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com which is another of my natural pain relief websites. If you haven’t been there yet, you may find a lot of helpful information.
Here’s to getting rid of the knots in your back naturally!
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Also, Serena, consider your pillow. It could be the thickness of the pillow or where you place it that causes some of your upper back pain.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Thanks Kathryn for your advice! I am a side sleeper, I find it very hard to sleep on my back and when I am able it seems to just cause different pain (hips, lower back) which because a problem after pregnancy (I had a lot of hip pain when pregnant and it seems to have made things a bit touchy now!). I sleep with a triangle pillow and have for years and years as always liked the ability to tuck it right under my neck. I do get the softer, flatter ones as many are overstuffed and more for use for supporting the back when sitting up in bed. I’ll have a look for a mattress topper, it would be cheaper than buying a new bed. I think my bed is quite firm, it’s supposed to be a medium, but when I tried out some mediums at a shop, they felt a lot softer than mine.
I also have something similar to the tennis ball, it’s called a thera-wedge. It’s a firm foam triangle which you lay on like a tennis ball and puts pressure on the facet joints which I find is a great help. I usually use it before bed. I have tried it in the middle of the night, when the pain acts up and it does make the pain back off temporarily, but I find nothing really helps except to get up and moving for a few hours. By the time things have settled down it’s time to go to work!
Hi Serena, The wedge or even a roll of carpet or a rolled towel or foam tube all work as well as a tennis ball.
If you are a shapely woman with hips or very thin, you may need a softer mattress. Hopefully, the topper will help.
Switching positions many times during the night helps (according to one doctor I heard interviewed) but that could interfere with sleep. The Tempurdic people say that you are so comfortable that you don’t have to move at all! But I have wondered if staying in just one position may simply be cradling us in our dysfunctional position.
Trial and error with the sleeping position may give you some hints about the best way for you to sleep. Also moving/stretching as we discussed in our last online conversation here may also make a big difference for you in getting rid of your back pain naturally.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Back again! Just wondering what your thoughts are on self myofascial release? A few of your other posts led me to reading about fascial scarring and it’s role in back pain. One source seemed to think a lot of muscle pain came from the fascia rather than muscles or joints? I’ve been using a foam roller with big massaging nubs on it for the past few days as well as stretching my chest muscles rather than my back which seems to be helping heaps. My pain and sleep has improved a lot already. I’m thinking of doing the chest stretches and fascial release on my back and trying to regularly see a local massage therapist who uses trigger point techniques and was wondering if you’d had any success with something similar?
Hi Serena,
Thanks for writing again. Myofascial release is a form of massage (“myo” means muscle; “fascia” is the tissue that binds everything in our bodies together.) And massage is good medicine including self-massage.
Pain can come from either the fascia or the muscles. Actually it’s the muscles that cross a joint that feel the pain. When the pain comes from nerves, it’s most often because the nerves are being pressed on by fascia or muscles.
Fascia can get ‘bunched up’ and it can also develop trigger points. It can also be smoothed out. 🙂
This is great that you are taking action and having such good results. Results like yours can usually be expected when people take action. 🙂
Carefully assess your trigger point therapist. Many people (including doctors) are familiar with the term ‘trigger point’ but don’t understand what it means or where and how to work to get rid of it.
I use a foam noodle almost daily to release and relax the back muscles and stretch the front muscles. I received an email from a man who uses a roll of carpet as his self-myofascial release/massage tool. A large tightly rolled towel will also work as a tool to get rid of back pain naturally.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi again, Serena,
Response #2: Did you mean have I had good results with trigger point therapy? You bet! That is a primary technique that I use and love. See my last response for more input about trigger point therapists.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn,
I am 29 years old man and have been experiencing upper back pain below the shoulder blade since last 2 weeks or so. I am a consultant and have started working again since a month or so after taking a long sabatical.
I suspect that I have this pain because of postures and changed life style (using laptops, wrong seats at clients end, travelling, hanging laptop bag on the shoulders). I have this pain in the left side (non dominant). The first week pain was really high! I tried everything massage, pain killer sprays, pain killer tablets, heating therapy, Electro Magnetic massage (bought it from the store) and what not! The pain did not go and one day I woke up without it. Now its back again 🙁 same intensity and it spreads to the front part of chest. I feel pain if I breathe my lungs full and also feel pain aroung my heart.
I am not sure if this is a medical condition or not, should I just bear the pain, pop in pain killers and focus on exercises once the pain is gone or should I see a doctor (which is a lengthgy process here in Germany).
The pain is really at a high scale and its disturbing the quality of my life. Please do help!!
Highly appreciate your help and initiative!!
Thanks
Bharat
Hi Bharat,
Here is what I suspect based on your description: rib muscles.
There are muscles that wrap around the back, sides and front of your ribs. They are like fingers that wrap from back to front. For some reason (sleeping on side, carrying heavy packages, etc.) they have become tight–in spasm.
You can reach a lot of these muscles yourself by using your opposite (right) hand. Pressure on the muscles (and massage) can help them relax. If you find tender areas on these rib muscles, that means I am correct and they need to be relaxed. It’s okay to press or rub on the tender areas–that’s what helps them relax.
Hold a tender area for about 12 seconds. You may notice that it is feeling less tender at that time. It’s okay to go back to tender areas multiple times.
If you can reach the area immediately below your armpit and shoulder blade pick up as much muscle (not just pinch skin-grab the muscle) and pinch and hold for about 20 seconds or as long as you can. In about 20 minutes, you might notice a lot of relaxation in those muscles. But it may be very tender to do this. That just means the muscles are tight and need attention. You can also ask someone else to do this for you.
Pain killers don’t help cure muscles. A pain reliever like sodium naproxin (if it is available there–that is the generic name for Aleve in the US) may help settle inflammation and make you feel somewhat more comfortable without messing with your mind.
Here are the steps:
1. Relax or release the muscles that are causing your pain. NOT just the places that hurt. Those are symptoms. Treat the muscles that are causing the pain. You can use massage, pressure, cold or ice therapy, heat (if it feels better–on the rib muscles) and stretching and breathing.
2. Strengthening starts after the muscles are relaxed. Strengthening should be to make your muscles long and strong rather than short and tight.
Laptops are not very ergonomic. Perhaps you could add a keyboard to yours so that when you travel you can use the laptop as a monitor and work in a more neutral position? Perhaps you could get a wheeled bag rather than hiking your bag over your shoulder?
Thank you for asking and I hope these ideas help you get rid of the pain below your shoulder blade.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Kathryn,
I am very happy I found your website. My story is similar to so many others on here. Here is my background: I am a 39 year old male that has been dealing with upper back pain for approximately 9 years. The pain specifically runs along my left shoulder blade to the base of my neck. I have some big knots along my left shoulder blade as well. I am right handed. I have had MRI’s that show a C7 disc herniation on the left side and a large posterior C6 disc bulge. I have had PT, Chiro, Epidural injections, trigger point injections, etc. Lastly I had surgery – a C7 Posterior Foraminotomy to relieve the pinched nerve about 1 year ago. The surgery has done nothing to improve my situation. It in fact is probably a little worse. Maybe it wasnt the pinched nerve that is causing this? I unfortunately can’t seem to properly strengthen my back, because it flares up my upper back pain whenever I retract my shoulder blades together. Any kind of rowing motion seems to really aggravate the muscles. I do a upper trap and doorway chest stretch numerous times a day – but I just can’t seem to get better! I also foam roll my upper back regularly. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated, and thanks for your time.
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for writing. Here are my best long distance thoughts:
I’m thinking a few things: I will bet that you have a forward head. That’s why the rowing and doorway stretches bug you. You probably lead even more with your head when you do those movements. Yes?
I’m thinking the muscles in the front of your arms, chest and neck have become short and tight. That happens due to the way we work, sleep and relax.
It may not have been the pinched nerve that caused your symptoms in the first place. The roles of muscles as causes of pain are widely overlooked in the medical field. And muscles are the most common cause of pain.
It’s important to get your head back over your shoulders (if my assessment was correct.) You can do this by gently strengthening the muscles in the back of your neck. http://SimpleStrengthening.com has articles about this.
If you can find a St. John Neuromuscular or Neurosomatic massage therapist they can help you relax the muscles in the front of your chest and neck to help get your head back, too. There are other good types of corrective massage but just ‘plain old massage’ won’t be much help to you.
Muscles move bones and disks. This means that muscles can move the bones or disks into places where they press on nerves. Relax the appropriate muscles and take pressure off the nerves. Sometimes surgery is absolutely required. But often it is not the best answer for upper back pain.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the MRI’s also said I have mild/moderate thoracic scoliosis – but the doctor didn’t seem interested in this finding. I just thought I would add the info. Thanks again.
Kevin, this doesn’t surprise me. The scoliosis curvature can, of course, throw off the structure of your neck. If you can locate one of those therapists I suggested in my last response that would be good. A skilled therapist can help you determine the cause of your scoliosis and manually correct it and do corrective actions.
If you go to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com and scroll down the list of articles on the right hand side, you will find about three articles about natural scoliosis treatment.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Thanks Kathryn! Do you know of any St. John Neuromuscular/massage facilities in northern New Jersey area? I didn’t find anything on a google search.
Hi Kevin,
Please go to http://StJohn-Clarkptc.com and ask if they have a list of students who have done the training in St John Neuromuscular or Neurosomatic training. They may be the best source or be able to point you to the person who does have the list. There IS a list. Thank you for asking and I hope this helps. Please let me know if you run into a dead end.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hello All,
I came across this thread as I am suffering the pain as mentioned here.
My case started around the end of 2010 with marked halitosis and a sever bout of nausea associated with some abdominal discomfort, and then a change of bowel habit to constipation but with quite pale stools.
I have since had my gall bladder removed, as it showed on ultrasound that I had multiple small gall stones, but was told that it may not cure all my symptoms, and how right they were as I still have this pain that is felt around or very close to my right hand shoulder blade.
During the op they performed an I.O.C so they could visibly see the common bile duct etc, and I was told there were no stones stuck anywhere, however I don’t know if a CT scan that was done earlier would show if there were stones stuck in the liver for instance.
I am extremely worried as to what this pain is being caused by, one thing I would say that if I lie flat or on either side the pain of eases slightly, any ideas as my doctor thinks it could be a muscular/ skeletal issue.
By the way I have Barretts Oesophagus and Diverticular disease, the Barretts I have had for a considerable amount of time.
Any ideas?
Hi James,
Your doctor could be right! Muscles may be involved. They can cause pain or other symptoms either by themselves or at the same time as other problems.
Now, sometimes internal organs and other parts can cause pain on the outside of the body. In those cases, trigger points (really irritable tight areas that cause pain elsewhere) in the organs are causing the symptoms. This is a possibility but on the other hand organs may not be involved at all. There are muscular or massage therapists who specialize in organ massage. http://www.StJohn-Clarkptc.com is a place where this is done. They may have a list of practitioners around the country who have taken the training.
But it’s also possible that your muscles are acting without the organs causing pain. There are muscles in your neck and in the front and back of your shoulder, chest and back that can cause pain in this area. In fact, they do it all the time. There are lots of articles about this at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com
The easiest thing to do is start releasing muscles on the outside of your body. You can either get a referral to a skilled massage therapist to help with this or learn to do it yourself. A really good book for self-help trigger point and tight muscle release is The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. You can click on the blue book on the right hand side of this page (just scroll down.)
It’s an excellent book and easy to read and understand and put into action. A live massage therapist will be able to help more quickly but also costs more if money is an issue.
Especially since your doctor has this suspicion this seems like a good starting point.
You will know fairly quickly if massaging or pressing into the muscles makes a difference. This is the route I would take: Check the muscles on the outside of your body first that can cause pain around your shoulder blade.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hey James,
But remember, the muscles that are CAUSING your shoulder blade pain may not be in the area of the pain at all! Massaging the painful area may or may not help. The causing muscles for pain in the shoulder blade area are most often in your neck, chest or back.
Take care,
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hello!
Like SO many others on here, I am happy to find your site and advice and hope you can give me a clue for what to do next.
I am left-handed and experience pain and tightness along nearly the entire length of my spine — on the right.
I am 48, have had 4 children, and have narcolepsy, which means (now that my kids are older) I take stimulants every day. (I also take a good amount of high-quality magnesium, a good balance of Bs, D3, fish oil, and more.)
12 years ago I had surgery for TMJ.
About 6 years ago (after my last pregnancy) when I was regularly doing NIA, I noticed that I was having problems “undoing” spinal twists one one side. (knees to one side, head looking to the other.) It felt like something was “stuck” in the middle of my back. (This still ALWAYS happens.) My right shoulder and the right side of my neck were giving me problems and I saw a massage therapist for a while, but never felt she was getting deep enough. Then about 4 years ago I injured my right shoulder 2 times in 2 months, bad, but nothing torn, no surgery. I did PT and then switched to MFR, using a practitioner that was recomended to me by all other MFR folks I contacted as they felt my case was too difficult. The MFR helped a great deal but the therapist moved out of town. He felt that my problems were posture-related and he worked with me on using my foot arches correctly as well as helping me to open my front and bring my clavicles into proper position. When he started I could not do that, but now I can (although I don’t always remember to). He worked on my neck nearly every visit and it always helped but within a day or two it was back to its normal painfully tight on the right.
Despite his work, for years I have been sitting against a heating pad nearly every chance I get. I am constantly strecthing my neck, and my right shoulder is always at risk for more injuries.
I have been seeing a chiropractor for about a year now. His x-rays show that I have a curve that is not quite medically-diagnosable scoliosis. He has a great deal of difficulty adjusting the middle sections of my back (lower thoractic / upper lumbar) as the muscles kick into protective mode nearly as soon as he touches me. We’ve started doing acupuncture first so that I will be more relaxed. (Both he and my MFR guy both say my hips are even.)
On top of all that, and I feel almost certainly related, 4 months ago I started getgin a lot of upper right abdominal pain that I swear is pancreas or former gallbladder but neither my GP nor my GI think I might know what I’m talking about (even though all tests they’ve run have come back as “normal” so they’ve no clue what is really going on.)
I am certain that part of the answer to relieving my abdominal pain is to figure out how to stop the constant tightness along my right side.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you for listening.
Dear Leslie,
Reading your comments (including the TMJ surgery) made me think of scoliosis. And scoliosis can have multiple causes. I’m glad to hear you have had some good therapists but I suspect you haven’t had one yet who treats scoliosis. To treat scoliosis, one does not treat the two sides of the back equally; rather one treats or stretches the shortened side 4 times as much. If the sides are treated equally, nothing changes.
There are muscles in your upper right abdomen. They could be part of the problem. If muscles in the front of the body are tight they will pull on muscles in the back. And it could possibly involve the diaphragm muscle. That muscle is below your lungs and ‘cuts’ across your body. It causes mid-back pain and also difficulty breathing when tight. It is also the cause of hiccups!
If you had gallbladder removed you may have scar tissue. Also, it is possible for organs to cause pain in muscles. Certain massage therapists have taken training to treat all of the possible muscular causes of pain. If you cannot find someone locally, the http://StJohn-Clarkptc.com in Florida may be able to help you find a therapist in your area who has taken this training from Paul St. John.
The good news is that your doctors are finding nothing medically wrong. That almost always means muscles are to blame. (And that is not something that is taught in most med schools.)
My best long distance guess is that the muscles in the front of your body and your diaphragm need manual release (massage, pressure, ‘pinching’) and also that there may be curves in your spine that could use treatment. Curves are sometimes caused by distortions in bones but more often by muscles.
You said you wear arch supports (as I understood) so that’s covered. Maybe your hips are level, maybe not. I guess it depends on whether they are measured standing or laying down. And it depends whether there is rotation. What I am asking is: Are your hips really level? Or is a distortion (rotation) causing them to appear level?
When you use the heating pad only on your back, you are trying to relax those muscles but are ignoring the muscles on the front of your body. Try switching the pad to the front and place it on the areas you suspect are causing pain.
I hope this helps you start to get rid of that pain on the right side of your back.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn, thank you for the great site!! I recently went through a terrible bout of stress related to one of my children getting very ill. I also had to sleep in a hospital pull out couch for over 40 nights. After all of this I started getting a pain between my right shoulder blade and spine. I also have a 6 month old which I carry around alot AND I have a desk job where I type often and use a mouse often. The questions I have are:
I feel the pain in my right side when I carry my child with my left arm. Is this normal?
Can stress itself cause these sort muscle issues?
How long could these pains last? It has been almost 2 months and I have even been to physical therapy but still feel the pain. I am wondering if I should get an MRI? I am actually getting an MRI tomorrow for my lower back as I have been having terrible sciatica and lower back pain for the last 2 months as well. I feel like I am falling apart!!!! I am 38 years old.
Since I have had the pain for so long and since I went through my sons cancer I also now fear worse problems and it is now causing me even more stress. I am really just trying to convince myself that this is indeed a musculoskeltal issue to get rid of some of my stress. I feel like self diagnosing myself on the internet has also caused some of this stress but it just takes forever for stuff to happen going to Dr’s. Everything seems to be “do this for 30 days” and while I do that I stress out that its something else.
I did get an x-ray of my shoulder and they said they didnt see anything.
should I think of a chiropractor? acupuncture?
I also feel like I can’t find the right Dr. or physical therapist.
sorry for the rant, I am just hurting and so stressed out….
Warm regards,
John
Hey John, Thank you for your kind comment.
There are 2 types of stress: mental and physical (or muscle.) The more stress you have the more everything adds up and the more unhappy your body will get!
It sounds like the hospital couch caused you to be sleeping in uncomfortable positions and this caused muscle stress and tension (spasm and knots).
Yes, your pain is normal. It can last until your muscles get happy again. You aren’t falling apart.
You must remember that I am not a doctor. But sometimes the best doctor is a massage therapist. I am not making light of the situation, John. I am stating the truth.
When the doctors find nothing in the tests that almost always means the problem is in the muscles or other soft tissues. The good news is there are some massage therapists who specialize in helping people get rid of muscle pain and stress.
Muscles are the most overlooked cause of physical pain. The first step is to get rid of the knots, trigger points or muscle tension that are causing your symptoms. AFTER that, physical therapy can help you ‘get balanced.’ But so can a skilled massage therapist.
I received two emails this week from readers who said they are feeling better and cannot believe the difference after following some of the common-sense suggestions I give. One involved supporting the natural curve in the waist when seated (driving) with a folded hand towel. The other involved strengthening her back muscles and stretching the muscles in front.
Here is the comment from the woman who wrote:
The shoulders rolls are up and back, up and back. The arm circles are at http://budurl.com/CircleArms and there are articles about using your bed as a resistance strengthening tool at http://SimpleStrengthening.com
When pain is ‘good pain’ that means that the body says, “YES! This is exactly what I need!” So even though there may be discomfort it feels appropriate. The body likes it!
Muscles around the waist/hip bones and also in the buttocks can cause sciatica. It sounds like all of your symptoms are related. So, John, the fastest way to relief naturally is to find a good, educated, skilled massage therapist who will listen to you and look for the causes of your symptoms. Check out the Massage Category here and you will find an article that explains how to find a massage therapist who can truly help you get rid of your symptoms.
Since muscles move bones and disks it makes perfect sense in my mind to see a massage or muscle therapist. Get rid of the muscle tightness and get rid of your pain.
I hope these suggestions will help you get rid of your muscle stress and pain naturally.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
John, here is an article about sciatica and muscles: http://simplepainrelief.com/2012/02/05/buttock-muscles-can-cause-sciatica/
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn,
Thank you for your comments. I have been referred to a Community Physiotherapy Service, so time will tell if this will help me or not, my GP has asked them for me to be seen a bit sooner than normal.
As for my GB removal, well I went with that option as I kind of thought that I was going no further unless I had it removed which I have had that operation about 3 weeks ago, but like I say the pain is the same as it was prior to the cholecystectomy.
If this is any help when I sit on my backside on the floor it seems to bring on the pain around the right side area of my back, or if I sit in a certain position it brings it on too.
I don’t know what else can be done if we find out that it ain’t related to anything muscular/skeletal.
Hi James, Do you mean you sit on the floor with your back rounded? On your tailbone? If so, please quit it! 🙂
Here are my other thoughts:
Your pain may possibly be caused by your internal organs sending trigger point messages to your back. Organs can do that. Only a few massage therapists do organ massage to eliminate referral pain from organs.
Or, it may be that you have lost the natural curve you used to have in your low back. We are supposed to have a curve behind the waist that swoops forward. You know, like a toddler does. Because of the way you described how you sit on the floor, I’m thinking you may have lost this curve. That causes back muscles to be easily strained.
There are massage therapists who just do massage for relaxation or stress relief (most of them.) That’s good but it’s NOT what will help you.
But there are a few who do massage for relief of pain and dysfunction. That is the type you have to find. If a therapist doesn’t press deeply enough for you to feel “hey, that’s good pain!” then he or she isn’t getting deep enough. I say this because I am sure you will have many areas of muscle tenderness and tightness around your torso.
Remember, muscles are the most commonly overlooked cause of pain and other symptoms. It could be that you just have to find the right therapist.
Here’s an article for you from the Massage Category here: http://simplepainrelief.com/2009/11/22/how-to-find-a-massage-therapist-who-can-relieve-your-pain/
I hope this helps you start quickly getting rid of the pain in your back naturally.
Kathryn Merrow
The Pain Relief Coach
would be great for future readers if you include how long it takes to heal…owww the pain
Hi Michael, Good idea! The answer is it all depends on what actions someone takes. For instance, here’s a message I received this week:
> Here’s a testimonial for you:
>
> I am an occupational therapist and I know better. I have preached for
> years that we need to stretch our chests and strengthen our upper
> backs/posterior shoulder girdles. However, I have been having spasms
> between my shoulder blades and spine (mostly on the right), and I have
> spent what seems like endless hours in hot baths, on the heating pad,
> and lying on tennis balls or pushing as hard as possible against my
> shiatsu
> massage chair. These techniques often relieved the spasms, but only
> temporarily; not to mention that it left me with a bruise-type pain for
> days from pushing so hard. One day, feeling beyond frustrated, I
> started searching the web. That is when I came across your site and had
> that AHA moment (in a “duh” fashion for me). I had been missing the thing
> I preach so much about!! (We healthcare professionals are such bad
> patients). I instantly stood and did the corner stretch and doorway
> stretch, then cut a piece of Theraband and started some scapular
> strengthening exercises (specifically external roataion and horizontal
> abduction). Boy, did I feel it on the right, but I kept going and guess
> what? Within 2 days, I was FINE. Pain-free, spasm-free, and H-A-P-P-Y!
> Thanks for the reminder. We all need to be smacked upside the head from
> time to time. =)
>
> ~Katie F.
Katie knew what to do but she wasn’t doing it for her own pain. (We do that sometimes–it’s different when the therapist is the patient.) But when she started doing the right thing she started getting better.
You have to get to the root cause of the pain. In this case, it’s often because the muscles in the poor back are over-stretched so trying to make them relax and get longer just won’t work!
When I had a similar situation with a knot, I ‘forgot’ just as Katie did but when I remembered and started actually working on the cause instead of my symptoms (the knot) it was feeling better in just a few days.
I hope this helps you start getting rid of your painful knot!
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Kathryn,
This is for my wife. This pain has reached epic proportions. here is the low down:
1. The first week of February 2012 we had to go down to one car so my wife’s driving habits have double. Also on March 10th and 11th she and I took a 10 hour a day motorcycle driving class. A few days later this pain between her right shoulder blade and spine started.
2. She has gone to the Dr and they diagnosed her with the rhomboid mussel just as described in you above article. They have prescribed mussel relaxers and ice pack therapy and pain relievers.
She has done all the Dr has asked but it is not getting better it may really be getting worse. It has been so bad she is not sure but it is continuous.
For the last several days she has tried to just rest everything. She still must drive but that is almost all. She has tried to immobilize hoping that things will calm down. But even when she drives she only used her left hand and keeps it at the bottom of the steering wheel to limit any raised arm situations. The drugs only just take off the edge and the cold therapy seems to do nothing. Now she is really frightened and in still more pain.
We feel like the Dr is just under the assumption that she is just the average patient, she is not. My wife is almost 6′ 4″ tall this puts very different strains on her living in a 5′ 8″ made world.
Please can you give us some kind of direction. She is going to try a chiropractor on Monday. She is desperate and scared. Thank you.
Dear Michael,
Thank you for writing on behalf of your wife. I’m sending you to three other articles here so you two can better understand what causes muscle knots in upper backs.
http://simplepainrelief.com/2009/12/10/what-causes-a-knot-in-your-back/
http://simplepainrelief.com/2011/06/26/what-makes-upper-back-pain-go-away-like-magic/
http://simplepainrelief.com/2008/03/31/another-cause-for-that-knot-in-your-back/
And here is a testimonial email I received last week from an occupational therapist:
> I am an occupational therapist and I know better. I have preached for
> years that we need to stretch our chests and strengthen our upper
> backs/posterior shoulder girdles. However, I have been having spasms
> between my shoulder blades and spine (mostly on the right), and I have
> spent what seems like endless hours in hot baths, on the heating pad,
> and lying on tennis balls or pushing as hard as possible against my
> shiatsu
> massage chair. These techniques often relieved the spasms, but only
> temporarily; not to mention that it left me with a bruise-type pain for
> days from pushing so hard. One day, feeling beyond frustrated, I
> started searching the web. That is when I came across your site and had
> that AHA moment (in a “duh” fashion for me). I had been missing the thing
> I preach so much about!! (We healthcare professionals are such bad
> patients). I instantly stood and did the corner stretch and doorway
> stretch, then cut a piece of Theraband and started some scapular
> strengthening exercises (specifically external roataion and horizontal
> abduction). Boy, did I feel it on the right, but I kept going and guess
> what? Within 2 days, I was FINE. Pain-free, spasm-free, and H-A-P-P-Y!
> Thanks for the reminder. We all need to be smacked upside the head from
> time to time. =)
>
> ~Katie F.
Katie knew what to do but she wasn’t doing it for her own pain. (We do that sometimes–it’s different when the therapist is the patient.) But when she started doing the right thing she started getting better.
You have to get to the root cause of the pain. In this case, it’s often because the muscles in the poor back are over-stretched so trying to make them relax and get longer just won’t work!
When I had a similar situation with a knot, I ‘forgot’ just as Katie did but when I remembered and started actually working on the cause instead of my symptoms (the knot) it was feeling better in just a few days.
You see, you can’t just blast away on the knot–it cannot relax! And, as I said in this article, rhomboid muscles get blamed all the time but are most often not the problem.
Height and posture can make muscles unhappy. But the goal for your wife is to strengthen the muscles in her back and stretch the front muscles. NOT just treat the symptom!
If I had the choice between a skilled massage therapist who understands the reasons we get knots in our backs and a chiropractor, I’d vote for the massage therapy.
Also, if you wife is leaning on her elbow(s) that will aggravate her scalene muscles in her neck which will cause upper back muscle spasms. I learned that first hand! 🙂
I hope this helps your wife start getting rid of he painful knot between her shoulder blade and spine.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hello, it is so nice to read information that makes sense. I have been searching for so long, trying to make sense of what could be going on with me. I think I have a much clearer understanding now. I am a 56 yr. old postmenopausal woman. About a year and a half ago is when all my pain started. I woke up from sleeping on my side. (like I always did) I had such excruciating pain. I thought for sure that it was my lung. I went to the E.R. and was given x-rays, blood test and had a bone scan and everything was normal. I still thought that I had lung cancer because of my ribs in my back were hurting also. The pain was on the side of my right back scapula and below my right scapula down to my ribs. Sometimes, when the pain was so bad in my ribs, I would push on a couple of different spot and I could feel a “thud” feeling and the pain would be gone for a short time. I remember while I was getting my bone scan that I couldn’t lift my left arm up over my head. That really scared me. I think all of this has given me alot of anxiety. My doctor says “I can’t raise my arm over my head either. It’s arthritis.” Well, I don’t think it is. A year later and I can now lift my arm all the way up. I am so happy. Now, I will be even happier when the pain goes away from my scapula and ribs. I now have a wonderful chiropractor who said that my ligaments are over stretched. She said that it affects my muscles and bones. My posture is really bad. My shoulders slope forward and my head sticks way out sometimes while watching t.v. I try to remember to keep my shoulders back, head back and suck my stomach in. (when ever I can remember) I do the exercises of squeezing my shoulder blades together. I really don’t feel it as much except when leaning back on that side or especially when I lay on that side. My chiropractor told me not to lay on that side. (forever?) I am looking forward to the day when this pain disappears.
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for writing. I’m so glad you found me and that it makes sense. Bodies are logical. They make sense. We just have to know what the heck they are trying to tell us. 🙂
When the tests are normal, that’s a very good thing. It almost always means that the problem is muscles and muscles are treatable naturally.
I’m happy you can stretch overhead now. See what a smart body you have!
Arthritis is probably the most common word that doctors use. Just because something is stiff or hurts that doesn’t mean it’s arthritis. It could be out of balance or tight muscles pulling over that joint.
You have already diagnosed your own problem–your posture. Try these tips:
1. Use a different seat or a pillow behind your back when you watch television to help you sit more upright.
2. Lift your chest.
3. Lift the crown of your head.
4. Keep squeezing your shoulder blades toward your spine. (Can you do that? You used to be able to. It may take a little practice.) That will help you strengthen your back muscles.
5. Press your upper arms into your bed when you lay on your back. It helps the same way.
6. Press your head gently into the bed. First make your head and neck comfortable. Press only the head, not the neck.
7. Turn your head gently from side to side (the ‘no’ movement.) Gently do the ‘yes’ movement.
8. Prop behind your waist when are are seated.
And yes, you may have to stay off that side forever. But you might occasionally be able to lay on that side if you prop it to keep your spine straight. The positions we are ‘most comfortable’ in are often the ones that can cause us grief. Bodies like to be in lots of different positions.
If you can have massage, ask the therapist to release or relax the muscles that are pulling your shoulders forward. They are in the back AND in the front.
You can massage your own upper chest muscles. Press in below your collar bone and explore all the way to your arm and breastbone. They also attach to your upper arm so look for tender places there, too. Any tender areas mean the muscles are tight. You can rub, press or use cold therapy to help them relax.
You have a good goal–to become pain-free naturally.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn!
I ran across this when searching for some information on my back pain I’ve been having. I traveled 7 days ago and after the first night of sleeping on a different bed I woke up with back pain under my left shoulder blade closer to my spine. It blew it off and assumed it was from sleeping on a different bed and assumed it would go away soon. It’s now 7 days later and the pain is still there, and starting to become irritating! I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant so I assumed maybe it’s the pregnancy that’s causing the sudden pain, but it made more sense to assume it was from sleeping on a different bed because it didn’t start until after I had slept on a different bed. After reading your article I’ve put a couple things together in my head, that seem to make sense to me but maybe I’m being silly. You talked about the front muscles being pulled causing discomfort in this area of the back. I also read an example you had given about a rope being pulled in both directions. After reading so much through the article and responses you have posted to questions I’m beginning to think this back pain could have to do with my growing belly and the pulling of all my stomach muscles. Do you think that could be causing the back pain I previously explained? Or the bed? Or both mixed together? Thanks in advance!
Hi Caity,
Great question! And I think it’s both things together. Your body is changing and the bed wasn’t right for you. 🙁
Try massaging or rubbing the muscles on the outer side of your back below your shoulder blade (under your armpit.) You might find tender areas there and they may be what’s pulling and causing your back pain.
If you can, find someone to ‘pinch’ that area–lift and pinch the muscle not just the skin–and hold it for several seconds. Then in 20 minutes or so you may notice the discomfort is gone. 🙂
Keep taking good care of you and baby.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi
I have a pain that occurs in the left side of my back between the shoulder blade and spine that is directly behind where i perceive my heart to be and this goes through to the front of my chest. This also radiates throughout my whole shoulder to the base of my neck. I am right handed.
I have seen a cardiologist who hasn’t yet identified it as a cardiac problem. If I bend my neck forward I can feel a pulling on the area of pain in my back.
I have had many ecg’s and also stress test that have not thrown anything major up.
If I stretch and twist I can feel the pain in my heart area.
I have had this pain after exercise such as swimming or walking or light weights for a while now and am a little worried that I cannot get it identified. Can you help at all?
Hi David,
I’m not a doctor but I can tell you that sometimes people have pain in their chests and they are hooked up to monitors. Many times the monitors show nothing with the heart. Muscles in the back will trigger pain in the chest/heart area.
Rather than tucking your chin down (into the injury position) have you tried the opposite? Lifting your chin to tilt your head back a bit?
Go slowly and thoughtfully. If I were to treat you, based on what you have said about your symptoms and the rugby accident, I would probably start with the muscles on the front side of your neck.
You may be able to find a massage therapist who knows how to work on the longus coli muscles. Those are the same muscles that are shortened in a whiplash injury and you had a doozie!
It sounds like you may have multiple areas contributing to your chest pain. I’m really suspicious that it starts in the muscles of your neck and upper back but at this point, the lower back may also be involved.
I hope this helps you get rid of the pain that feels like a heart problem.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I should also mention when younger I had a nasty rugby injury when younger where my neck was compressed and my nose touched my chest and I was in a collar for some time.
What you describe sounds a lot like my back pain. But I’ve got a little more on it-
In 1999, my Senior year in highschool, I woke up with a very bad stiff neck one day- and the pain shot down my neck into the muscles between my right shoulder blade and spine. I wasn’t able to turn my head without pain, and this lasted for a few days.
However, my back has NEVER fully recovered. I was in band at the time, and continued band for a couple of years at college. My back gave me the most problems when holding a trumpet for a while- much like you described how it would with “work or play alot with your arm stretched out in front.” This caused overall numbness, annoying feelings, tingling, etc.
For 13 years since then, I have always had my “spot” — it always feels sore, and like it just needs a good massage, or maybe a single solid adjustment by a chiropractor. But no one has ever been able to fix it. The numbness has bothered me now and then for the past decade, but since I put the trumpet down, it hasn’t been something to ruin my day. Dr’s have had me take anti-inflammatory pills, and I have been to two different chiropractors (who both think I’ve got a rib bone out of place- but this all can be tracked back to sleeping weird that one night)
In high school, my weight was right were it should be. As an adult, I have gained a lot of weight, and I am now trying to shed it. The pain in my back is now worse than ever (but probably on the same level as it was 10-13 years ago) because I am working out- doing a lot of cardio- and using the machines with heart rate monitoring, which is right in front of me. So for extended time everyday, I’ve got my arms stretched out in front – something I haven’t really done for 10 years. I’m also cutting/cleaning/juicing a lot of fresh vegetables. So, the pain is distracting, horrible, and I am basically going crazy.
I’m going to try some stretching, and part of my workout routine includes upper back work- but to me, this sounds like it’s got to be some kind of nerve pinching/damage. Wanted to see what your thoughts were- or perhaps what terms and suggestions I should make to a Dr/Chiropractor/Masseuse to get moving in the right direction to rid myself of this pain.
Thanks so much for your article- and all of your responses to your readers!
Hi Jacob,
Thank you for writing and you are welcome. And I appreciate your kind words.
It’s amazing what we can do to injure ourselves in our sleep!
http://www.godvine.com/Man-Barely-Able-to-Stand-on-his-Own-Does-the-Unthinkable-Amazing-1476.html
That’s the link to a little video about a man who healed his back pain with yoga. I just found it yesterday. Very inspirational and I believe it will give you ideas.
Yoga is a whole body movement that makes muscles LONG and STRONG. That’s how muscles LIKE to be rather than short and tight. Yoga helps bodies be balanced rather than some areas tight and some weak.
Nerves can be pinched by bones or by muscles (IF it’s a nerve issue.) The chiropractic did not work. The doctor will prescribe pain meds or maybe physical therapy if you are lucky. Maybe even offer surgery whether needed or not (usually not.) But a skilled massage therapist can help the muscles that are pulling on the bones relax. I generally suggest someone who practices the St. John Method of Neuromuscular Massage Therapy or Neurosomatic Therapy by Paul St. John. These therapies look for the cause of the problem and treat the cause. There are other trainers of NMT but Paul is my hero and I have seen him help all types of muscular problems.
And most pain problems ARE muscular.
What would I do if I were you?
I’d stop working out. I’d start walking. Walking can be aerobic and uses all of the body if done correctly. http://WalkingSmart.com for a free report that I wrote.
I’d start yoga. (There are many types so you may have to try a few different instructors or classes to find your best fit.)
I’d take lots of breaks when prepping the veggies. You don’t have to do them all at once.
Have you been to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com ? You may find an article there that would help.
If the pain feels burning, that most often indicates over-stretched muscles that are complaining!
I hope this helps get you on the road to a natural cure for your neck and upper back pain.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi again, Jacob.
Also, a skilled massage therapist can help relax the muscles in your neck called the scalenes. There is a good change they are causing not only the pain in your back but also the numbness and uncomfortable sensations that you had in your hands and arms when this first happened.
I’m thinking it’s a posture issue. If I was a betting woman, I’d bet you have a ‘forward head.’ Maybe rounded forward shoulders, too?
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Thanks for all the advice- just to clarify, the numbness has always been isolated to the same sore area in my back, but never arms/hands/fingers. Not sure if that changes anything or not, but I’m going to try and get a massage therapy session, and find some Yoga on TV to try out. My workout routine right now is about 45minutes of cardio, and then about 20 minutes of lifting, alternating arms/legs every other day.
Hi Jacob,
The scalene muscles refer pain and uncomfortable sensations into BOTH hands and backs. The idea is to open your chest, get your head back over your body, and strengthen your back. If you are doing arms, you are possibly also doing pecs and might even be shortening/tightening the muscles in your neck even if you don’t mean to.
Thank you for writing again. It sounds like you are on the right track to getting rid of the numbness in your upper back.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I recently moved from Maine to Pennsylvania. Shortly after un packing, I developed a pain between my spine and left shoulder blade (not my dominant hand). My left arm tingles all the way to my pointer and middle fingers. It is very painful. I was told to rest and ice it. It has been 5 weeks without any relief. Any suggestions?
Hi Terri,
Pointer, middle finger and thumb? If you have your palm facing forward, is the discomfort on your arm on the palm side and up near your collar bone? If so, there is a muscle behind your collarbone which causes symptoms in your pointer finger, middle finger and thumb.
Also, the front of your shoulder blade is below your collar bone and very close to your shoulder. The muscles in the area may be affecting your hand. The chest muscles that attach from your ribs in front to your shoulder can also be causing symptoms. I would suggest icing that area–chest from collar bone to shoulder to breastbone. That will help those muscles start to relax. You can also massage them or press into them. Tender? That’s a great clue! Tender means tight.
Because of the moving activity I’m leaning more to the muscles in that area than on your back. However, it’s also possible that the muscles in your back or the sides of your neck are causing symptoms.
Here’s a video that may help in case you didn’t find it yet: http://budurl.com/CircleArms.com
Please feel free to write again with more details. I’d love to help you feel better.
I hope this helps you get rid of the tingling in your left arm.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn,
Let me try this again, for the past few years I have been suffering with this pain. It is located in my upper back, between to my shoulder blade and spine left side. It is a knot that comes and goes. I have been doing hair since my teenage years. It is the most uncomfortable feeling. The knot sometimes last for days, On occasion I have been able to get the knot to move under the shoulder blade which does sometime give me releif. However this last time after doing hair for two days straight, I am back in the same position and this time it’s even worse . I have been unable to sleep comfortablely and when I do fall asleep I awake to major stiffness. I have went to the ER on a few occasions but the muscle relaxers make me sleepy and irritated. I am miserable during the 5-6 days that this knot is bulging and I feel as if my left shoulder is more elevated than my right during this time. I normally use a heating pad cause I can’t deal with the ice. We are going to have a heat wave staring today over the next 2-3 days so the heating pad may be out of the question. What can I do.
Thank You For You Advice in Advance,
Brenda K
Hi Brenda,
Please go to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com because there are lots of articles about knots in upper backs there.
I really appreciate how hard it must be for hairdressers. If you hike your shoulder when you work, that will cause the upper shoulder muscles to contract. If you do that, you may want to lower your chair (if you can.)
Try this: Ask someone to pinch your upper trapezius muscles (the top of your shoulder). It will be very tender. That will help the muscle relax. But don’t let them kill you. Only accept as much discomfort as is reasonable.
Try this: Sit down. Ask someone to lean with their forearm on the top of your shoulder. They will be pressing into that same muscle.
Try this: Use a little more padding between you and the cold pack. Ice really is good medicine if you can tolerate it.
Try this: Throw stones or a softball. It moves your shoulder bones and muscles and helps them relax.
Try this: Lift your shoulders as high as you can and hold them there for several seconds. That will fatigue the muscles and help them relax.
Thank you for writing and let me know your success in getting rid of your knots in your shoulders. 🙂
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn,
Today will be my third trip to the chiropractor this week. I was diagnosed with ulner neuropathy several years ago and periodically have issues with numbness in my arms and hands. 6 days ago I woke with a stiff neck and pain in my right shoulder, which radiates down my arm. After the second chiro appt, the pain in my neck was gone, but the pain down my arm has increased. It is an ache with some throbbing and tingling in my ring and pinky fingers. I use a TENS machine at the chiro office and at home and have been icing my shoulder/spine/neck area. My chiropractor said that heat in the morning would be ok to loosen things up. Heat seems to be the only thing that actually helps. Any advise would be great. Thanks so much.
Hi Debbie,
Here are my best long-distance thoughts about your ulnar neuropathy. Please feel free to write again with additional comments or concerns.
If heat makes you feel better both at the moment and long term, use heat. But ice is the best treatment for nerve-induced issues and there are a ton of nerves in your neck. Since ice works well both for nerves and muscles, I recommend cold therapy most often. But if your symptoms feel better for several hours after heat, go with your body wisdom and use it.
Now let’s get specific.
Was your ulnar neuropathy diagnosis made by electromyography? (probably a pretty accurate diagnosis.) Or was it based on symptoms? (may have been incorrect diagnosis.)
According to Travell & Simons, trigger points in the teres minor muscle under the armpit (attaches the shoulder blade to the upper arm bone) can easily be mistaken for an ulnar neuropathy or C8 radiculopathy. The good news about that is the trigger points can be released.
Trigger points (TP’s) are hyperirritable areas of muscle that cause pain elsewhere. So, for instance, a TP in your teres muscle can cause the same type of symptoms in your hands and arms as an entrapment of the ulnar nerve. The infraspinatis muscle is on the back of the shoulder blade (lower 2/3’s of the blade) and is usually involved when teres minor has TP’s.
Do you have an impression that you don’t have much range of motion when lifting your arms overhead or behind your head? Or did your symptoms start with a shoulder injury or accident?
That could indicate teres minor is involved. Hot packs in that area would be helpful as would self-stretching of the teres. You can massage that area by laying on a tennis ball or something similar. Find the most tender places and apply pressure by laying on the ball. A professional massage therapist who knows anatomy would also be able to help you release (relax) those muscles and get rid of the TP’s in them.
If you have “forward head” or rounded forward shoulders, those are clues to which muscles might be involved, too.
Taking pressure off nerves caused by forward head posture will help reduce symptoms. Getting your head and shoulders back into neutral position means strengthening your back muscles and the muscles in the back of your neck.
I hope this gives your some insight into ulnar neuropathy and self-help treatment.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hi Kathryn. I have had chronic back pain between my right shoulder blade and spine for the past 8 months. It has been getting worse and worse. I am 41 years old, have moderate scoliosis, and I am right handed. When the pain first started, having my boyfriend “crack” my back by hugging me would always cause a temporary fix. Since I assumed the back pain was related to my bones, I went to my chiropractor for an adjustment. Just as with my boyfriend, the chiropractor’s cracking of my back offered only a temporary fix – 15 minutes later I felt like my back needed to be cracked again. I also started to develop pain under my right side rib cage which seems to be directly related to the back pain. Recently, a friend suggested that my problem might be muscular and referred me to her massage therapist for a medical massage. In the past 3 weeks, I went for 3 half hour massages at $50 each. When the massage therapist applies pressure to that area of my back, I experience pain in my front right side lower rib cage to the point where I can hardly breathe. I have decided to not go back for more medical massages because they have not helped at all. I had a physical about a month ago with complete blood work and everything was in normal range. I almost forgot to mention that the pain is the greatest when I am standing doing something like washing dishes or cooking. I am of thin build and exercise regularly. I have decided that I am going to stop using free weights and weight machines for awhile to see if that helps. If you would suggest an area for the massage therapist to concentrate on, I would consider going back to him (although I would not look forward to telling him how to do his job!) He does seem to be very good and knowledgeable. He owns his own business and does quite well. To summarize, I always feel like this area of my back needs to be “cracked” and I am now experiencing pain in my lower right side rib cage when I take a breath.
Hi Andrea,
There are muscles that wrap around your ribs on the outside of the ribs. They can become shortened and tight and it’s possible that those rib muscles (toward the front side of your body) are actually causing your pain in the back. By tractioning you to the side, they may also be a big part of your scoliosis. They are the serratus muscles.
Also, the diaphragm muscle which is inside your body, below your lungs, might have a contraction which is causing your back pain. It can also be released by a massage therapist who knows how to get up under the ribs.
Since the medical massage did not help get rid of your back pain at all, that means the treatment has not been directed to the right area.
Muscles move bones. When a chiropractic adjustment doesn’t ‘hold’ it’s because muscles are pulling on the bones and moving them back to the shortened muscle position. So, logically, it’s the muscles that need treatment.
Here is a link to several articles I wrote about scoliosis:
http://www.simplebackpainrelief.com/?s=scoliosis
Scoliosis always happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is just something we do habitually like always sleeping on the same side.
You can reach the serratus muscles yourself. Start exploring from your armpit downward. Look for tender areas. When you find them, pay attention and see if they are related to the back pain between your shoulder blade and spine.
I’m really suspicious (long distance) that your back pain is being caused by the muscles on the sides and front of your ribs on the right side.
If you lie on the floor and lift an arm up and over your head, see where the stretch appears. Then do the same motion with your other arm and see where you feel the stretch. That will help you determine which areas need stretching. Most likely it will be your right side needs stretching more. Make it 4 times as much to cause change.
Good idea to stop using the free weights. Concentrate on strengthening your back.
There are lots of articles at that link that will help you get a stronger back side.
And don’t worry about telling the therapist what to do. When people give us feedback and information it helps us do a better job. If he disagrees, then he may not be the therapist for you.
I hope you will be rid of that lousy chronic back pain soon. Keep me informed of your progress.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Do you ever recommend the use of an RS Stimulator to relieve back pain and spasms? I have researched and found this device works for many to ease the pain of muscle spasms enough so that you do not have to use addictive narcotics. My pain management doctor did not want me to try this, he just wanted to give me drugs. After seeing all the addicts in the waiting room I refused the drugs. I was finally able to convince him to write a prescription for the RS Stimulator or I would find another doctor who would. This device is a godsend to me. Drugs are used only during the absolute worst episodes. When I got the device, the doctor and staff told me to never wear the device into the waiting room again when I went to my appointments as it upset the other patients. This is supposed to be a reputable pain management clinic, but it seems they are more into addicting patients to drugs to keep them coming back. This pain management clinic never offered any options other than drugs. Pain Management Clinics= Addicts needing their fix for drugs pushed upon them.
Hi Betty Sue,
I’m not personally familiar with this device but I’m happy it works for you and I’m sharing your story here. I have talked with more people who use TENS units and have benefit than who have not had benefit.
Unfortunately, what you say is often true: Pain management clinics use medications to dull pain rather than look for the causes of the pain and get rid of those causes. That’s how they learned to manage pain in med school so that’s what they know. I know that not every person’s pain source can be uncovered but lots–LOTS–can.
And every now and then I do hear of a pain management clinic that goes beyond just medicating. Some also do physical therapy or various self-help treatments. Thank you for writing and sharing how you control the muscle spasms in your back.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
I’ve lost over 11 stone in 6months living on on phd diet whey protein drinks and one to two meals a week and 3 litres of water a day i started to get realy bad pains around my left shoulder blade ivetried heat creams and pain killers but its that bad i’m having to stop training as much .
How do i stop the pain ?
Hi Steve,
How are your bowel habits? I’m wondering whether you may be constipated? Or maybe your gall bladder isn’t happy? Based on only what you told me, this may be something to check with your doctor. IF it’s from working out and you think you may have made an incorrect move, that’s different. In that case please go to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com to find articles about shoulder blade pain.
Here’s one article: http://www.simplebackpainrelief.com/neck-pain/pain-in-the-left-side-of-your-upper-shoulder-and-neck/
Scroll through the article titles on the right hand and see which others catch your eye.
Thank you for asking about the pain around your left shoulder blade. Also, there is a muscle that is sandwiched between your ribs and shoulder blade. It can cause pain ‘around’ the shoulder blade. If you give me more clues about exactly where your pain is, I might have some more thoughts for you.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach