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Rhomboid muscle pain - 10 years with little relief
I have had chronic rhomboid muscle pain on the right side for 10 years, and have seen numerous MD's(MRI with no significant problem found), Chiropractors (Adjustments & pressure point message), Physical Therapists (waste of money) and a Neurologist that is currently performing acupuncture. I self medicate with Ibuprofen, and sleep on an ice pack every night. In addition, I lay on a baseball and roll over the rhomboid muscle while stretching to break up the spasms for some relief, the ball hits an area that feels like a rope that is in a horizontal position across the rhomboid. Pain radiates from the rhomboid up the right side of my neck, and down my right arm which includes the right shoulder. Headaches are almost constant.
I will try anything at this point to resolve this issue; any help with this issue would be very much appreciated.
I will try anything at this point to resolve this issue; any help with this issue would be very much appreciated.
Here is my story. 20 years ago, I flipped a car over and damaged L4/L5. Short story: mentally shut the pain off and would have a damaged spine. Worked fine. Every few years, I would have a flare up that would immobilize me for a few weeks, but it wasn’t that bad. This year I got into a sport that took a toll on my body. I was lofted and fell from 40 feet to the surface of a lake. Internally bruised my ribs, but nothing broken. I have a grade 2-3 AC tear, and Labral superior and posterior tear and tennis ad golfers elbows. Started rehab. At same time, I continued some construction work. I threw my back out for the first time. Couldn’t move for 10 days. Mt PT manipulated my back and I felt a snap. Within the same day or two, back pain subdued and then I fell on ice.
So for the first time, my rhomboid was in pain. This has been constant for 2 weeks. Went to acupuncturist. I now have pectoral spasm, lat spasms, and back spasms. My tricep, forearm and fingers feel pain . I sleep maybe 3 hours a night and take pain meds….I hate pain meds, but it so hard to deal with. I have read all these posts and have just bought, but yet to have delivered, wheat grass, all the recommended books, neck door traction unit, magnesium and potassium. I have pretty much stayed I bed the last 10 days and am sick of it. My question: Has anyone said “the hell with this!”…And just pretended it didn’t exist and start an active life again? I look in the mirror and my muscles have gotten smaller, less defined. This cant be good fro healing. I have stretched my pecs the last 3 days. Still wake up in agonizing pain. As I write, my pec is spasming with no relief. I put an ice pack on 3 times a day and rub ketamine and some anti-inflammatory lotion on as well.
For me, I think I can narrow it down to back manipulation. I was in pain, but didn’t feel this pinched nerve stuff until my back was manipulated. I will go get more x-rays, MRI’s and ultrasounds and see if I have a herniated disk, or if a rib was misplaced from my fall. My guess is that is I cant get a disk fusion, I will have to find other alternatives, but I am at my breaking point and am about to just try to get into a workout routine ad try my best to ignore that pain. Anyone take this route?
So for the first time, my rhomboid was in pain. This has been constant for 2 weeks. Went to acupuncturist. I now have pectoral spasm, lat spasms, and back spasms. My tricep, forearm and fingers feel pain . I sleep maybe 3 hours a night and take pain meds….I hate pain meds, but it so hard to deal with. I have read all these posts and have just bought, but yet to have delivered, wheat grass, all the recommended books, neck door traction unit, magnesium and potassium. I have pretty much stayed I bed the last 10 days and am sick of it. My question: Has anyone said “the hell with this!”…And just pretended it didn’t exist and start an active life again? I look in the mirror and my muscles have gotten smaller, less defined. This cant be good fro healing. I have stretched my pecs the last 3 days. Still wake up in agonizing pain. As I write, my pec is spasming with no relief. I put an ice pack on 3 times a day and rub ketamine and some anti-inflammatory lotion on as well.
For me, I think I can narrow it down to back manipulation. I was in pain, but didn’t feel this pinched nerve stuff until my back was manipulated. I will go get more x-rays, MRI’s and ultrasounds and see if I have a herniated disk, or if a rib was misplaced from my fall. My guess is that is I cant get a disk fusion, I will have to find other alternatives, but I am at my breaking point and am about to just try to get into a workout routine ad try my best to ignore that pain. Anyone take this route?
I've had rhomboid pain for 34 years. It has driven me to absolute madness. The madness stopped when I got something called a Theracane. You can get them on Amazon. You use it to dig into the exact spot where the pain is originating from. The next day the pain is gone. It has saved my life.
wow this is really depressing to read. I've been having pain in my rhomboid and lat for almost a year now. I'm only 23 and I've given up on all the activities I've enjoyed. I feel my youth slipping away and I'm starting to feel hopeless. A life of pain is not one I want to live.
Prior to all this pain I had lost a lot of weight, began a fairly physical job (but no overly strenuous) lifted weights regularly and intensely as well as taking long walks with my dog. I had aspired to be doing physique competitions by as well as pursing a career in personal training (which I have a certification for).
Know, I have given all of that up. I don't workout because of the pain, I don't work because of the pain, I can't even walk a slow mile without a lot of discomfort. I'm about out of money and out of hope. My days are spent in bed or on the couch. I've gained most of the weight back and lost all the muscle I had gained.
After about a month of being in pain and resting I went to see a orthopedic, who brushed it off as a pulled muscle. After more rest I tried going back to the gym, but was still in a lot of pain.
Next I saw a chiropractor and didn't do anything for about 5 weeks. The adjustments seemed to help temporarily. At my first visit he said the first five ribs on the left were out of place (the side my pain was on).
Next I saw another chiro who focused on doing active release therapy and gave me some physical therapy type exercises to do at home. This also gave me some temporary relief.
From about October To mid December of 2013 Is the most active I've been in a year. I was able to lift weights and do cardio. I still had some pain and had to be careful about what exercises I did, but I thought in time it would work itself out.
Then about mid December the pain flared back up, and hasn't had much relief since. I went back to the original chiro, who once again, said my ribs were out of place. This seemed to be consistent with the type of pain I was having.
I did research about slipped ribs, and learned that chronic slipped ribs will damage the tendon that holds them in place. This led me to investigating prolotherapy, which will help heal the tendons.
My first stop for this was a pain management clinic, who at first prescribed muscle relaxers and physical therapy, neither or witch helped. After a second visit she wanted to give me a cortisone injection, which I declined. A dead end.
After doing more research, I found a doctor who specializes in prolotherapy and is actively doing research in the field. I have had to treatments and it hasn't provided me much relief.
Right now I'm at a total loss, I'm fat and out of shape. I've started doing some light weight and residence band exercises at home as well as walking. All of this still causes pain.
This whole experience has left me in shock and disbelief at the state of our current health care and our knowledge in treating pain. Most of it seems to be a money grab backed by little to no science. Most of the Doctors I have seen have been overconfident in their abilities and unable to deliver anything other than some voodoo treatment, and I'm talking about mainstream medicine as well as homeopathic.
Prior to all this pain I had lost a lot of weight, began a fairly physical job (but no overly strenuous) lifted weights regularly and intensely as well as taking long walks with my dog. I had aspired to be doing physique competitions by as well as pursing a career in personal training (which I have a certification for).
Know, I have given all of that up. I don't workout because of the pain, I don't work because of the pain, I can't even walk a slow mile without a lot of discomfort. I'm about out of money and out of hope. My days are spent in bed or on the couch. I've gained most of the weight back and lost all the muscle I had gained.
After about a month of being in pain and resting I went to see a orthopedic, who brushed it off as a pulled muscle. After more rest I tried going back to the gym, but was still in a lot of pain.
Next I saw a chiropractor and didn't do anything for about 5 weeks. The adjustments seemed to help temporarily. At my first visit he said the first five ribs on the left were out of place (the side my pain was on).
Next I saw another chiro who focused on doing active release therapy and gave me some physical therapy type exercises to do at home. This also gave me some temporary relief.
From about October To mid December of 2013 Is the most active I've been in a year. I was able to lift weights and do cardio. I still had some pain and had to be careful about what exercises I did, but I thought in time it would work itself out.
Then about mid December the pain flared back up, and hasn't had much relief since. I went back to the original chiro, who once again, said my ribs were out of place. This seemed to be consistent with the type of pain I was having.
I did research about slipped ribs, and learned that chronic slipped ribs will damage the tendon that holds them in place. This led me to investigating prolotherapy, which will help heal the tendons.
My first stop for this was a pain management clinic, who at first prescribed muscle relaxers and physical therapy, neither or witch helped. After a second visit she wanted to give me a cortisone injection, which I declined. A dead end.
After doing more research, I found a doctor who specializes in prolotherapy and is actively doing research in the field. I have had to treatments and it hasn't provided me much relief.
Right now I'm at a total loss, I'm fat and out of shape. I've started doing some light weight and residence band exercises at home as well as walking. All of this still causes pain.
This whole experience has left me in shock and disbelief at the state of our current health care and our knowledge in treating pain. Most of it seems to be a money grab backed by little to no science. Most of the Doctors I have seen have been overconfident in their abilities and unable to deliver anything other than some voodoo treatment, and I'm talking about mainstream medicine as well as homeopathic.
I have been having a lot of extreme pain in my shoulder blade as well which radiates also. When it gets in a tight spasm I can't wash dishes or stir anything because it aggravates the area and makes the pain and spasm worsen. I saw doctors for 3 years and got nowhere, just got pain pills with anti-inflammatory med., and use ice bags. It gives relief for a little while and then comes back. I have a tens unit I use on the rhomboid muscles and it helps better. My doctor finally sent me to a osteopathic doctor and when I told him what my symptoms were he immediately checked around my rhomboids and my ribs. He discovered that I had a rib out of place and the rhomboid muscles were in a locked spasm as a reaction to trying to hold the rib in the position it had slipped to. He put my rib back in place and gave me shots in the rhomboid muscles to help release the locked spasm. The rib had been out of place for 2 years and nobody had caught it till I saw him, so the rhomboid muscles were stretched out further than they should have been holding the rib in the new position it had slipped into. I felt relief very quickly after he put the rib back in place, it made a big difference. Maybe you should see if you have a rib out of place too. Worth checking out.
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