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Upper back pain with more pain when swallowing
I am a hairstylist, age 41 and female. I have been doing hair 23 years, but recently purchased the salon I have been working at and my workload tripled.
Anyway....my upper back is always in pain from keeping my arms elevated when cutting hair and also using a very heavy blowdryer in my left hand.
Recently (about a month ago) my neck began to do a weird snap, crackle, pop as I turned my head slowly, kind of like if you were checking traffic before pulling out, or just turning your head to talk to someone etc. It would only do it maybe a couple times a day, or skip a couple days and then happen again. Shortly after that I began to expericence some neck pain, and upper back pain.
Within a few days of that, I began to feel pain in that region (upper back by shoulder blades) when I swallow food. As the food passes that area where my back hurts it sort of intensifies that pain I already felt. I tried to blow it off thinking it was a pulled muscle, that I had slept wrong, or it was from my new hairdryer that weighs a ton. I kept waiting for it to stop, but it still has not gone away. I then began to worry and looking up stuff on the internet. All of the people I talk to whether friends, family, or clients have never heard upper back pain and then pain in back when swallowing.
So if any of you have had this or have known someone who had this I would be interested in hearing from you. I went to Urgent Care and they took a Chest X-ray and and EKG and were normal. So it's not my lungs, chest or heart. I think it has something to do with my neck popping and then the pain I already have in my shoulder area all the time.
Does anyone know if this could be a nerve?
Please send me a private message or comments here. thank you! JB
Anyway....my upper back is always in pain from keeping my arms elevated when cutting hair and also using a very heavy blowdryer in my left hand.
Recently (about a month ago) my neck began to do a weird snap, crackle, pop as I turned my head slowly, kind of like if you were checking traffic before pulling out, or just turning your head to talk to someone etc. It would only do it maybe a couple times a day, or skip a couple days and then happen again. Shortly after that I began to expericence some neck pain, and upper back pain.
Within a few days of that, I began to feel pain in that region (upper back by shoulder blades) when I swallow food. As the food passes that area where my back hurts it sort of intensifies that pain I already felt. I tried to blow it off thinking it was a pulled muscle, that I had slept wrong, or it was from my new hairdryer that weighs a ton. I kept waiting for it to stop, but it still has not gone away. I then began to worry and looking up stuff on the internet. All of the people I talk to whether friends, family, or clients have never heard upper back pain and then pain in back when swallowing.
So if any of you have had this or have known someone who had this I would be interested in hearing from you. I went to Urgent Care and they took a Chest X-ray and and EKG and were normal. So it's not my lungs, chest or heart. I think it has something to do with my neck popping and then the pain I already have in my shoulder area all the time.
Does anyone know if this could be a nerve?
Please send me a private message or comments here. thank you! JB
Good day to all ! I apologize for my English ) I am from Rosisi and I have all the same siptoms for 3 months. Pain when swallowing that started when I turned to the left so there is pain when burping. Did someone find out what it is ? Thanks !
Well, here I am, September 2019 on this old forum. I have been experiencing the very same issues of upper back pain, especially when swallowing. The pain also increases during deep breaths or when I'm about to burp. It a a constant pain though with just sitting upright with good posture and lying down in bed.
It's been about a week since I started feeling this pain. I'm not sure what could have caused this, I just woke up one morning in pain. With all the information I've read here so far I feel like I can manage to wait another week and see if it subsides or goes away completely, if not I will try remedies and methods myself before seeing a doctor.
I don't have health insurance and can not stand not being able to afford medical bills etc. I will go to the er if I have to though. Trying a chiropractor and massage therapist seems like something worth trying though. I really hope with my practice of yoga and workouts that this will go away and heal over time. If anyone has any additional information on this that hasn't already been mentioned, or any follow ups, it would be very helpful.
Take care
It's been about a week since I started feeling this pain. I'm not sure what could have caused this, I just woke up one morning in pain. With all the information I've read here so far I feel like I can manage to wait another week and see if it subsides or goes away completely, if not I will try remedies and methods myself before seeing a doctor.
I don't have health insurance and can not stand not being able to afford medical bills etc. I will go to the er if I have to though. Trying a chiropractor and massage therapist seems like something worth trying though. I really hope with my practice of yoga and workouts that this will go away and heal over time. If anyone has any additional information on this that hasn't already been mentioned, or any follow ups, it would be very helpful.
Take care
5 Comments
My pain in the upper back (slightly more on the right side of my back) when swallowing turned out to be esophagitis, diagnosed through an endoscopy by a gastroenterologist. Prescribed Nexium (or similar meds) and it went away. Good luck!
Mine went away. I was the original poster back when I was 41. I’m now 54 and pain free. Never did anything about it. It just went away on its own. Must’ve been a pulled muscle.
This is what I love about MedHelp! Wow, thanks for coming back JustineB and updating about this. Love reading this. Not that you were in pain but that this resolved and wasn't a catastrophic illness. Lots of things do get better. And Hemlocks, same with you. Glad you recovered and are just fine.
Welcome NathanS. Glad you found us! :>)) I certainly understand about the health insurance issue. I HAVE health insurance but because of the way it is set up these days with massive deductible having to be paid first, I find myself not going easily to the doctor because for a good bit of time until that deductible is met, I pay out of pocket. We have a family of 4 and have only met our deductible once when my husband had to have surgery. Sheesh. So, I get it. See if this gets better. I have read that pulled muscles and pinched nerves are the biggest cause of pain like you describe. We often think it is gastrointestinal but it often comes down to that. And we don't always know when we are having the muscle or nerve issue or when it stars, we just get pain. Does gentle stretching help at all?
Welcome NathanS. Glad you found us! :>)) I certainly understand about the health insurance issue. I HAVE health insurance but because of the way it is set up these days with massive deductible having to be paid first, I find myself not going easily to the doctor because for a good bit of time until that deductible is met, I pay out of pocket. We have a family of 4 and have only met our deductible once when my husband had to have surgery. Sheesh. So, I get it. See if this gets better. I have read that pulled muscles and pinched nerves are the biggest cause of pain like you describe. We often think it is gastrointestinal but it often comes down to that. And we don't always know when we are having the muscle or nerve issue or when it stars, we just get pain. Does gentle stretching help at all?
Justine how long did you have the pain
Good day to all ! I apologize for my English ) I am from Rosisi and I have all the same siptoms for 3 months. Pain when swallowing that started when I turned to the left so there is pain when burping. Did someone find out what it is ? Thanks !
did anyone ever get an answer to this. I have this for two months. Justine do you remember how long you had your issue
Hi Justine,
Thank you for posting this. I've been experiencing the same thing. I'm also thankful the GI Nurse said what she said re: possible GERD or issue with esophagus. My brother (internal med doc) tells me my esophagus is inflamed. He has had numerous patients complaining of upper back pain when swallowing due to esophagitis. He has me taking Zantac morn and eve and Galvescon throughout the day. He wants me to do both for several days then if feel relief stop the Galvescon and do the Zantac a few more days. He says if pain goes away, great....but if it comes back after I stop, then I need to see my doc.
Thank you for posting this. I've been experiencing the same thing. I'm also thankful the GI Nurse said what she said re: possible GERD or issue with esophagus. My brother (internal med doc) tells me my esophagus is inflamed. He has had numerous patients complaining of upper back pain when swallowing due to esophagitis. He has me taking Zantac morn and eve and Galvescon throughout the day. He wants me to do both for several days then if feel relief stop the Galvescon and do the Zantac a few more days. He says if pain goes away, great....but if it comes back after I stop, then I need to see my doc.
1 Comments
and just an update one week later.... the pain has pretty much resolved since taking the Zantac. So relieved!!! It's odd, because after about the 4th day the pain (and when I say pain, I'm talking a 3 on the pain scale) moved from between my shoulder blades when I swallowed to a more delayed pain that radiated up my sides to both my subscapular regions (classic GERD symptom). My bro recommended continuing on the Zantac for another 1-2 weeks after I feel it's COMPLETELY resolved to make sure my esophagus is healed. Hope this helps someone else who lands on this forum!!
Hi, I'm aware this is a pretty old thread but I too have experienced these exact same symptoms since training Back last week. A dull, delayed pain in the right hand side of my upper back, just beneath my should blade (Rhomboid muscle) when I eat or drink. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with my respiratory or digestive system as the pain occurred a mere few house after I completed an exercise I have never attempted before and feels much more like muscular soreness than an internal problem. My advice would be not to Google your symptoms otherwise you'll end up with some sort of Cancer. I will be taking myself to the Physio some point this week and will report back. A friend of mine encountered the exact same problem from a sports massage a few weeks ago and said that the issue relieved itself after a couple of days.
2 Comments
Hi it’s original poster. I am now 53. That was a long time ago. It was apparently nothing and has been gone for a very long time. I’m sure it was just a pulled muscle
Glad you got it sorted. My symptoms also disappeared after about a week. Hopefully this thread will help others with something similar in the future as I found the experience to be very strange and unnerving.
I have a cactly the same thing as you. Pain just by my bra strap on left side however it also travels round to my chest too. My sister, a sports massage and rehab therapist, has said it is rector spinae tightening near the trapesius muscle connection. It was clear when she put pressure on the muscle as the pain increased with pressure. A good sports massage and a visit to a chiropractor will sort you out as it is probably similar and pinching a nerve. Good luck
did u get the answer?
i have the same issue .
gone through with CT scan chest but no solution
i have the same issue .
gone through with CT scan chest but no solution
Brothers and sisters, same problem here. I drank baking soda every evening with warm water and honey, and took some ayurvedic medicine. I got pain relief in 4 days. Try baking soda.
2 Comments
Pain is not completely gone though. But its better. All the best.
I mean now I feel better than before. Have a nice day.
Hi, I have the exact same problem. When I swallow, it hurts going down on my right upper back. Where my right shoulder blade is. It's been going on for the last three days. But, I've been having problems with that area for two years now. Ever since my ex-husband tore my arm out of socket. My pain always seems to come and go. The pain will be there for two months, then go for about two to three months. But, I never had any pain when swallowing. It was always just pain when I laid a certain way, moved my arm wrong, or picked up something a little too heavy. I've been to the doctor for it and she would always prescribe pain pills. To her, it sounded like my arm healed wrong, after being pulled out of socket. And, because of that, it was causing a lot of inflammation build ups. I told my Gynecologist about it, because it was causing some minor right underarm and right side of right breast pain. And, she told you me to take four ibuprofen, three times a day, for four days and it cleared it up rather fast. But, now I have this swallowing thing and it kind of freaked me out. Until I read about how everyone else here, has the same problem. And, it eased my uneasiness. Then it dawned on me, this new swallowing symptom, my arm, and shoulder blade pain all started, after holding my son on my shoulders, while I read to him. I shouldn't have done that, because he is four and weighs 42lbs, but I did. When he was sitting on my shoulders. It felt like my right arm gave out and my son had to get down immediately. It just couldn't hold anything. The next morning my arm was in so much pain and the swallowing thing started after my first bite of breakfast. I guess it's back to Ibuprofen for four days.
I'm going through the same pain in my shoulder area and the doctor prescribed me meds but none of it helps.It almost seems like doctors can't figure it out and not seeing any answers of a solution is resulting in being very worried of the possibility there is something not good.
I had Linx surgery, for gerd, and hiatal hernia surgery earlier this week. Since then I have had terrible pain in my left shoulder when I swallow. It is different from the pain that they tell you to expect in your shoulders from gas during surgery. Checking the Internet, I found info on the phrenic nerves in the diaphragm. If the diaphragm is irritated, it can cause referred pain in the shoulder and upper back. So my pain is probably from the hernia repair where the diaphragm is irritated, especially when the diaphragm moves during eating. I will check with my doctor on this, of course!. People on this forum did not have surgery, like I did, but it makes me wonder if irritation to the diaphragm, such as from having a hiatal hernia, or some other cause, is giving you shoulder pain when swallowing. The information that I found most useful was from an Anatomy notes blogspot on referred pain, from 2006. I am writing this because I hope that this information will help someone here.
Hoping this helps people, I want to leave a possible answer from our recent experience. Saturday morning my husband, who is 31 and overall very healthy, woke up with pain behind his right shoulder that hurt terribly when he swallowed, breathed deeply, etc. He ignored it at first because he thought it was part of an arm/shoulder issue he had been experiencing for a year and treating with physical therapy. Though the pain was terrible and the swallowing aspect different, he wanted to try to wait it out till Monday to see his GP. He had a slight temperature that night too. By Sunday evening his temperature rose to 100.3 which was enough to make us consider the pain might be caused by an infection, so we finally went to the ER. The doctor was concerned by the referred pain when swallowing, and he ordered an X-ray and CT scan. The X-ray didn't reveal anything, but the CT scan showed an abscess. The doctor called it a retro-tracheal abscess, which isn't even a thing because these things don't usually happen in this spot. More common is a retropharyngeal abscess which can usually be traced back to some sort of trauma (food getting stuck in the throat or something). In my husband's case, we have no idea what caused it. They admitted him and brought in 2 specialists because of the odd placement (they were not sure if it should go to an ENT or Cardio thoracic doctor). Long story short, the doctors seemed to have differing opinions about everything: object trauma vs. viral infection, new condition vs. existent latent condition (the cardio surgeon believed the year of shoulder pain might be related) and whether to treat with surgery or antibiotics. In the end, the ENT decided to try antibiotics for a few weeks with surgery as the next step if it doesn't clear. He was released after 3 days and that is all we know for now.
If you take anything from this story though it should be this: back pain while swallowing is NOT normal. It is one of those times you should make the ER visit because you likely need a CT which you cannot get at your doctors office or urgent care. Any of the possible complications that cause this referred pain will not go away on its own, and it's better not wait.
If you take anything from this story though it should be this: back pain while swallowing is NOT normal. It is one of those times you should make the ER visit because you likely need a CT which you cannot get at your doctors office or urgent care. Any of the possible complications that cause this referred pain will not go away on its own, and it's better not wait.
1 Comments
I am 12 years old going on 13 in 3 weeks. I am a gymnast and tumble 3 hours 4 days a week. My back pain hurts a lot when I jump all of a sudden and it used to just be my lower pack and now it's my whole back after today. It hurts when I swallow around in the middle of my back... What should I do? It hurts worse after today's practice.
Hi.
I had the same problem today after taking a lot of acidic fluids like tea,lime,shots of viceroy and pineapple blended cocktail.ad also taken spicy beef stew mixed with beans for lunch.the acidity burnt my oesophagus.take a combined dose of omeprazole and meloxicam.hope it helps.
I had the same problem today after taking a lot of acidic fluids like tea,lime,shots of viceroy and pineapple blended cocktail.ad also taken spicy beef stew mixed with beans for lunch.the acidity burnt my oesophagus.take a combined dose of omeprazole and meloxicam.hope it helps.
how did you make out? Did it ever go away?
1 Comments
Yep went away entirely.
Very relieved to read this thread. I've been feeling this same symptom for some time, off and on. I've had lots of back problems so thought this was just a new twist on an old theme. But then my imagination started to run away with me -- you know you hear those stories: "He thought he just had a back-ache and by the time he went to a doctor, the tumor was as big as a grapefruit and that was it for him!" So, at least no one has horror stories to tell here, so I'll go back to putting ice-packs between my shoulder blades and tell my imagination to take a rest, too.
Very relieved to read this thread. I've been feeling this same symptom for some time, off and on. I've had lots of back problems so thought this was just a new twist on an old theme. But then my imagination started to run away with me -- you know you hear those stories: "He thought he just had a back-ache and by the time he went to a doctor, the tumor was as big as a grapefruit and that was it for him!" So, at least no one has horror stories to tell here, so I'll go back to putting ice-packs between my shoulder blades and tell my imagination to take a rest, too.
I woke in the night with agonising back pain between my shoulder blades. I could not get comfy and was so hot. I found the following morning that when I swallowed the pain ten folded. I had not done any strenuous exercise or moved any furniture ect. I thought that I may have slept awkwardly or twisted in bed but cant ease this pain. I'm scared I have something more serious than a strained muscle. please can anyone help.
1 Comments
I too woke up to excruciating pain in my collarbone which escalated while swallowing even my own salvia. The following day it traveled to my shoulder blades and worsened. The third night I rolled on a heavy dose of Biofreeze over the entire area. The next morning my pain level was next to nothing and my swallowing was normal. Buy Biofreeze on line for sure or from some Chiropractic offices I believe. The roll on application gives you great control. It was a miracle for me. Hope others have the same success.
I have been experiencing a back twinge, almost a slight burning sensation when I swallow. It's not painful just very annoying. It is just under my left shoulder blade between my spine and the side of my back - closer to the spine. I never realized how many times a day I swallowed when not specifically eating until this annoyance started getting my attention.
I've been reading the posts to see if any one has this specific type sensation. Sometimes if I sit in a specific position, I can rouse that twing/burn feeling.
I'm as anxious as every one else to see what the correlation is between swallowing and this irritation.
I've been reading the posts to see if any one has this specific type sensation. Sometimes if I sit in a specific position, I can rouse that twing/burn feeling.
I'm as anxious as every one else to see what the correlation is between swallowing and this irritation.
1 Comments
i have the exact same thing
did u find out the solution?
did u find out the solution?
Well I visited this site a few days ago when I was having the same problems. Pain when I swallow that I can feel passing through my upper back and feeling like something is constantly stuck in my throat. I started to comment but just gave it a few days. I've been having this problem all week but today it completely stopped. I noticed the last few days I did nothing but BURP! Then I realized, it was acid reflux and the burping was a sign it was clearing. I never went to the doctor but I slowed down eating and avoided foods that would aggravate it. I hope its gone now. But anyway I hope that this is the same for some of you.
I have the same thing mine is due a spur growing on c5 and c6 which is growing into my throat I now may need surgery to fis the problem , I also start choking uncontrollably for no reason , I don't know if that also happens to u maybe this will help
This is so annoying, I also experience the problem (obviously why I am here), and at first I thought something got stuck down my througth..then i thought something scractched it and damage my internals (i was getting desperate for a cause), now i am starting to think it is cause I am using a different chair since our company relocated... But how does that cause a pain that causes sleepless nights??? I am starving, but dont want to eat...
Hope we find an anwser soon...
Thank care
Hope we find an anwser soon...
Thank care
6 hours ago, i discovered i had same problem when i swallow. I had a feeling that there is a tumor in the spinal cord or nerve that caused the pain.
Make hard boil egg. Roll it in the painful area to melt tumor. Do it often and longer. See if it works.
Make hard boil egg. Roll it in the painful area to melt tumor. Do it often and longer. See if it works.
to all who have issues with shoulders neck and scapula, yes it can wreck your life. I am finally gaining on my problems after nine years and eight surgeries ,long thoracic nerve damage, torn labrum bankart tear and many others.finding the right doctors is key.mri with dye contrast is important. good luck and don't give up carl
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