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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...
Yes, if pain is impacting your life it's time to get rid of it once and for all. Mojo and pain cannot live in the same body.
What you have learned is that muscle pain can move around the body and if it creeps up your back to your shoulder and your neck you will be thrown out of alignment.
The good news is that there is a lot you can do to help yourself.
Start by stretching your glutes and their antagonists - the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris muscle to open up the hips.
The trick to stretching the rectus femoris muscle is that unlike the other three hip flexors which crosses only one joint the rectus femoris crosses two joints, the knee and the hip. So, when you're standing upright and you grasp the foot of your bent leg and press your heel into your glute you must also move your knee behind you (extending your hip) making sure to remain in an upright posture.
A good stretch for the psoas muscle is to lay on your back (supine) bend your knees and let them fall open so the sole of your feet are together. Position pillows under the outside of your knees for support so that a gentle stretch is placed on the muscles and they are not left hanging.
Stretch your thoracolumbar paraspinal muscles by sitting on the floor with your feet straight in front of you. Reach for your toes. A less strenuous stretch is when you're sitting in a chair and you fall forward between your legs. Twisting to the side targets the rotators.
Stretch the scalene muscles in your neck. Lie on your back (supine) and anchor your hand under your bottom. Tilt your head back a bit and bend the head to the opposite direction using your other hand to pull your head (ear) to your shoulder. If you face away you're stretching the scalenus posterior, if you face forward you're stretching the scalenus medius and if you look toward the muscle you're stretching it's is the scalene anterior.
What you need to know to achieve a good hamstring stretch is to stretch the adductor magnus first.
Learn to position your self comfortably. The trick to placing a pillow between your legs to give your glutes a break from a painful stretch position when you're lying on your side is to not let the foot dangle. The whole leg is to be supported,
Keep your body warm. And take tennis balls and the heating pad to bed with you.
Use proper body mechanics, learn how to breath correctly, diaphramatic versus paradoxical breathing (scalene muscles) and don't stay in any one position for too long especially if it's in a deep seated chair (psoas) and your legs are crossed (semimebranosus/semitendinosus). And don't sit in a chair whose hard edge cuts deep into your hamstring muscles. These factors perpetuate your problem.
There is absolutely no reason why you can't heal yourself and prevent this from ever happening again.
Good luck!
What you have learned is that muscle pain can move around the body and if it creeps up your back to your shoulder and your neck you will be thrown out of alignment.
The good news is that there is a lot you can do to help yourself.
Start by stretching your glutes and their antagonists - the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris muscle to open up the hips.
The trick to stretching the rectus femoris muscle is that unlike the other three hip flexors which crosses only one joint the rectus femoris crosses two joints, the knee and the hip. So, when you're standing upright and you grasp the foot of your bent leg and press your heel into your glute you must also move your knee behind you (extending your hip) making sure to remain in an upright posture.
A good stretch for the psoas muscle is to lay on your back (supine) bend your knees and let them fall open so the sole of your feet are together. Position pillows under the outside of your knees for support so that a gentle stretch is placed on the muscles and they are not left hanging.
Stretch your thoracolumbar paraspinal muscles by sitting on the floor with your feet straight in front of you. Reach for your toes. A less strenuous stretch is when you're sitting in a chair and you fall forward between your legs. Twisting to the side targets the rotators.
Stretch the scalene muscles in your neck. Lie on your back (supine) and anchor your hand under your bottom. Tilt your head back a bit and bend the head to the opposite direction using your other hand to pull your head (ear) to your shoulder. If you face away you're stretching the scalenus posterior, if you face forward you're stretching the scalenus medius and if you look toward the muscle you're stretching it's is the scalene anterior.
What you need to know to achieve a good hamstring stretch is to stretch the adductor magnus first.
Learn to position your self comfortably. The trick to placing a pillow between your legs to give your glutes a break from a painful stretch position when you're lying on your side is to not let the foot dangle. The whole leg is to be supported,
Keep your body warm. And take tennis balls and the heating pad to bed with you.
Use proper body mechanics, learn how to breath correctly, diaphramatic versus paradoxical breathing (scalene muscles) and don't stay in any one position for too long especially if it's in a deep seated chair (psoas) and your legs are crossed (semimebranosus/semitendinosus). And don't sit in a chair whose hard edge cuts deep into your hamstring muscles. These factors perpetuate your problem.
There is absolutely no reason why you can't heal yourself and prevent this from ever happening again.
Good luck!
I live in a small country town, where all medical services are stretched to the limit and getting a doctors appointment means you have wait up to 6 weeks. So hence, using the internet to do some research. And boy am I glad I found this one. I have two areas that are giving me problems – my hips and my right back from neck, should to hip area, and occasionally my left neck and shoulder.
About 10 years ago I would wake up through the night with pain around my right hip. It would occasionally cause me problems through out the day as well, so I had X rays done, and was then sent to a Physio who said that my lower back was glued up and that he couldn’t really help me. (During this time, I had endured a divorce, moving house, working a full time job, and waitressing at night where I was running up and down stairs with heavy plates etc).
Fast forward 5 years, and I noticed that not only my hips were causing me pain, but I would walk like a duck first thing in the morning until I limbered up. After a while people started to notice that my walk had changed. So I went back to the Dr and had blood tests for Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although the results were inconclusive, I was sent to a specialist, having x rays and more blood work and who diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. Gave me a prescription for anti depressants and sent me on my way. I just threw the script away, and read as much as I could about the condition. (Although I do not believe that this is what I have after my research). And I don’t walk like a duck anymore in the mornings; this seems to have corrected itself.
And now 5 years later on I am still getting pain in my hip area. To the point that if I walk for medium periods, I find I am in pain, and need to find a seat until it settles, before I can go on. I sometimes find that when I lie on that area, I also get the uncomfortable pain as well. (More like a pressure feeling at times)
Also, like many of us I work on the computer for hours, and have a break every hour or so, I also do some exercises while I have the break, but find that my neck, shoulders and what feels like the muscle right down my right back burn and ache. I have been seeing an Osteopath who does wonders and I follow her advice, but after a few days I am back to where I started. And after my last appointment, I felt awful and spent the day in bed. I have also now started to get silent migraines, with the zig zag lines. These can be days apart, weeks apart or a month apart. I managed to see an Ophthalmologist who said there was nothing wrong with my eyes. (Good news). But I wonder whether these are caused through my neck and back.
Also, I used to sit on a high stool for many hours, over many years, which gave me no support for my back, and I know I would slouch. But the stool has gone, and I am endeavouring to sit up straight on a lower chair.
Sorry for the long ramble, but I guess I am at a point where it is impacting on my life. My good old mojo seems to have gone somewhere else and I would like it back. I have also read many of the posts and the one on 24 November 2009, which certainly makes a lot of sense. Cheers
About 10 years ago I would wake up through the night with pain around my right hip. It would occasionally cause me problems through out the day as well, so I had X rays done, and was then sent to a Physio who said that my lower back was glued up and that he couldn’t really help me. (During this time, I had endured a divorce, moving house, working a full time job, and waitressing at night where I was running up and down stairs with heavy plates etc).
Fast forward 5 years, and I noticed that not only my hips were causing me pain, but I would walk like a duck first thing in the morning until I limbered up. After a while people started to notice that my walk had changed. So I went back to the Dr and had blood tests for Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although the results were inconclusive, I was sent to a specialist, having x rays and more blood work and who diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. Gave me a prescription for anti depressants and sent me on my way. I just threw the script away, and read as much as I could about the condition. (Although I do not believe that this is what I have after my research). And I don’t walk like a duck anymore in the mornings; this seems to have corrected itself.
And now 5 years later on I am still getting pain in my hip area. To the point that if I walk for medium periods, I find I am in pain, and need to find a seat until it settles, before I can go on. I sometimes find that when I lie on that area, I also get the uncomfortable pain as well. (More like a pressure feeling at times)
Also, like many of us I work on the computer for hours, and have a break every hour or so, I also do some exercises while I have the break, but find that my neck, shoulders and what feels like the muscle right down my right back burn and ache. I have been seeing an Osteopath who does wonders and I follow her advice, but after a few days I am back to where I started. And after my last appointment, I felt awful and spent the day in bed. I have also now started to get silent migraines, with the zig zag lines. These can be days apart, weeks apart or a month apart. I managed to see an Ophthalmologist who said there was nothing wrong with my eyes. (Good news). But I wonder whether these are caused through my neck and back.
Also, I used to sit on a high stool for many hours, over many years, which gave me no support for my back, and I know I would slouch. But the stool has gone, and I am endeavouring to sit up straight on a lower chair.
Sorry for the long ramble, but I guess I am at a point where it is impacting on my life. My good old mojo seems to have gone somewhere else and I would like it back. I have also read many of the posts and the one on 24 November 2009, which certainly makes a lot of sense. Cheers
If, when you describe your pain as being, "right under the upper inside corner of my left shoulder blade," you mean in the armpit area then the subscapularis muscle is in question. This is one of the four rotator cuff muscles.
When this muscle harbors active trigger points arm movements (range of motion in the shoulder) becomes limited. You will not be able to lift your arm (restricted abduction) for longer than a couple of seconds at a time and it will hurt to reach across to the opposite arm pit (adducting the arm). And if you were to look at a photograph of yourself from behind with your arm hanging down your palm will be facing backwards instead of toward your side.
Your subscapularis muscle is located under your shoulder blade and attaches to the inside of your humerus and medially rotates and adducts the arm. Repetitive motions such as pouring drinks which requires medial rotation can cause problems as can pitching a ball.
Constant pain is experienced in the back shoulder joint (posterior deltoid area) and radiates down the back of your arm and wrist.
If you hire someone to help you make sure beforehand that they know how to deal with this specific problem as the subscapularis muscle is one of the more difficult muscles to examine. Or you can teach your husband to help you.
Lay relaxed on your back and move your bent arm away from your body so the scapula moves laterally (out). Have your husband grasp the muscles in your armpit area (latissimus dorsi & teres major) and with his thumb or finger feel the inner border of the scapula where the subscapularise attaches while gently pulling your arm in a lateral rotation. Have your husband feel for tenderness and when he finds the right spots light pressure will reproduce your pain.
Stretch this muscle by laying on your back and lift or have your bent arm lifted gently overhead until the forearm is hanging over the edge of the bed or table. When standing reach up behind your head and reach for the ceiling. The In-doorway stretch is effective especially after you've warmed up in a tub, shower or used a heating pad.
When sleeping on the painful side or on your back place a pillow between your upper arm and chest to prevent the muscle from staying in a shortened position for too long.
When sleeping on the pain free side a pillow is used to support your arm and prevent the shoulder from adducting (hanging down) which puts the muscle in a fully shortened position. And place your hands on your waist when standing for long periods - you're preventing your arms staying close to your body.
Self -treatment for the serratus posterior superior muscle is effective if you know that the trick to getting at this trigger point is move the shoulder blade out of the way. You do this by moving the arm on the affected side across the front of your body. You can do this either laying down or standing up against a wall. When the shoulder blade is moved aside place a tennis ball on the sore spot and apply pressure. When you get it right, the relief you feel will be immediate.
You're welcome Vanessa Anne! It pains me that people suffer so much and that their doctors, aside from ruling out a serious disorder, are not able to help.
I just read what scott3272, wrote on Oct 30, 2010 regarding the treatment he received due to tight scalene muscles. This is what he wrote his chiropractor said about his condition.
"Her immediate response - you have a rib out of place. This is not muscle related at all and is probably due to the violence of either coughing or sneezing. "
The chiropractor was right in Scott's case that the cause was due to coughing. But if you look at where the anterior and medius scalene muscles attach to the first and sometimes the second rib you can see clearly where spastic scalene muscles are the source of the problem and by releasing the tension in these muscles you will drop the rib back from it's elevated position.
You can treat this problem yourself while sitting a chair.
Place your finger in the groove behind your clavicle. Raise your bent left arm in various degrees and move your shoulder forward. When you locate the spot you will reproduce the pain in your upper back. Apply pressure.
Make sure that your finger nail is clipped short and be prepared as this is going to be painful. After massaging the muscle using firm finger pressure stretch the muscle by rotating your head to the opposite side and dipping your chin behind your clavicle. If done correctly the relief will be immediate. If not, repeat this treatment a few times.
I just read what scott3272, wrote on Oct 30, 2010 regarding the treatment he received due to tight scalene muscles. This is what he wrote his chiropractor said about his condition.
"Her immediate response - you have a rib out of place. This is not muscle related at all and is probably due to the violence of either coughing or sneezing. "
The chiropractor was right in Scott's case that the cause was due to coughing. But if you look at where the anterior and medius scalene muscles attach to the first and sometimes the second rib you can see clearly where spastic scalene muscles are the source of the problem and by releasing the tension in these muscles you will drop the rib back from it's elevated position.
You can treat this problem yourself while sitting a chair.
Place your finger in the groove behind your clavicle. Raise your bent left arm in various degrees and move your shoulder forward. When you locate the spot you will reproduce the pain in your upper back. Apply pressure.
Make sure that your finger nail is clipped short and be prepared as this is going to be painful. After massaging the muscle using firm finger pressure stretch the muscle by rotating your head to the opposite side and dipping your chin behind your clavicle. If done correctly the relief will be immediate. If not, repeat this treatment a few times.
Thank you so much! I wish I had come to you sooner!!! Is there any type of therapy you suggest or anything that I can do at home as well?
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