Español
Català
How to fix pain between the shoulder blades
It’s amazing how many people come in to see me with a pain between the shoulder blades on one side, over the Rhomboid muscle. They usually describe it as a ‘knife in the back’ type pain, or a burning tightness. Most people think that it’s the muscles in the area, but the cause is usually something else. Usually stuck rib joints, or referred pain from the neck.
CAUSE 1. RIB JOINT RESTRICTION:
Poor mid back posture, especially with the shoulders slumped forward, can distort the position of the ribs. And if they are kept in the position for a long time, the joints where the ribs attach to the spine can become restricted. This can cause pain in the costovertebral joints (the rib joints at the back of the body) and muscle tightness. So, step one is to improve your sitting posture and to avoid one bad sleeping position—a side-lying position with the bottom shoulder pushed forward.
Lying face up on a rolled-up towel for a couple of minutes a day can help loosen the rib joints, as can repetitious thoracic rotation and side bending exercises.
CAUSE 2. LOWER NECK RESTRICTION:
Again, poor posture is the cause of a lot of lower neck problems, but this time more of a ‘forward head’ position. So, try to raise mobile phones and computer screens so you’re not looking towards your navel all day!
The same rolled-up towel exercise can help with stretching restricted vertebrae at the base of your neck, and ‘Chin Tuck’ exercises help enormously. But I prefer the Chin Tuck PLUS version with an extended mid back to get the most out of the exercise.
If the muscle tightness is a little lower in the mid-back (below the shoulder blades) it may well the muscles that are the issues. In which case this video on releasing mid back muscles will help you out
Stefan Becker
Chiropractor in Sarrià, Barcelona
