Normally I wouldn’t ask this type of question here but my guess is between us, we’ve likely encountered every type of injury out there. The upper right quadrant of my back is in agony and getting worse. It started out as a small sore spot between my spine and shoulder blade but for three weeks now has been radiating outward to encompass the whole upper right side and over the shoulder. So much so that I can feel my shoulder starting to sag. It’s gotten to the point now where, it’s been so long that the skin is actually getting sensitive to touch and just having a shirt on hurts.
Ive had it massaged, tryed Myoflex, Deep Cold Gold, etc. Nothing seems to help. There is no single trigger point but my arm goes numb when my wife massages over the edge of the shoulder blade. Ten years ago I tore a muscle insertion in this area but the doctors told me they would do more damage fixing it than just leaving it. It took about a year to really feel better and this time feels almost identicle. Problem is that I didn’t do anything this time. No pulled muscle, no “slept funny on it”. Nothing out of the ordinary that I can recall. It just sort of appeared.
Any ideas? I can’t sleep, driving is painful. I’m at a loss.
This is a fairly common complaint but a few different things can cause it. Could be a rhomboid muscle, a rib neuralgia or a problem with the neck to name a few. Find yourself a good chiropractor.
This sort of thing may have several sources. A good Osteopath may be of help. A massage therapist or chiropractor who is ART certified may also be good.
The numbness in your arm is not a good sign so I would get this looked at a soon as possible.
Cerveloguy, the right side of my neck does tighten up on a regular basis.
CoachSwim, I’ve tried a fair bit of massage with no luck so far. The numbness leaves my hand feeling very cold.
I guess a Chiro may be the answer. Ice and then heat did nothing. The frustrating part is not knowing why it came about. C-guy, you said it is a common compalint. Any ideas what sets it off?
first of all, this is really awful, I can’t imagine what you’re going through. so sorry to hear it!
second of all, get yourself to a GOOD doc right away. you don’t want to be in a situation where your arm goes numb and you get into a car accident or something awful. make this a priority today and do what you have to do to see a good doc.
third of all, repeat number 2, and meditate or pray so that you don’t worry. if possible have your wife or a friend drive you to the doc so you aren’t at risk when behind the wheel…your life and everyone’s life is too precious for you to risk driving when you hurt like this.
"C-guy, you said it is a common compalint. Any ideas what sets it off? "
It can be a number of things but I have noticed over the years that most people presenting with this type of complaint often seem to have a hypolordotic cervical spine, meaning that on x-ray it seems strait rather than having the normal C curve. This tends to be biomechanically ineffecient and your ranges of motion in the neck may be restricted less than normal. People like this who ride in an aggresssive low position on the bike for example may find this aggravating and complain of neck and shoulder discomfort as you describe. Besides chiropractic treatments I usually perscribe some stretch exercises for the neck and upper thoracic spine area.
Were you ever in any car accidents or other accidents where you may have received a whiplash type injury? This could be a cause.
It’s impossible to give a diagnosis over the forum, but this sounds like what it could be.
Parachute accident. Two discs removed in my lower back and now I have two more hernitated. As they were in my lower back, I didn’t think it was relavant to what was happening here.
I have to go to Ottawa tomorrow, got an open spot in the morning when I drive by lovely Quinte?
Kittycat. Its painful to drive but it does not seem tp affect my ability to control things or turn the wheel. I do appreciate the concern though.
"got an open spot in the morning when I drive by lovely Quinte? "
Actually, I live a ways from there, a bit off the beaten path so to speak. But like to go down to Quinte whenever possible for riding. I’d love to see them do a triathlon in the area. It has the perfect venue. They already have a marathon there so it would be easy to set up a tri.
If I had your problem I’d go straight to my orthopedist to rule out anything “serious.” Once I’d tried that I’d look into the more conservative treatments that have already been mentioned.
Hey Cerveloguy - I have a very similar problem that JohnG explained. It happens about 4 to 5 times a year. I have a wonderful chiropractor who I see for this and she is able to fix me up with a quick adjustment. Sometimes it requires 2 adjustments, but usually 1 will do. When I have this problem, she says “my rib is out” and the adjustment pops it back in. What exactly does that mean?
JohnG - sorry to hijack your post, but perhaps this is also your problem, so I thought it was related. The pain is in my upper back and originates from a single spot near my shoulder blade. Typically, the muscles surrounding it and all the way up my shoulder and neck tighten up as well, but the rib is the key. Once the adjustment deals with the rib, all the muscles relax and the pain goes away.
Infortunately, seeing the O’pod is not as straight forward an affair as it could be. Must be recomended by family doctor and then put on waiting list etc…he a great Doc, just hard to see.
Dawn, does your Chiro take new clients? I’m just in Pickering.
"she says “my rib is out” and the adjustment pops it back in. What exactly does that mean? "
The rib is not really “out” in the true sense but that’s just an expression. The joint where the rib meets the thoracic spine is hypomobile, meaning that it is a bit “locked up” which irritates the local muscle/ligament and even sometimes nerve in the area. When she does the adjustment she is restoring the localized range of motion back to normal. Hence, the pain goes away. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but in layman’s terms that’s not a bad explanation.
The joint where the rib meets the thoracic spine is hypomobile, meaning that it is a bit “locked up” which irritates the local muscle/ligament and even sometimes nerve in the area. When she does the adjustment she is restoring the localized range of motion back to normal. Hence, the pain goes away.
I have had the exact same problem in the same location. My chiro or massage therapist can fix it easily, but I have a good stretch that seems to prevent it from recurring. Lay on your back flat on the floor, arms at your sides, for probably about 3-5 minutes. This helps to relax the muscles a bit. Then put your hands behind your neck at the base of your skull and use your neck muscles to pull your head up, chin towards your chest. Don’t use your hands to pull up, but the hands in that direction tend to stretch the back better. With very light pressure straight upwards with your hands this should stretch the muscles between your shoulder blades. Don’t pull hard because you don’t want to put a lot of pressure on the spine. My chiro taught me how to do this, so you might ask yours when you go there.
"she says “my rib is out” and the adjustment pops it back in. What exactly does that mean? "
The rib is not really “out” in the true sense but that’s just an expression. The joint where the rib meets the thoracic spine is hypomobile, meaning that it is a bit “locked up” which irritates the local muscle/ligament and even sometimes nerve in the area. When she does the adjustment she is restoring the localized range of motion back to normal. Hence, the pain goes away. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but in layman’s terms that’s not a bad explanation.
CG -
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making that technical correction. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to reassure a patient that their rib or vertebra is NOT out. It really freaks them out when they see a provider, be it chiro, MD, DO or PT who tells them that something in their spine is “out of place”. If we could all come together and standardize our terminology it would make all our lives as providers much easier.
JohnG - Sorry to get off the original post, but just felt I had to get that in there. Best of luck with your injury!