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Unexplained upper back pain

Posted by catlady87 @catlady87, Mar 2, 2025

I've had chronic pain in my upper back, around my shoulder blade (but not the shoulder itself) for years. It seems concentrated between my spine and shoulder blade, but can spread to my elbow, my pectoral muscle and muscle below my shoulder blade. It's like a loop around my actual shoulder. Xrays and MRI don't show anything. Typical blood work was normal. I'm on my 4th round of PT. I go to a chiropractor and get massages regularly. Dry needling seems to help a little. When the pain gets bad, it's sharp and sort of pulsing. Then the muscles can be sore for a few days after. It almost feels like if I use the angry muscle or turn the wrong way it's like pulling on a tight string. Sometimes massage can make it worse. Ibuprofen helps sometimes but ice can make it worse. Heat doesn't always help either. Muscle relaxers don't help much besides helping me sleep. It's worse at night, especially after sitting at my desk, driving, or sitting on the couch and when I first lay down. I'm wondering if anyone has had similar pain or has suggestions of what other kind of doctor or test to try? Everywhere I go I just seem to get told "I don't know." And given the same exercises that didn't help the first time. I don't know what else to try and my doctors aren't giving me any other suggestions.

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gently | @gently | Sep 1, 2025
In reply to @pastordonna "Hello there. I'm so very sorry that you are suffering, for so long, what I have..." + (show)
Profile picture for pastordonna @pastordonna

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?

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pastordonna, it does rather sound like a vertebral fracture, often not depicted on xray. And MRI would be helpful. It would also detect disc herniation. Hope it's a muscle. Best not wait.

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zunich7 | @zunich7 | Sep 7, 2025

I had a very similar problem many years ago. It will still happen occasionally. The problem is caused from working at your desk leaning forward which causes a nerve in your back to get inflamed from your muscle tightening up. It can cause pain in the shoulder and even down into your arm. I had to go to number of specialists before one was able to diagnose it. The last specialist gave me a book titled Treat Your Own Neck by Robin McKenzie. I was skeptical at first since my neck did not hurt but after one day of doing the exercises I was 90% better. I Will periodically do them for maintenance. The book is available on Amazon. Robin McKenzie is very will known by all physical therapists.

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kellib1 | @kellib1 | Jan 28 7:32pm
In reply to @catlady87 "I did go to an orthopedic spine specialist who told me he didn't see anything wrong...." + (show)
Profile picture for catlady87 @catlady87

I did go to an orthopedic spine specialist who told me he didn't see anything wrong. I don't have a full MRI of my cervical spine, but a whole body scan image that apparently showed enough of my cervical spine that he didn't think a new one was necessary. He sent me to an orthopedic shoulder specialist who also didn't see anything wrong with my shoulder, aside from tight muscles around my shoulder blade and sent me to PT. I generally don't have neck pain though, and none of the physical tests where they bend your neck different ways caused pain, so I think no one has felt the need to send me back for a better MRI of my cervical spine.

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Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest. No pain in next. I had the same imaging down and the spine specialist said the same thing. They didn’t seem concerned and had a body scan down when getting mri for thoracic. Did you end up getting a more detailed cervical mri? How are you feeling now and did yoi figure it out ? Only thing thay helps is sometimes pt and naproxen

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kellib1 | @kellib1 | Jan 28 7:32pm
In reply to @kellib1 "Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest...." + (show)
Profile picture for kellib1 @kellib1

Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest. No pain in next. I had the same imaging down and the spine specialist said the same thing. They didn’t seem concerned and had a body scan down when getting mri for thoracic. Did you end up getting a more detailed cervical mri? How are you feeling now and did yoi figure it out ? Only thing thay helps is sometimes pt and naproxen

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@kellib1 in neck *

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kellib1 | @kellib1 | Jan 28 7:33pm
In reply to @kellib1 "Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest...." + (show)
Profile picture for kellib1 @kellib1

Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest. No pain in next. I had the same imaging down and the spine specialist said the same thing. They didn’t seem concerned and had a body scan down when getting mri for thoracic. Did you end up getting a more detailed cervical mri? How are you feeling now and did yoi figure it out ? Only thing thay helps is sometimes pt and naproxen

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@kellib1 sorry for all the misspellings typing fast

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catlady87 | @catlady87 | Jan 29 5:11am
In reply to @kellib1 "Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest...." + (show)
Profile picture for kellib1 @kellib1

Hello this is actually what I’m going through now the same exact thing with the chest. No pain in next. I had the same imaging down and the spine specialist said the same thing. They didn’t seem concerned and had a body scan down when getting mri for thoracic. Did you end up getting a more detailed cervical mri? How are you feeling now and did yoi figure it out ? Only thing thay helps is sometimes pt and naproxen

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@kellib1 Well I wouldn't say Im cured but 10 months of PT at least got me to having more good than bad days. Consistent dry needling did loosen the muscles at the base of neck and gave me more confidence in my range of motion. Im planning to try myofascial therapy next, maybe acupuncture too. I've read some stuff about "adhesion release therapy", which I would 100% do if I could find a therapist that isnt 3 hours away. I would suggest looking into that. Maybe you're lucky and there's one close to you.

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