Sharp pain around spine at shoulder blade level when placing head down

[Jcarp4483]

First off i am very passionate about this because i have been living/dealing with the pain for about 8 yrs now
Ok I will give the what before i go into the back story as some of you may not want to read that much. Simply when i take my chin down to my chest IE: washing dishes, putting a pillow case on a pillow, sleeping on my back while using a pillow,  ETC. I get a severe burning sensation/ pain on both sides of the spine right at mid to lower shoulder blade level.
THE STORY. 29 years old, started football when i was 7. Played up until i was 19 including 1 yr of JUCO. Had a problem with stingers pretty much the last 4 years of my career. To the point, i was told if i got another i could not play anymore. I decided to give up the sport. About 3 years after, and looking back it just seems it was out the the blue no indicators of why, i start having this pain listed above . At this time i did not really know what the pain was being stimulated from i just knew i was hurting and bad. I started out seeing a Chiropractor that was a friend of the family. How do i say this, I was a "Believer". 7 Months into this i was hurting worse when i got done then i did when i went in. So needless to stay i stopped. Started going to pain management. Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and given lyrica and muscle relaxers. Took this for 2 months and the lyrica did nothing and the muscle relaxers made me wake up in the night with my body just locked up. Had an MRI done on the middle of my back where the most pain was and the upper half of the MRI was very dark. They didn't see anything. I decided to leave there and go see a Muscle and Bone specialist with MRI in hand. They pretty much telling me the same thing that they did not see anything. I spent countless hours crying over the pain with no one seeming to want to give me anything. i mean really a 23 yr old kid with back pain? At this point i still did not know what was stimulating this pain just that it hurt and i was fed up. Well over a 2 yr period after this and giving up seeking help i now know what stimulates my pain. But i guess i could say, Why find out what is wrong, because what price am i willing to pay? I have learn to not do things that aggravate my back but sometimes i just cant help it. Sorry this is so long but like i said this is 8 years of built up agony.    

[Jcarp4483]

Thank you. i am  just scared of what they may find. I don't know if I am willing to take a reduction in my life style. Don't know how long I could be off work or afford it

[Pantx]

Um that very much does sound like neck related pain. I would highly recommend a repeat MRI but include your cervical spine and thoracic with and without contrast.I have deformities in my cervical spine I am still very active I just can't bend in certain ways.

[Jcarp4483]

I really do appreciate the quick response, so yeah I have known it was my neck for a couple years now. So here is my reasoning for waiting this long to reach out and am so glad that someone with experience responded. Despite the pain I am still very active, lifting weights, men's softball, and golf and so on. Was your mobility affected in the surgery? Any pros and cons would be greatly appreciated. Like I said I am very thankful for your time given in that explanation.

[sblythe]

Here's the scoop: your problem is NOT in your back! Your problem is in your NECK!  Everyone has been looking in the wrong place!  The nerves in the spinal cord exit the spine in the neck and go down the arm, and everyone understands that a ruptured disc can cause pain to radiate down the arm - but small branches from several levels break off, join together, and go down along the sides of the spine as the "long thoracic nerve". I know this from personal experience. As a family physician I did not know about this, and my pain started in the middle of the night feeling like someone was stabbing me in the back - but my wife was sleeping soundly.  My doc - who is a very competent sports medicine physician - examined my back, and even did some injections in my back.  He ordered a thoracic MRI, which the radiologists interpreted as normal. My pain was becoming excruciating.  I took my MRI films to a radiologist that I know for review - he put them on the view-box and within two seconds said: "there's your problem" - pointing up to the neck which was visible in one of the vertical images. I had a huge ruptured disc. He explained about the long thoracic nerve. I ended up having surgery. Since then I have had dozens of patients with pain inside the shoulder blades - and when I say we need to do an MRI of the neck they look at me like I am an idiot.......   But I am an idiot that learns! So - go back and ask about a neck MRI. And this would certainly explain why you have pain when you bend your head forward! Good luck with this!  Also - interestingly - Dr. Andrew Holman, a rheumatologist in Seattle, has posted on here about his research which shows that a large number of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia actually have disc problems causing spinal stenosis (narrowing on the spinal cord) in the neck.