[Nigel]

Hey you guys, anyone out there a back expert? I have developed a stabbing pain under my right shoulder blade. Obviously I'm better off seeing a physio which I will do, but in the meantime I'm looking for clues.

I've had it for about 4 days, not sure how it started. I noticed it a day after a hard training session. It wasn't too bad, I trained again and it didn't really hinder me, now it hurts excruciatingly. Not all the time, only when I either a) take a deep breath, or b) cough (very painful when I do this). Obviously I do these things a reasonable amount, especially breathing, so its starting to piss me off! The pain is concentrated along the edge of the shoulder blade about halfway down it, and also feels like its underneath it.

Any ideas what muscle this could be? Could it be an intercostal, lat, or even a trapped nerve?

[SA Chris]

I have developed a stabbing pain under my right shoulder blade.

Can I safely assume you haven't actually been stabbed?

I get pains that sound like this quite often. Last time was in the back of my ribs below my shoulder blade. I usually just think it's a pulled muscle, take some ibuprofen for a day or two, rest a bit then return to normal.

[Nigel]

Yeah my first thought is pulled muscle, that's what it feels like. I'm just paranoid about pulling on when it hurts to cough, anyone who knows me knows that I'm susceptible to bizarre injuries and I'd like to make it better asap. As part of this I always want to know what it is that's wrong!

[dave]

have you done anything that could have cracked a rib? i once did this by coughing a lot which in turn made it excruciating to cough or take a deep breath. mine was on the front of the ribcage though.

[Scouse D]

Pulled muscle I reckon Nige. I've had a few things that sound similar, sharp pains in random places. Ibuprofen is the best bet.
Hope you don't feel too bad after your beating in footy yesterday.

[webbo]

this sounds like your rhomboids.when i saw the masseur at the physio recently.she found loads of knots in mine and guess what over the years i have what you are describing on a number of occasions and did what i always do. ignore it till it either stops hurting or gets so painful i have to seek medical attention.

[SA Chris]

Last time I did it was putting a box in th back seat of the car. Hurt like a bugger when I laughed or coughed for a couple of days. Time before that was picking up a newspaper.

[BenF]

Last time I did it was putting a box in th back seat of the car. Hurt like a bugger when I laughed or coughed for a couple of days. Time before that was picking up a newspaper.

That's the rock n roll lifestyle for you Chris! 

[Nigel]

Pulled muscle I reckon Nige. I've had a few things that sound similar, sharp pains in random places. Ibuprofen is the best bet.
Hope you don't feel too bad after your beating in footy yesterday.

No my throat is fine even after that pummelling, maybe it was that tin can that got lodged in my neck last time I ate spinach Popeye-style. Pulled muscle sounds likely...

this sounds like your rhomboids.when i saw the masseur at the physio recently.she found loads of knots in mine

...but then so does this. I've had a look at a back muscle map and my pain is in the rhomboid area. Mind you I had my girlfriend check it out and she didn't find any knots here at all, just a bit of tightness. I suspect that's from it getting overworked while its "protecting" the real injury, which feels like its deeper inside. Cheers for the replies guys and dolls.

[Bonjoy]

I thought we'd establish it was Mike Lea that did Rhomboid. I dare say it was his small yet chubby-faced body desperately trying to mantel your scapulla that caused the injury.

[SA Chris]

Last time I did it was putting a box in th back seat of the car. Hurt like a bugger when I laughed or coughed for a couple of days. Time before that was picking up a newspaper.

That's the rock n roll lifestyle for you Chris! 

Word. Bloody annoying. I usually need to do an intense bouldering session after a few days rest to get it to recover fully.

[inn wislon]

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[Bonjoy]

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[Houdini]

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[Duma]

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[SA Chris]

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[Jim]

Hey Nige, have you thought about laying off on the double anal fisting or removing that dagger you use for a but plug?

[Houdini]

You could have been a contender, Jim.

[Moo]

I get a similar pain in my back on the right hand side went to see a physio who thought it was posture related stopped hurting when i started to walk less like a chimp. think its called the teres minor?

[Nigel]

Jim, I hope you aren't kissing children with that mouth. Anyway, a bit of double fisting is nothing to me these days.

The physio I saw last night diagnosed it as a strain of the multifidus muscle, which joins the ribs to the spine. Still rags today, but that might be because he went at it like a Turkish wrestler.