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Avatar universal

Left shoulder blade muscle... stinking, sharp, burning pain

I get this extremely bad knot in my left shoulder blade muscle area....between the blade and my spinal chord area... when i stuff envelopes or cook or fish.. it gets excruciatingly bad.. i know its just one of the muscles.. but why is it ONLY the LEFT side all the time and how can i minimize the pain because it gets to where i cant hold my head up sometimes.  It was knotted so bad the other day, it started to make my neck have a numbing/stinging excruciating feeling going up my spine from the beginning sore spot.. i just dont know how to cure it...
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Avatar universal
I got into a car accident and June 2018 to date I’ve been having the same issue, but I work at a desk and this is what the chiropractor is telling me. He said I have a tilted pelvis which contribute the referred pain.

This is my pain management recommendation to do at home.

1) Get a 36” foam roller. Look up and Watch YouTube video. Stretch the strain muscles in the videos below. Primarily the one that is giving you trouble is called the subscapularus “google it” and look for other pain therapy stretches to restore that area.

https://youtu.be/G9vKH6jIw_I ‬

https://youtu.be/ilvMYKDKs9Q

https://youtu.be/Rn2CcKvW7BU

‪INFRASPINATUS MUSCLE RELEASE - Shoulder Blade/Mid Back Pain Disappears -...


2) keep a tennis ball in a sock for when you are on the road travel should this muscle flare up.

3) Consider vitamin D, B12, and Magnesium combination (Helps with correcting nerve damage and  neurological problems due to  chronic inflammation which is the pain you feel when it is severe)

4) practice deep breathing session 10-15 deep breathing mind meditation solution to relax the muscle. Preferable in the morning and just before you go to bed, but can be used at anytime of a flare up occur.

Hopes this helps you. Reach out to me if you  
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Avatar universal
I woke up 3 wks ago had knot in left side of neck got it out but now I'm still having pains in shoulder blade into shoulder pain dn iinto muscle and depends on how I move it pain then goes down to hand all on left side seems to b getting worse
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Avatar universal
I bought an adjustable  bed , 20 year problem between my shoulder blades at night.  please for most of you just elevating the head of your bed will help. foam wedge is much cheaper. but I got the adjustable bed from walmart for 325.00.  please this will help many  many of you.  old welder who  was bent over on 45 degree angle in shops for 30 years.
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Avatar universal
I am 28 years old I have a bad pain in my neck then down to my left shoulder blade its painful inside that end up to a terrible headache please help what I must do doctor prescribe some pills for stress but still does not help it been 9 months.now I'm loosing concentration.
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547368 tn?1440541785
This is a very old thread. Indeed over 200 responses are not even showing.

JSH10 made on post about 18 months ago and hasn't been heard from since. If you wish to reach him - try leaving him a message or a note on his Profile page.

I encourage you to begin a new thread (Post A Question). You will obtain better visibility and more responses. I'll watch for your new post. If you need help please let us know.

Best Regards,
~Tuck
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Avatar universal
Did you ever find an answer?  I too have the same symptoms with no answers from doctors.  Last couple of days can't even lift my arm to blow dry my hair or put on a shirt!  Severe pain in my shoulder blade, shoulder, and neck.  Looking for some relief
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Avatar universal
I'm in pain @3:58 am and you made me laugh lol thank you! Hope you don't mind but I know one of these days I can use the dickhead thingy lol
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Avatar universal
Hello Joe,
I have severe pain and thats why i was googling and found your symptoms matching yours. I hope your pain is over as this post of yours is of 2011. I have the same issue in my left side shoulder blade lower curving part. after applying balms like tiger bams and warm water bottle. It use to go away in 2 days however now its been a week.  Yesterday Pain was gone in the morning however there was still stiffness in my back , I felt. and the pain came again in the afternoon. Went to the doctor and he gave me ( as usual since 5 years now) pain killer and told me to go to gym and sauna. That helps however comes again. It happens only in winter time ans as I live in europe, Its 9 months winter. Could you or somebody else that reads this  has a remedy to it and share it please. My mail is slang underscore babs at the rate of yahoo *******.
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9945918 tn?1406827263
I use DMSO (dimethyl sulphoxide).  I buy from Dr. Jacob's lab because he did the research for 50 years.  He's 93 now and still in great health.  It is a miracle and has a cult following.  When you put it on, you may feel a tingling.  Make sure you put it on with clean skin as it is absorbed directly into the skin and what is on the skin is absorbed also.  I'm 73 and have just started treating a pulled back muscle.  I drink is 1 tsp in a little oange juice. and I apply it directly on the area.  My dog ran after a squirrel and jerked my back.  It works a number of ways byt it is absorbed into the cells and repairs them.  Most people won't use it as it gives you a garlic breath odor - some don't get it, but I use chlorophyll drops.  It's the modern day aspirin.  The cures are unreal.  CURE.  I've read every book I can find.  I am retired from teaching high school and college chemistry myself.  Good luck.
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Avatar universal
don't be a ****...correcting people's spelling...go look in the mirror, tell me if your face is circumcised or not...dickhead..
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Avatar universal
I am experiencing something similar, but have recently gotten over some sort of virus or somethign 104.5 fever was the highest, but the coughing was the worst, I think I pulled a muscle coughing, can't afford dr. but that might be it, just an idea, hope you get better
Helpful - 0
7721494 tn?1431627964
I suspect the pain could be related to disc disease in your neck and not a shoulder problem.

For a first step, I'd see the doc and get an xray.

If it is the beginning of cervical disc disease, a good physical therapist can help with pain and increasing your range of motion.
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Avatar universal
Hi,I'm havin this pain in the back of my right shoulder, in the rhomboids area,
for almost a year now. the pain is not limiting my range of motion in the shoulder at all, but it is causing a lot of clicking noises when i'm spinning it around.
it feels like it's rubbing against my rib cage or something.
the pain started out of nowhere and it does'nt prevent me from working out, although I try not to lift heavy weights.
In the past months the pain started to aggravate gradually  and now I feel pain in my left scapula as well (not as severe as the right one), in my neck I feel the urge to stretch it all the time and I have these weird clicks that I've never had and also pain in my left side of the middle back (in the latissimus dorsi area).

also the pain in my right shoulder hurts especially when I sit without a back rest and it's a deep burning kind of ache all over the inner edge of the scapula and towards  the levator scapula and the upper trapezius.

I'm aware of the trigger points topic and I've been massaging myself with a tennis ball (with the sock trick) for 9 months now, doing deep breaths sessions and mobilizations but except for minor temporary relief after doing the massage, I can't seem to get rid of any of the trigger points.

any enlightenments on this? please help me..

thanks.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
had surgery on my left shoulder bicep long head dont have front pain anymore but have chrnioc back should blade pain where is this pain coming from it feels fine when i dont use it for a good 4 or 5 days like no swimming Streahing  n workin out any ideas what i should tell my OS
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Avatar universal
I was laying in bed just now and I had a pain below or under my left shoulder blade. When I tried to sit up, the pain shot down my left side. This continued every time I attempted to sit up. I ended up just laying there until it went away which was about 5 minutes. Even after I was able to finally sit up the pain is still there a little around my left shoulder blade. This happens rarely to me but it has happened a couple times before. Any ideas?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I too have had this pain.  It started in my neck and then radiated down my left side through and under my shoulder blade.  It progressed to my shoulder and sent shooting pains down my left arm.  It felt like several knives stabbed into my back with one going completely though my back into my chest.  The pain then went from just stabbing pain to pain like liquid fire through my left side down to my waist, under my arm and into my left breast.  I went to my orthopedic doctor who did x-rays and said that it was coming from nerve damage caused from two herniated discs in my neck. My general physician decided to do a mammogram to check to see if I had breast cancer or cysts in my breast.  I am waiting on the results.  I do not believe that is the problem.  I am a bookkeeper and am in such debilitating pain from this that I sit in my office with tears streaming down my face unable to use my left arm.  I am so afraid that I will lose my job.  The pain is so severe that I sometimes throw up which makes it worse.  My orthopedic doctor put me on Percocet at first.  This did NOTHING for the pain.  He then added nerve blocking medication used to treat nerve  pain and this helped block some of the pain but it makes me so dizzy and sleepy that I can only take it at night.  After this did not work he referred me to pain management.  I am still waiting for my first appointment.  I want to KNOW what this is, what is causing it and how to fix it!  I don't want a band aid.  I need help!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi,
I've just been reading some of the posts below and can relate to the pain others have listed.
I have been experiencing pain in my left shoulder blade which travels through to my left armpit. At the moment i am experience sharp needle like pain in my chest area just below my left clavicle.
could you please recommend some exercises to ease the pain.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, my boyfriend and I worked out at planet fitness with friends. His neck was a bit sore from sleeping on it wrong the night before. The gym had massage chairs and after the workout we used them. I stayed on for about 3 minutes and had it low intensity. My boyfriend, Chris used it for five minutes on high intensity. He then began having pain on the right side of his left scapula. I put some tiger balm on it and gave him ibuprofen in case of inflammation. It's the next day and he can't really move because of so much pain. We know it was from the massage chair, but I'm wondering what can we do to treat it. Please help.
Helpful - 0
6450800 tn?1381410605
you may have something called snapping scapula syndrome. I suffer the exact same symptoms and that was my ultimate diagnosis. There is no cure. Steroid or nerve root block injections may help for a time. NSAIDS and muscle relaxers may lessen the pain a bit. Pain meds have not worked for me, not even opiates. They may also try seizure medications.
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Avatar universal
I think your right. I have had the pain in my right shoulder blade for 9 months. Chiropractor helped some and now my right trap is sore to massage. My posture is bad and I want to work on this for a while now. When I massage my trap I do feel the muscle tense up on my back and now sometimes all the way to my butt. Will check out these books thanks. Anything else you can think of please let me know. Thanks.
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Avatar universal
Your case is classic to anyone who is familiar with trigger point therapy. What you are experiencing is an activated trigger point in your latissimus dorsi muscle which in turn has activated satellite trigger points in the triceps brachii and the flexor carpi ulnaris muscles.  These muscles are in the same pain reference zone.  What you need is a masseuse/masseur who is knowledgeable in trigger point therapy.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
AHHHH this is EXACTLY what has been happening to me. In fact, in the shower this morning, I nearly vomited from the pain when I reached up to wash my hair, which I was able to do perfectly normally and pain free yesterday morning. What the.... well, by the time I got to work, which was very late, I blamed myself for sleeping wrong and picking up my son who is three in a funny way, etc. I could literally not tolerate the pain anymore. I have a pretty good pain tolerance. I too carried a backpack all through school, am a hiker, runner, am athletic, etc. I am 34 now, though, I have had these random pains for like seven years. It is EXCRUCIATING. Now that I am old though, I have time, money, and good insurance to figure this crap out. So, long story short, I was diagnosed today with Scoliosis. Apparently I have had this since I was a child. It is "mild." It does not feel MILD, of course. So... what this pain is, is the spine shifting causing stress on the muscles which either tear or fight back against the spine bones (forgive my lack of proper terms, I am exceptionally new to this), causing inflammation of the muscles, which pinches the select nerves in that region where my spine is affected by the scoliosis. Those nerves happen to run down my arm into my four fingers (the thumb is not really affected). I play the guitar. My hand is still primarily numb/tingly. I am souped up on major meds and I am still in very bad pain. I am pissed about this "late" diagnosis but glad that it took me 34 years to suffer this badly. So, the pain originates from a molten hot knot right below my left chicken wing/shoulder blade. This is the epicenter of hell. It then radiates pain waves in a radius about the size of a large drinking cup. My triceps muscle on my left arm feels like someone is ripping the muscle from the bone like deboning a cooked turkey looks like. There are no injuries to my arm or back, just this kind of neurological, intense, ghost pain. The doctor said it should take approx. 7 days for this episode to subside, but it is mainly because I have the steroid and muscle relaxers. Otherwise it could intensify first, take a much longer time, and cause more permanant damage. When this "episode" subsides I am going to see an osteopathic spine specialist to evaluate my remaining options. I do not want this to occur again. It has been debilitating. I work a lot, enjoy work, am necessary to my work, and can't even think straight in the kind of pain fog that I experienced today. See a specialist. You need muscle relaxers to stop the spasms and allow the knot to chill out. I am so sorry you also have this horrible pain. Mine feels like someone stabbed me with a molten-hot railroad spike. Good luck to you.
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Avatar universal
I read many posts but not all... I need to go to bed. :)

I KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THIS PAIN! (at least mine) The answer came after 2 years, MRI w contrast, and MRI without contrast, a physical therapist muscle relaxers...

I noticed a pain almost under left shoulder blade / middle of back. It was dull on good days and sharp on bad days. I noticed that when I would rotate my shoulder I would hear a 'click' and I realized there was a correlation between the loudness of the click to how much pain I was having. Doctors told me it was a pulled muscle... I knew this was not it as muscles do not click and a pulled muscle after TWO years? Muscle relaxers and anti inflammatory meds did nothing. I still listened to the physical therapist and rotated my arm lots for exorcise. Long story short, I went to a ortho specialist, and he told me after 1 xray he knew exactly what it was and that was the easy part. The hard part he said, was fixing it.

I have SCRAPING SCAPULA SYNDROME which is where the muscle under my should joint is small....or in my case, about gone. And the sound I hear is the shoulder blade scraping the back of my ribs, the 'therapy' the others had
me doing was doing DAMAGE.  The muscle is deteriorated and so sits lower in the socket, throwing everything off. Learn how to strengthen that muscle slowly. I lay on the floor and use a soup can to lift.  You can look up more on SSS. It still hurts so bad. It's an injury often found with pitchers and rock climbers (which I am... Well WAS). It's been 4 years $ 2,000 out of pocket in insured med expenses, and still a battle (I'm 30 yr old female and busty which does not help the situation).

But at least the dr helped me discover and avoid some triggers. I also live with my heating pad. (make sure you get one that turns off automatically after 30 min. Or so. I have been burned by a cheap heating pad) I also take many hot baths and will be getting a hot tub. Best of luck everyone. It's an uphill battle.

My way of lessening the pain
Heating pad, hot baths, light and SPECIFIC strengthening exorcises, shoulders pulled up and back aka better posture,,, don't slouch and watch the computer/phone/iPad usage. Too much looking down in not good, lidocaine patches, do not sleep on your side but preferably your back and sit with your back right up against chairs and car seats.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi

I have pain in my shoulder muscles at the back an the trigger point is just below the shoulder blades on both the sides. It started almost 4-5 yrs back but now its continuous and if i press those points below the shoulder blades i know thats the point which is paining the most and i feel relaxed also then. I went for a check couple of days back and doctors suggested some bone test and blood test to check for osteoporosis. Now before i really go for these tests i wanted to be doubly sure of its symptoms. If its really wat the doc has diagnosed.
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