Shoulder blade pain with "zinger" in neck shoulder area

[skmorrow]

I have had severe pain under my right shoulder blade for about a year now.  It feels like a constant heaviness along with irritation and stiffness.  I also have been exeriencing a sharp zapping, like a shock or stinger in the area between my neck and top of shoulder when I turn my head to the right, ecspecially if I turn my head to the right and talk.  I get a sharp zap that stops me in my tracks. Went to Dr who said I had a pinched brachial plexus and sent me in for an MRI and to a PT. Mri showed tendonitis and bursitus in the area between the neck and top of shoulder.  Went to Orthpedic surgeon who said I had a thickened CA ligament and gave me a cortisone shot.  Nothing has helped. Pain behind shoulder blade is so intolerable I feel horrible all day and working on the computer only makes it worse, which is what I do for work.  I am seeing another Physician on Tuesday for a second (or 3rd) opinion.  I just want to know what it is and how I can stop it.  If anyone has heard or experienced the same and could help me figure out how to control it that would be great!  

[skmorrow]

I do have another question if you could be so kind as to try and answer. If my Primary care physician saw my mri would he be able to see the pinched nerve? I think he wants to send me to a neurologist. I do have an MRI of my neck which when I went into the Orthepedic surgeon to discuss my shoulder, he pointed out a slightly herniated disc and some degeneration but said he was not a neck doctor so he couldnt say, but thought the pain of zingers and behind shoulder blade was due to that.  Thank you so much for your help.

[skmorrow]

Thank you for your response. I am going to print this out and take it to my Primary Care physician.  I really appreciate your thoughts and I know that the more information I get on this can only help me to figure out what is going on and how to fix it.  

[Michael L Gross, MD]

While I agree that your pain may be due to a "pinched nerve", I think the nerve is in your cervical spine, rather than your brachial plexus.  You do have findings on  the MRI of your shoulder, but they do not match your symptoms.  Two things jump out from your story.  First pain is produced when you rotate your neck, not when you move your shoulder.  Second, pain occurs in the upper back and neck; this is proximal to the brachial plexus, and would not correspond to a lesion in the plexus, more likely in the neck.  MRI of the C-spine and possibly an EMG would be useful to pinpoint the source of your pain.