Muscle pain question...

[Dottore]

For some weeks now I have been suffering from acute pain in my left shoulder blade, that pulls into the left arm and up to the collar bone. It's so acute that it prevents me from falling asleep.

I've ruled out underlying bone issues with the doctors, all of who say its just severe muscle pain that needs to be treated with physiotherapy. I have tried three different physiotherapists, and found them all incredibly unconvincing.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? There must be good pain meds to reduce the pain, and there should IMO also be meds to de-stress the muscles. What about heat treatments? Or acupuncture?

I'm quite lost with this at the moment. The Doctors send me to the physiotherapists—all of who have been esoteric and entirely unfocussed IMO.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[911Freak]

I've suffered similar issues off and on for years. I attack it from several aspects:
1) Ive found Activon (makers of annoying commercial Head On) to work very well. Try to get the green or blue labeled stick. Work it in well to affected areas, I repeat several times a day. This stuff is great, more effective then RX meds in some cases!
2) good shoulder and back massage, at least every 2 days followed with minimal activity for next few hours allowing muscles to relax.
3) stretching the shoulder, neck, arm and upper back muscles as much as pain allows, preferably after warm wet heat or hot shower
4) RX pain meds work OK for break through pain, as well as a good muscle relaxer like Soma
5) watch your posture, sitting at a desk working on computer is great way to agrivate these shoulder muscles...
Repeat as necessary until better...
Hope you get well
Good luck
Jason

[BlueSkyJaunte]

"Dry needling" is a technique that is gaining traction here in the States. Not quite acupuncture--the concept, as I understand it, is to force the muscle to relax from its spasm by activating a "trigger point". I have not personally undergone it (though my chiro has recommended it for my consistently problematic lower back) but a coworker of mine has. He was a skeptic but says it helped him immensely.

[genrex]

Good to be seeing the doctors now, and not putting this off...

_

[madmmac]

Have they ruled out a torn rotator?

[pavulon]

If your symptoms match the descriptions offered for "radicular pain" you may have a date with an MRI scanner. Neck problems can also manifest in a lot of different ways.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by madmmac

Have they ruled out a torn rotator?

Along these lines, does it hurt like mad to grab your belt in the middle of your posterior waist or to shake hands with someone?

[ckelly78z]

I was originally thinking about a pinched nerve, but might want to see a doc in case of torn rotator. Both have a high degree of pain, but rotator won't go away without help.

[Rikao4]

believe D would have an event to tie the 'torn rotator' too..
and some relief should be evident after physiotherapy..
D didn't mention any X-rays taken..
D could this be related to your last stay..
perhaps a flare up or it's moved to new location..

Rika

[GWN7]

Originally Posted by Dottore

For some weeks now I have been suffering from acute pain in my left shoulder blade, that pulls into the left arm and up to the collar bone. It's so acute that it prevents me from falling asleep.

I've ruled out underlying bone issues with the doctors, all of who say its just severe muscle pain that needs to be treated with physiotherapy. I have tried three different physiotherapists, and found them all incredibly unconvincing.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? There must be good pain meds to reduce the pain, and there should IMO also be meds to de-stress the muscles. What about heat treatments? Or acupuncture?

I'm quite lost with this at the moment. The Doctors send me to the physiotherapists—all of who have been esoteric and entirely unfocussed IMO.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Were you in a car accident? I had the same pain as you describe caused by a accident (seatbelt). The only thing that made it feel better was deep tissue massage. Physio didn't help. If you try the massage ask if they do deep tissue as most are only trained in therapeutic massage.

[genrex]

Even if you pay out-of-pocket to expedite procedures, it is money well spent...

_

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

"Dry needling" is a technique that is gaining traction here in the States. Not quite acupuncture--the concept, as I understand it, is to force the muscle to relax from its spasm by activating a "trigger point". I have not personally undergone it (though my chiro has recommended it for my consistently problematic lower back) but a coworker of mine has. He was a skeptic but says it helped him immensely.

That sounds interesting. I will look into that here.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by genrex

My father had the same symptom.... acute pain in the muscle of his left scapula, for weeks and weeks. He thought he had "twisted a muscle" and he wouldn't see a doctor for it, instead thinking that it would go away by itself. After about two months of this, I got a phone call from my mother in the middle of the night. My father had fallen, and he couldn't get up. I was there in 5 minutes. I carried him to the car (doing a fireman's carry), and we all went to the ER.

The ER doctors admitted him to the hospital for testing, where they discovered that he had muscle cancer, and it had migrated to his spinal column. He lost all function from that point downward, which of course included his legs. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

I hope your outcome is much better!

_

They ruled out the big C with CT's and MRI's - so I'm relaxed about that.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by madmmac

Have they ruled out a torn rotator?

Yes.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by 911Freak

I've suffered similar issues off and on for years. I attack it from several aspects:
1) Ive found Activon (makers of annoying commercial Head On) to work very well. Try to get the green or blue labeled stick. Work it in well to affected areas, I repeat several times a day. This stuff is great, more effective then RX meds in some cases!
2) good shoulder and back massage, at least every 2 days followed with minimal activity for next few hours allowing muscles to relax.
3) stretching the shoulder, neck, arm and upper back muscles as much as pain allows, preferably after warm wet heat or hot shower
4) RX pain meds work OK for break through pain, as well as a good muscle relaxer like Soma
5) watch your posture, sitting at a desk working on computer is great way to agrivate these shoulder muscles...
Repeat as necessary until better...
Hope you get well
Good luck
Jason

That all sounds like good advice. I much appreciate it.

[wdfifteen]

Could it be bursitis? I've had bouts with bursitis in my left shoulder. The problem is in the shoulder joint, but when it was bad I felt pain clear up to my neck. The doc recommended naproxen sodium (Aleve) to relieve the pain until the bursa healed itself.

[tadink]

all good advice above, but not one mention of 'frozen shoulder'? I had that awhile back and it is a bear, but it goes away. you might look into that....hope you feel better soon!
td

[vash]

Tiger balm! You can push down on muscle tissue and feel the pain? I don't know why tiger balm works for me. But it does. You will smell like an old Chinese person tho! . Hope you feel better

[gatotom]

I don't see those problems alot but now and then a Chiropractic adjustment does help relieve the spasm but most times it doesn't do didly squat because it is not coming from the spinal nerves.

A muscle freakout, I get them myself that can last for days, feels like someone is stabbing me in the back. I can go to bed at night and in the middle of the night wake up with the bastard stabbing.

Yes, us Chiropractors see other Docs, myself usually a Orthopedic who has done too many surgeries to mention and he tells me low potassium, calcium and magnesium contribute. Deep massage helps and I mean deep, acupuncture also helps but you need to find one that actually knows what they are doing.

Personally I screw my brains out and if it doesn't relieve it I forget about it in the heat of the moment and all is well

Without a doubt its not a rotator cuff or superspinatus muscle, if that was torn you couldn't sleep on that side and when it is completely torn you would have problems lifting your arm over your head. The ss muscle is the easiest torn muscle in our body and ask me how I know. I have no ss muscle in my right arm, tore it off 35 yrs ago and as long as your deltoid muscles are strong no problems. My left one tore 15 yrs ago and had it re-sewned back but this past yr it tore some again and the ortho said after mri that he advised against a sew job cuz there wasn't much left to rob in there to fix it but a cortisone shot in the inflamed spot on the tendon helped alot and I followed it up with acupuncture and finally realized due to my lazy ways that if I don't use it you lose it so I am back lifting weights and pain is nothing during the day but the darn night time it can kick up to a 3-4 with 10 being unbearable.

[sailchef]

I had tore up my shoulder 10 years ago from windsurfing and self medicated. A few years later x-rays also showed my shoulders had a lot of calcification, probably from playing football and some serious mogul skiing when I was young.

Anyway, I use Mineral Ice during the day.

At night I sleep with a heating pad blanketed over the shoulder until I can feel a deep heat then i turn it off.

I also use the light weight rubber exercise bands to slowly stretch out in the morning. I do excercises that were shown to me by the physical therepist.

In the shower I stand under a hot massage jet and do a peddling motion with my arms to warm up the shoulder before begining my day.

After 3-4 years its getting better. You use your shoulders every day. Very hard to give them a rest.

Hopefully its nothing major and just needs a little time.