Left shoulder blade muscle... stinking, sharp, burning pain

[mightymouse23]

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...

[hardcore4jc]

I have a similar pain in my right shoulder blade area.  It hurts when I do things with my left hand.  When I fish, wash the dishes, hold my son, or anything with my left side it hurts.  Typically the pain subsides when I am able to sit down, relax my left arm, or lift my head.  This does not always work, though.  I have taken some over the counter pain meds, but they do not seem to make a single bit of difference.  It hurts so bad sometimes.  Sometimes it feels like the area is tingling, like when your leg or arm falls asleep.  Other times it feels like a bruise or a sore muscle, and I just feel the pain consistantly, no matter what I'm doing.  This has been occuring for a week and a half now.  I don't want it to continue.  I guess I should call the doctor.  I'll try some of the things mentioned above also.  Have any of those things helped any of you?

[Tempe1221]

I have this same thing and it came out of nowhere! I can't find a comfortable place to sleep, can't wash my hair, can hardly move my right arm up or down. The pain is burning around my right shoulder blade and middle of my back. Affects my neck and most all I do since I'm right handed. I guess I have no choice but to find a chiropractor and visit my massage therapist again.

[mike1105]

Ok all-- i get to kill all these birds with one stone!!! The problem most likely is NOT really in the shoulder blade area. The problem, believe it or not, is in the muscles of the neck, specifically the scalenes, the SCMs the UPPER traps and the lev scapulae, with some help from the pec muscles. What happens is that these muscles get short and tight due to FORWARD HEAD POSTURE. When your head is held forward, and not over the spine, the muscles in your mid back have to work extra heard to keep your scapulas in place, and to balance out the weight of yor head (16 lbs!!= a bowling ball). If not of these muscles (rhomboids, longitudinal muscles of the spine and other scapular stabilizers ie the ones that hurt) your head would fall to your feet. The solution is trifold
1. fix your posture-- keep your head over your spine
2. Strengthen the mid back muscles I mentioned (do not stretch them-- they are already overstretched)
3. Lengthen (with stretching and triggerpoint release) the tight muscles  --scalenes, upper traps, scms and pecs)

You may use trigger point release on those nasty knts in your back-- but they will most likely reture until the day arrives where they no longer have to work so hard becasue your posture has been corrected.

3 books. 1. a book on posture by Paul D'Arezzo
               2. Trigger point manual by Clair Davies
               3. How to fix your back pain without drugs or surgery by Joie Bookspan

1 website-- by Jolie Bookspan

Regarding chiroprractics for this problem-- probably wil not help more than a few hours or a day. You muscles are pulling your bones, not the other way around. think about that.

How do i know all this stuff? 2 1/2 years of disabling muscle pain in my neck, chest and back. 3 years of research and reading (after dozens of worthless doctor visits). Fixed myself. 99% pain fee now.

[annie777]

Well   I  believe that,  I  have the same pain on my left side  shoulder blade  that  comes thru to  my chest and I cnat even lay flat on my back at night I feel like  some one is sticking a knife in my back .  Now  just recently  I have  found that  if I sit straight up in my chair  it  hurts  too so  I rest my head back to relax my neck muscles  and that helps alot.  My husband always  pushes on the knot that is always there  but   I have noticed that I hold  my head forward all the time.  I do daycare  so I lift  kids all the time and I never  really relax my  head   even wehn sittinng  my head is always up straight  I dont  lean it back to relax it and when I do it feels  better   So I have been adjusting the  way  I sit lay and walk  I am more aware  of  how I am  doing things and  realized  I lean on my left side  when sitting  leaning on my left arm..   Thanks  for you advise  it   makes  alot of since..  

[annie777]

I also have been to the doctor and  had  ekg thinking it might be a heart problem but all is normal there.  I have been  trying to  catch myself on my posture    and it  seems to be working..

[Snowboarddude]

yea i dont know exatly what but i feel snowboarding and rolled onto my arm like i was on my face and rolled on my back with my arm underneath me and know i got this it hurts like crazy but i dont think its casue of stress