Unexplained upper back pain

I get this upper back pain but I went to a rheumatologist, chose them myself and they diagnosed fibromyalgia.Always bothers me when drying dishes or spending two hours in the kitchen, told they were tight, but there are risks with neck massage so just put up with it.However the rheumatologist said the best antidote was exercise and I don't take pills due to side-effects.

@catlady87 do you sit in the same position with your computer, tablet, cell phone, etc? I’ve found that I usually sit in my same easy chair with my arms in the same position and the result is pain across my shoulder blades. I have a compensating scoliosis in that area so my left side is weaker than the right. So one side pulls on my thoracic spine. I also have OA of my entire spine as well.

catlady87, mine sounds exactly like yours. I have slight scoliosis to the left which gives me rotation ( a different plane) to the right. I've been reading that scoliosis that begins in the lumbar region results in upper body rotation in the opposite direction. This rotation in the spine raises the connecting rib, just slightly. so that the rib rubs uncomfortably against the muscle under the shoulder blade. My scoliosis has it's highest degree under the shoulder blade. The counter rotation is at T2 and T3. The chiropractor can reposition the vertebra which gives me instant relief which I lose after sitting for long, unless I use a pool noodle vertically behind the aching side which would be the opposite of the scoliosis rotation.
None of this is evident in a supine MRI.
You might see a chiropractor. They are easy to get in to see. You don't have to have an adjustment, but they can tell you about the mechanics of your back by feeling your bones.
The discomfort is annoying.

Try MFR deep myofascial tissue release there’s a section on it at the Mayo Clinic forum online. If you are an older person that may be from repetitive motion activities like working brought on by your profession. As we get older, our muscle groups weekend and they attach to each other And they pull on ligaments and bones, causing lots of pains deep my facial tissue release will tell you if that’s where your solution lies. Which I think it is because it sounds like it from the areas you explain and how they are involved. Try a couple different therapist because they each work differently And if it has been brought on by poor posture and a lifetime of work, you’re going to have to do this on an ongoing basis to age better. Unfortunately, I was born very round shoulder, and I was also an artist working very long hours and still continue to abuse my body. I also have degenerative disc disease so I’ve also had multiple surgeries that involve my spine and bones. However, I continue to struggle with placing a demand on my musculature because I want to continue to do art and work at 68. So for me a myofascial release therapist is going to be something I have to figure in probably for the rest of my life as well as a good exercise routine as well as cutting back on hours. I go twice a month and I could sit for nine months now and I can really feel over nine months the muscles breaking down as groups. However, when I work long hours still doing Art they’ll clump back together because that’s a lifetime habit.. There’s a saying “you play you pay“. It should’ve been “you work, you wear“

I came across this recently although I see it is several months old. I also have the same issues you describe exactly except that needling did nothing for me. I even went through shoulder surgery as some damage was seen yet this resolved nothing. After PT, needling, massage, shots, and surgery nothing helped. Then I came upon Myofascial Release Therapy. This made so much sense and explains why nothing else helps. If you read up on this you will see that this is a webbing that goes through your entire body. This can become adhered to your muscles etc and not allow proper movement in your body. This will cause pain that cannot be resolved by all the steps you have taken. This therapy is specific to myofascial to release this webbing. If you think about it, if your fascial has created adhesions you cannot get relief or movement. If one part of your webbing becomes locked up it begins to spread throughout. I have seen this method work for someone who had resigned herself to basically a recliner. She has bad back issues, but it was what these issues were doing do her body that was causing most of her pain. After her fascial was released, her movement is back. I am still in the process of this therapy but have seen some significant changes in my pain and movement. Doctors don't seem to want to address myofascial issues. Especially after an injury or surgery you begin to form adhesions which will inhibit your muscles/body. Why this seems to not be addressed probably is because insurance will not cover this therapy. Doctors will suggest all treatments that are covered by insurance. Also, I am not sure they truly understand the impact myofascial has on your body. See if you can find someone where you live that does Myofascial Release Therapy.

I started to feel this pain sometime in february, an it gets worse as days goes by, XRAY was normal to, ultasound was also normal , i am also 35, and my job is doing paper works all the time and inclined on a table the whole day.

Please look up deep myofascial tissue release, or MFR. There is a section here on it. It sounds like it’s your problem. The muscles in your back start working as groups instead of individually as they begin to glue together and then they put a strain on the connective tissue Which tugs on the bones. See if you can get it handled now as the issue, and you will age better. My long work hours as an artist at a drafting table (and the same with my father) created a problem, where the muscle fascia glued the muscles together, and they moved as a unit instead of sliding over each other individually. Start senior 30s if it’s work related and anatomical (our muscles began to weaken), also consider getting a Theracane (I use my grandmother’s old wooden walking cane) and I acupressure it into the offending pain in my back because no one is around to help me with massage. Become aware of your posture and take breaks during the day at work and do counter measure exercises. If it’s too deep internally, then you can try acupuncture and see if you get some relief.

i appreciate your kind advise, i am observing my posture since then , and trying to fix my posture in sitting, the pain i feel is tightness in the mid back extending to my scapula, i had some back massage last weekend and i think it helped me a little to ease down the pain.
i think aother factor that elevates the pain is my stress & anxiety.

Hello there. I'm so very sorry that you are suffering, for so long, what I have been suffering for 5 weeks now. Out of nowhere I developed a 'hot spot' right of my spine, upper back that felt as though it could be a 'crick' of some kind. It wasn't a crick. It has increasingly become overwhelmingly painful, radiating upwards and outwards to the right, even wrapping around to the right of my right breast and down the back of my arm to my elbow, and now involves regular tingling in my right hand. It feels as though someone has plunged a knife into my back and left it there. The pain is constant, but can increase, as though the metaphorical knife is being twisted, several times a minute. It hurts more when I bend forward, roll my shoulders forward, but actually hurts constantly. I have had chest and back xrays and blood tests, there is nothing wrong with me. It must be muscular, but my quest is to discover what caused it and why is it getting worse, not better. I'm taking Codeine, Paracetamol and Diclofenac and Lidocaine Patches, but they take no more than approximately 20% of the pain away. It doesn't matter if I sit or rest, move or stretch, the pain is the same. I'm at a loss. Returning to the Physio tomorrow. How has your situation developed? Any new ideas or treatments?

Im sorry you're having such a hard time. This sort of thing is so stressful. I have had some luck with dry needling. I dont know about you, but I had a lot of knots in my traps and all around my shoulder blade. While the worst knot isn't completely gone, its smaller and I can do some things I didn't use to. I have been going to physical therapy for 8 months at this point. It still gets activated when I sit for long periods of time and do anything on my hands and knees. Im considering acupuncture. Ive read that trigger points tend to refer pain along acupuncture meridians, so Im hoping that might help. Im also using a red light belt regularly and taking supplements to help with muscle cramps. Never got a true diagnosis and Im definitely not cured, but much more functional now. I hope your PT helps. I would definitely try dry needling. Give it multiple tries before deciding whether it helps. It took me a few appointments before I noticed the difference.