Safe - Shoulder Blade pain

finding_reason · 19-07-2011, 11:38 AM

I am hoping that someone has had similar experience or can offer some ideas of what to do....I am a poor uni student that just finished having a bout of the swine flu and was forced to fork over 150 dollars for two doctors appointments and an additional 100 dollars for medications. So I am trying to space out my visit just a little bit.

saying that I am in some serious pain. I woke up this morning with what I initially thought was chest pain but have realised throughout the day that its actually muscle pain that is centralised around my left shoulder blade, it hurts the most when I sit up straight or raise my arm straight out in front or to the side. I did have some pain in my front chest muscle this morning but I think that is gone now. I think it might be radiating pain from my neck, but I am not sure.

I am wondering if I should just ice and rest the area for a day or two and see if is subsides? I did lie on the floor earlier and put a tennis ball under my shoulder - a trigger point technique that i was told to use by a massage therapist after a car accident, but it didn't do anything.....i am really grasping at straws here. naturally if it's not better by tomorrow i will make an appointment to see the massage therapist on thursday as the pain at it's highest is about an 8/10.

any thoughts?

thanks in advance for your replies

Geranium · 19-07-2011, 07:51 PM

A few things you could try, as it may resolve by itself:

"Deep heat" cream or spray is the best thing I know for muscular pains, you should be able to it buy from a pharmacy (I'm in the UK but I'm guessing they'd have something similar in the US or wherever you are.)
The chinese "Tiger balm" lotion also works. And a warm bath may also help.

Ibuprofen is a painkiller which you can buy without prescription (in the UK anyway) and helps inflamation.

Also try very very gentle stretches, slowly rocking your neck from side to side, and rotating your shoulder. Someone else may know better on this, but I think there's a danger that if you don't move it at all it will seize up more.

hope it gets better soon