Rhomboid muscle pain - 10 years with little relief

[Unemployed]

I have had chronic rhomboid muscle pain on the right side for 10 years, and have seen numerous MD's(MRI with no significant problem found), Chiropractors (Adjustments & pressure point message), Physical Therapists (waste of money) and a Neurologist that is currently performing acupuncture.  I self medicate with Ibuprofen, and sleep on an ice pack every night.  In addition, I lay on a baseball and roll over the rhomboid muscle while stretching to break up the spasms for some relief, the ball hits an area that feels like a rope that is in a horizontal position across the rhomboid. Pain radiates from the rhomboid up the right side of my neck, and down my right arm which includes the right shoulder.  Headaches are almost constant.
I will try anything at this point to resolve this issue; any help with this issue would be very much appreciated.

[agraham_06]

one word.

egoscue.0

look it up. you don't have to have this pain for the rest of your life.

BELIEVE ME!

[agraham_06]

update...

i'm still improving as a result of fixing my alignment. NOTHING has helped me so much before. It's a daily commitment, but it's working.

DONT TAKE MEDICATION!

email me if you want more info. i'm no sales person. just a sufferer of this pain for way too long who wishes nobody this upon nobody.

[nun144]

I've sufferred with this since the age of 17, initially from tennis. I'm now 40. Symptoms are as described here. Sometimes I can be without pain for a while then it comes back with a veangence - I will either have pain at source (that's where it will start), then it will seem to go but the neck will then be in spasm for weeks on end, also seems to cause a problem in the shoulder. Sometimes I can wake up in the night and the pain, at that point in time feels like I'm having heart trouble and hurts even more when I breathe in, until I fully wake up and realise it's the back muscles again.

I've had x-rays, scans, massages, been to the physio, sports massage, back to the GP periodically (about once every 3 years, what's the point in going? They aren't interested!), where I am told every time there is nothing wrong. In fact I've given up and am resigned to the fact I will live with this for the rest of my life.

[pg2007]

For those who slump:
Slumping 14-18 hours a day, obsessively.....slumping shoulders over a computer keyboard, raising right arm and slumping shoulder to work a computer mouse, slumping over a road bike, slumping over a steering wheel, slumping with elbows on thighs while sitting to watch TV, slumping at the dinner table or working out by bench pressing or manual labor with forward arm pushing motion, etc.  All of these give very tight pecs...especially on your dominant side.  Then....sleeping on your side all night to compress and round the shoulders....further tightening the pecs.  Tightening pecs stretches the heck out of the rhomboid....especially the rhomboid minor.

Suggest relief by stretching pectoral muscle.....Sleep on your back with arms extended up and back in such a way to stretch the pectorals for hours and hours to compensate.  

[stefr]

I agree on the magnesium.....whenever I miss a dose even for a couple of days, my rhomboids are knotted up again and tight.   I used a powder form as the magnesium pills did nothing - perhaps an absorption issue.  So far after chiros, PT, relaxents, yoga, etc....the magnesium is the only thing that helps.  

[skippy1966]

I know it's now 2011 but I too have had upper and lower back problems. I am in the Army, and am 45. had lower back surgery at 28 (1993) for a herniated L4/5, where disc was removed and vertebrae were fused. My xrays look hideous, but I went on to have another child, run a marathon and was deployed to Iraq as well. further neck disc problems diagnosed in 2010 showed herniation on C5/6, which is why all the symptoms of rhomboid and trapezius were being experienced, along with arm pain and occasional fingers going numb on RHS. The pain was shown to be from two main problems;
C5/6 disc bulging and a Bone Spur on the brachial  nerve with feeds the RHS arm via shoulder. The C5/6 pain was mainly in the upper rhomboid and shoulder arm pain was from the bone spur.
But put the two together and it was agony.
having read a very long list of posts on this subject, and been with back issues all my life (17 years in total now) I feel quite experienced in how to cope. I am genetically predisposed to have a weak set of spinal discs. But
it's firstly posture, then knowing your limits - let's face it we are only human,
Then it's weight control and doing the right exercises: basically a whole package of treatments, not just one simple cure all, wow wouldn't that be wonderful!
But the correct diagnosis is firstly important, so any bulging discs (in my opinion) should be taken out. my neck pain is reduced by 95% and rhomboid pain is now managed with massage, posture, weight control and exercise (tennis ball is awesome). No drugs for 6 months.
I now have to accept I don't have enough time to do what I want to, including all the household tasks I must, so I compromise. I rest by employing a cleaning lady....it firstly saves my back and then my sanity. When things get really bad, ice, ibuprofen, as well as a 50mg Diclofenic Sodium (Voltaren) and a good sleep ensues.
But this is only occasional for me now, as neck C5/6 was fused in Jan 2011. and that was elective, but as I too was in agony - totally necessary. I could not have continued living that way for much longer.
let's face it all our nerves centre from one point; our spine, and the branches of those nerves feed out through vertebrae. so it seems logical that if posture is bad, then this will impact upon pain in major muscle groups over time.
I am now up to seeing a PT to have specialized gentle Rhomboid exercises and working on improving posture and shoulder strength on RHS. this with getting diet and weight back under control ( need to loose 10 kg) will make things a lot better. trigger massage is also great and helped as is Pilates.
Hope life gets better for you, be patient, and kind to yourself.

I hope