Pain Between Shoulder Blades: October 2013

Thursday 10 October 2013

Pain In Between Shoulder Blades

People write to me wondering if I can help them get rid of the "knots" near their shoulder blades. I explain the causes of their back pain symptoms. I help them understand why they are having pain and I also tell them why the therapies they have tried did not work, or didn't work for very long.

Pain In Between Shoulder Blades

Here are some excerpts from a recent response to "Gloria. "

More Information About Pain In Between Shoulder Blades

The reason the hard massage and other treatments you have had didn't work for very long is probably because they did not address the cause of your pain.

The massage therapist and doctor were working on the symptom (your pain) rather than the cause of your symptom. This is a common occurrence as therapists and doctors often do not understand why someone is having pain.

I am guessing that you are right-handed, since your pain symptoms are on the right side.

First, some background: All muscles attach to at least two bones. That is what allows us to move. If a muscle is pulling on one side of a bone (for instance, one side of your shoulder blade) then the muscles that attach on the other side of the bone will also be pulled on.

More Fact About: Pain In Between Shoulder Blades

In other words, when a muscle contracts, or gets short and tight, it pulls on a bone. It moves the bone out of the bone's neutral position. The other muscles that attach to that bone then get stretched (simply because they are attached to the bone, which has moved. They don't like to be stretched, so they go into their own type of contraction--they get a spasm they tighten and become taut.

This is a natural reaction from muscles when they are stretched for a long period of time. This is how your body keeps the overstretched muscles from tearing or being injured.

The shortened muscles don't usually complain, but their counterparts do.

So, what you are feeling is pain from tautness in the overstretched muscles. Those are your "knots. "

If those painful spasms are massaged deeply, or injected with medicine to relax them, they may relax for a short time or not. The reason they can't stay relaxed is because the other muscles and bones that originally pulled on them are still pulling! It is just a law of nature that taut muscles are unable to relax until the pulling muscles are relaxed.

This is the cause of your pain and this is what must be released, or relaxed, to give you relief--the pulling muscles.

It is okay to also massage the "knots" to help release them, after the pulling muscles are released. Then your knots will be able to relax and be released.

Pain In Back Between Shoulder Blades

Pain In Back between Shoulder Blades

How many times have you left work with a headache, stiffness between your shoulder blades, or tightness in your shoulders?

Did you take a pain reliever when you arrived at home?

Have you purchased a back brace hoping to correct the problem?

It is a major problem around the country. What does texting, emailing, typing on a computer, and writing at a desk have in common? Hunched over to do all these tasks!

By leaning over, you shorten your chest muscles, round your back, and lower your head and that cause the pain in back between shoulder blades.

Starting at the base of your head, running on each side of your spin to the pelvis are two muscles called Erector Spinae. These muscles stabilize your spine and hold your head up. Your head weighs about 10-12 pounds.

When you are leaning over the weight of your head doubles every inch your head leans forward. This puts major stress on your mid back. The chest is not helping either., because as it shortens it cause your shoulders to round and intensifies the pain. So what can you do?

Some have purchased back braces to pull your shoulders back and take the pressure off. That seems reasonable at first until you watch someone wearing one. The brace forces the chest to expand. This is not good for a long period of time, because the chest muscles will react by contracting and causing a spasm in your chest.

You might think you are having a heart attack, but you are not. You will still have the mid back pain because you will continue to lean your head forward.

Strength training sounds like a great idea. If I can strengthen my back muscles, then I can expand my chest to stop the rounding of my shoulders. The back muscles will spasm causing pain in your lower back because you cannot hold that position that long.

Here is the best way to handle mid back pain. First, understand your spine is like a slinky. There is nothing in your spine that is rigid like a leg bone. It is just a series of bones stacked on top of each other, held together by ligaments.

Ligaments are like taffy, once they are stretched out, the ligaments will not return to their original size. The only thing that holds your spine straight are your muscles. Second, the best way to stop the mid back pain is to reverse the shortness of your chest.

This can be done by standing in a doorway. Place one forearm on the door frame so the wrist and the elbow are touching the door frame. The upper arm should be parallel to the floor. Look down at your feet and pretend you draw a circle around your feet.

Now using your feet, rotate your body away from the door frame as far as you can. Hold the stretch for two seconds and repeat ten times. When you are finished, shift your arm so your hand is on the back of your head, your elbow is on the door frame, and rotate your body exactly the same as you did in the first stretch. Hold for two seconds and repeat ten times.

There are two muscles in each side of your chest. Both of these stretches will expand those muscles. Thirdly, While sitting in a chair, shoulders back, place your hands on the bottom of your chin, and look up to the ceiling. Hold for two seconds and repeat ten times.

If you work at a desk all day you should do these stretches in the morning, mid-day, and in the evening before you go to bed. Doing these stretches will allow you to stop the Pain In Back Between shoulder blades.

If you are working out and focusing on your mid back, these stretches will allow you to improve your back strength without creating more pain in your mid back and neck.

Understanding how your every day tasks affects the way your body reacts is the first step to pain free living. The Muscle Repair shop focuses on muscle health.

We educate our clients and businesses about understanding the cause of the pain and how to maintain proper muscle health so they can live a pain free lifestyle. Butch Phelps is available for speaking engagements and workshops. Butch can be contacted at

Pain Between Shoulder Blades Causes

The shoulder blade, otherwise known as the scapula is the bone structure in the upper back part of the body connecting the arm to the thorax (chest wall). The shoulder blade also forms part of the socket, which connects the upper arm to the socket. It is surrounded by muscles and tissues which cushion the bone structure allowing the shoulders to move smoothly.

Thus, the shoulder blade is largely involved in the different movements of the human arms. Like any other parts of the body however, the shoulder blade may suffer swelling and inflammation, which lead to what is commonly referred to as shoulder blade pain.

However, Pain Between Shoulder Blades Causes may be caused by a number of factors. The pain may be sourced from inflammation of the tissues or tendons surrounding the scapula or the shoulder blade.

Muscles surrounding the shoulder blade may have been torn or strained due to some strenuous activities.
The same case may also apply as regards the tendons and ligaments in the scapula region.

Joint dislocations may also lead to shoulder blade pain as a result of a strong trauma after an accident or during a play of a sport. Shoulder blade pain may also involve infection or bone tumor in the region of the scapula; but cases of this type are very infrequent.

Although pain between shoulder blades may signal that there is something wrong with the tissues, joints, ligaments or muscles around and within the shoulder region, it is not however always the case. Not all types of pain between shoulder blades are indicative of infection, inflammation, or problems within the scapula region.

Pain between the shoulder blades may be an indicator of a disease other than that which is directly related to infection in the scapula; such pain may be a signal warning from one of the organs of the body. This type of pain is considered as "referred pain".

Shoulder blade pain may signal any pain from another part of the body the severity of which may range from mild to severe. Thus, the pain may be a referred pain from the lower part of the neck, or from the lower part of the back.

This may be caused by too much stress or too much time spent in front of the computer. This may also indicate a posture problem. If the person has a bad posture, the spine may be affected and therefore it refers the stress and pressure to the shoulder blade area.

On the other hand, Pain Between Shoulder Blades Causes may indicate severe medical problems or conditions in the other organs of the body. It may mean an impending heart attack; it has been documented that prior to a heart attack, most are experiencing pain between their shoulder blades.

Gallbladder disease may also manifest in the form of pain between shoulder blades. This may oftentimes be accompanied by vomiting. It may also be caused by liver cancer and esophageal cancer or cancer in the esophagus due to an abnormal growth of cells and tumors in a person's esophagus.

Pain Between Shoulder Blades

The shoulder blades are triangular in shape and are located at the back of the shoulder. The medical name is known as the scapula. It forms the shoulder joint along with the humerus (arm bone) and clavicle (collar bone). The muscles attached to the scapula are involved with neck and shoulder movement as well as mobility in the back.

Often times, people will experience pain and discomfort between the shoulder blades without having any prior injury. This may leave them wondering as to what could be the cause of their pain. Since there are many factors which can produce pain between the shoulder blades, this article will examine the possible factors involved.

Here is a list of causes for pain between shoulder blades:

Injury or Trauma: Injuries such as auto, sports, work, lifting or even falling down can affect the spinal column and the surrounding soft tissues. This can lead to weakness and injury to the ligaments and muscles that attach to the scapula and spine. In some cases, x-rays and MRI may not be able to visualize the exact cause of spinal and soft tissue injuries.

Posture: If you work long hours in front of a computer, you may have noticed pain and tension in your neck, around the shoulders and along the upper back. Often times, the cause of this pain is from poor posture and improper positioning of your hands, arms and feet. Basically, the human body is a kinetic chain, in which one area of your body can affect another region.

For instance, slouching in your chair forces the neck and shoulders to lean forward. Maintaining this position for prolonged periods can generate stress and tension on the musculature of your neck, trapezius muscles, shoulders, upper back and pain between shoulder blades. It is in your best interest to practice proper ergonomics when working on the computer for long durations.

Gallstones: In general, gallstones may not cause any signs or symptoms. However, when a gallstone becomes lodged in a duct and creates a blockage, symptoms may result which include pain between shoulder blades, right shoulder pain and abdominal pain.

Disc Degeneration: When the disc substance degenerates, the spacing between the vertebrae shrinks, which can cause inflammation to the surrounding joint structures and soft tissue. This can manifest as an achy or dull pain between shoulder blades. Factors that can cause disc degeneration include injury, trauma, aging, infection and disease.

Disc Herniation: There are 4 different stages of disc herniation, which include disc degeneration, disc prolapse, disc extrusion and sequestered disc. In any of these stages, it is possible to experience localized or radiating pain between shoulder blades. In addition, inflammation can occur to the surrounding soft tissue and joint, which can also cause pain. Disc herniation can develop from injury, trauma, infection and disease.

Overuse: It's possible that if your work involves constant use of lifting objects over your head, this type of activity can cause fatigue and spasms. Consequently, this may cause pain between shoulder blades. In addition, activities such as rowing or shoulder motions that are similar to rowing can also cause discomfort between shoulder blades.

Kyphosis: This is a spinal condition in which the region between the scapula has an abnormal curve. This disorder affects children and adults and can cause a deformity known as "hunchback" or "humpback. " This condition can result in pain between shoulder blades. The causes for a kyphotic spine include: neuromuscular disorders, congenital (being born with it), Scheuermann's disease, trauma, tumor, infection and arthritis.

Pain between shoulder blades can prevent you from performing normal daily activities. Finding a treatment that is right for you is the key to healthier living. Read more about finding the right natural pain relief for you.

Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades

When it comes to upper back pain between shoulder blades, there is some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that there is a whole host of problems that can cause upper back pain between the shoulder blades.

Fortunately...

The pain is not always the sharp intense pain that is associated with osteoporosis, herniated discs, sciatica, a malformed spinal cord, compressed vertebra, rheumatoid arthritis, or one of the other many degenerative physical problems that can create upper back pain.

These sort of disorders require professional medical treatment - frequently will require surgery - and are beyond the scope of this article...

It's a scary list of problems that can cause back pain.

But, for severe back pain relief, there is hope...

Though it is often far more annoying than the sharp pains mentioned above, we often experience a dull ache between the shoulder blades. This type of malady is frequently muscular in nature and treatable with some simple exercises.

One main cause of this upper back pain between shoulder blades is poor posture. When you have poor posture, the extra pressure placed on the neck muscles is often the cause of upper back pain.

The first step is to be aware that our backache is caused by poor posture - check with your family physician. Then - of course - it is important that you find the best way to get rid of that pain. One of the best treatments to get rid of inflammatory back pain is to exercise.

Not only will exercising the muscles loosen them up, but you'll learn to maintain the proper posture that will keep the upper back pain between shoulder blades away.

Here are 5 ideas...

1. One of the best stretches that you can do to loosen the muscles is to sit with your legs extended straight out in front of you.

Bend forward and reach for your toes, if you can, hook your fingers under your feet. If you aren't able to do that (yet), stretch your arms as far forward as you can. Bending forward helps to loosen the muscles of the lower back, and stretching your arms helps to loosen the muscles of your upper back.

On ALL stretching exercises - do them as a gentle, continuous stretch - don't bounce! Bouncing can strain or even sprain your muscles. In extreme cases it could cause vertebral injury.

Another excellent stretch is to lie on your back and reach your arms and legs as far in the opposite directions as possible. This therapy will help to loosen and relax the muscles that you have tensed up with poor posture.

One way to prevent and relieve the chronic pain we often get in our neck is to actually strengthen our neck muscles.

Here is a simple way you can exercise your neck to build the muscle strength that will help you avoid the causes of and get upper back pain relief.

2. Push your neck in one direction with your finger, while your neck muscles push your head in the other direction.

3. You can also use your head to hold a ball against the wall as an exercise to work out your neck muscles. You can start simply by holding it, then move on to pushing it against the wall 10 or 20 times, then pushing the ball against the wall continuously for 20 to 30 seconds.

4. Work in some exercises to help strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, especially exercises that focus on the upper back. Exercises that require your arms to pull, use your upper back muscles. Strengthening these muscles is one of the best ways to avoid and get relief from upper back pain between shoulder blades.

5. Correct your posture by practicing standing up straight and holding your head up high. Roll your shoulders back in order to lift them and keep your spine straight. Point your chin forward and lift your head to correct your posture.

Be careful if you are going to work out your neck to reduce upper back pain between shoulder blades. Your neck is delicate and can be sensitive, and you could injure it if you aren't careful. Start slowly when doing neck exercises, and slowly increase the intensity of your neck workout as time progresses. If you start to feel sore, stop.

Medication...

As soon as we start to feel any pain in our body, many of us immediately go for the nearest pain medication. Medications (such as ibuprofen) can help with the immediate inflammation... but this can be a big mistake. Medication only treats the symptoms, not the root causes of the problem and you will find only temporary pain relief. As soon as the medication wears off, the chronic back pain comes back.

True, it's more work and a bit of a hassle, but taking the time to exercise and strengthen your back and neck muscles will have long term benefits and is well worth the effort.

Check to be sure you don't have any sort of vertebrae herniation or disease and you'll often find that a simple massage will do the trick! Or possibly a visit or two to get an acupuncture treatment.

The point is, not all back problems are the result of stenosis or osteopathic in nature or require back surgery. Often, to get rid of upper back pain between the shoulder blades, the top therapy may be a daily 10 minute exercise session.

Suffering with chronic back pains - or any other sore muscles - can completely take over your life! But... what if you just can't seem to shake it?

To learn more about Chiropractic Care, there are a ton of interesting articles at:Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades

Another great site to check out is Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades. Either of these sites can give you the information you need to FINALLY get some back pain relief! Check them out right now while you are thinking about it! What have you got to lose? (Other than some pain!)

If you know a few tried and true strategies - there is no need to suffer.

Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades

Back pain is something that strikes virtually every person around the world, both men and women of all ages. It's said over 80% of us will seek severe back pain relief at one time or another.

Causes

While not as common as lower back discomfort, many people feel back pain between the shoulder blades (the scapulas). This upper back pain between the shoulder scapula can be caused by a number of factors:

Back Pain Between Shoulder Pain

Being physically fit and trying to look good have never been more prevalent so many young people spend a lot of time exercising. Often they are over-doing it, doing the exercises incorrectly, not properly warming up and stretching. This causes the muscles that run from their neck down between their shoulder blades to get strained very easily.

Exhaustion of the muscles causes Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades too, so don't push beyond your effective limits.

Many of us are spending more and more time in the office, sitting in uncomfortable office chairs (with bad posture), taking phone calls (with the phone propped between the ear and shoulder), lifting, twisting, bending and doing tasks that cause our bodies to tire out.

When your body gets tired, usually your back begins to sag and back pain between the shoulder blades sets in.

As mentioned, those of us with poor posture tend to slouch - which can cause pain throughout the back, not just in the upper back area.

Men and women who are overweight and women with above average sized breasts tend to have back pain between their shoulder blades thanks to the added strain of the weight placed on their spinal column.

Add in potential medical disorders and diseases such as a pinched nerve, disc herniation, disc degeneration, and others... and the muscles in the upper back don't stand a chance.

These things are only a few things that can be the causes of back (thoracic) pain, but they can cause discomfort ranging from mildly annoying to seriously painful, chronic and debilitating.

It is important to do what you can to address and alleviate these issues.

We have enough to worry about under normal circumstance without adding in pains from back issues.

First as always, before you seek upper back pain relief and start self treatment, see your doctor to get a diagnosis of what is creating your particular issue.

Causes for an upper back problem and Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades are many and varied and you need to find out what condition is causing your aches before you do anything that could make them worse.

Be sure to follow whatever advice your therapist recommends. I'm constantly amazed at how many of us pay for professional advice - and then ignore it.

There are back pain exercises to help loosen the muscles and strengthen your back, but those who do exercise need to ensure that they don't overexert themselves when cycling, running, training on the elliptical machine, or other activities. Make it a point to get a good stretch both before and after exercise.

Those spending a good amount of time in the office need to ensure that they have comfortable chairs to sit on. A poorly designed chair is more of a common cause of chronic back pain between the shoulder blades than most of us realize.

I like seeing a shapely leg as much as the next man, but many women wear heels that are too high, and the overly high heels contribute to their back aches. (As well as damage the feet. )#) Wearing comfortable shoes in the workplace is vital for back pain relief. Save the heels for a night on the town.

Poor posture can easily lead to a herniated cervical disc. It is easy to slouch, but correcting your posture will go a very long way towards avoiding potentially severe back problems.

If you suspect that you have poor posture, take a look in the mirror to check it out. If your chin is more than 2 inches in front of your chest, then you are probably hanging your too head low and slouching.

Roll your shoulders back and lift your head towards the roof. Straighten your back and lift your chest to correct your posture. You need to make the effort to walk around with good posture, it may be a hassle, but it's easier than surgery, years of physical therapy, medication and trips to your physician.

Those with large breasts should ensure that they wear bras that offer sufficient support.

Larger breasted women can visit a bra specialist to obtain information on what kind of bra is the best to provide the necessary support..

Taking these small steps to change can actually help you reduce the amount of back pain between the shoulder blades that you experience, and you may find that these few small changes are the difference between acute discomfort and a pain-free life.

Suffering with chronic back pains - or any other sore muscles - can completely take over your life! But... what if you just can't seem to shake it?

To learn more about Chiropractic Care, there are a ton of interesting articles at: http://chiropractic-care.org

Another great site to check out is Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades. Either of these sites can give you the information you need to FINALLY get some back pain relief! Check them out right now while you are thinking about it! What have you got to lose? (Other than some pain!)

If you know a few tried and true strategies - there is no need to suffer.