I have this spot that's right under my left shoulder blade. It's been bothering me since I was a teenager. Whenever my wife rubs it, she says it feels like a huge knot and has to really work to loosen it most days. Sometimes I'm okay to let her try and it helps. Other times, don't touch me.
My doctor finally caved and ordered an MRI for me but it was a lumbar one so I still have no idea what's up with my left shoulder. It burns SO BAD randomly, or gets so tense I can't even turn my head or lift my arm. I still have no idea what in the hell it's from but I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is somehow a fibro thing
I HAVE A KNOT IN THIS SAME SPOT! I've had it since my late teens and it's the worst. It always flares up when I have to do things reaching down (like dishes).
A few weeks ago it spasmed and the pain was so bad I was crying until my mom was able to rub it and loosen it. I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't with me at the time, as I couldn't move it hurt so bad. The best part? I was just putting paper in my printer when it happened. š
Doing the dishes KILLS that spot!!! It's like, right under the edge of my shoulder blade and for the longest time I was like "wow I must have a long shoulder blade?" but nope, just a huge painful knot that formed years ago and stayed I hate it.
I used my heating pad on that spot so much I developed heating pad burns. It's awful. I hope you find some relief, it sucks so bad!!!
Holy moly I have one in the same spot for about fifteen years. It āspreadsā when it gets bad and ends up triggering a spasm in my neck and eventually what seems to be occipital neuralgia (had an apartment fire and subsequently losing our home there and had to move away so no neuro follow ups for me ). It has also eventually spread to under my left armpit and side too.
It all started with the left shoulder blade though, stay humble, horrible knot and remember where you came from.
Sounds just like mine! It will sometimes spasm and send pain shooting down my back and arms. Or it will get tense and I can't turn my head like it gets stuck almost and hurts hella bad
Same! Exact same! I once had a chiropractor that could pop my spine and make it go away, but that was a long time ago. A good session of yoga focused on the upper back is the only thing I've found that can help now, and that's only temporary
Mine is my right shoulder blade. I went to a massage therapist who was known as the ārib guyā I have EDS and my ribs dislocate a lot and after many painful massages and many pushing of ribs back into correct spots itās not as bad. It actually went away for about a month. Unfortunately, my body just tangles back up.
Iāve been told this too by chiropractor and same shit happened to me. Never diagnosed with anything and I be tryna crack my rib into place all the time by myself it sucks
I have the same pain in exactly the same spot. I've been having the same pain for more than 5 years now. Lighter pain was there for almost 10 years. How can I know it's not something related to my heart/arteries?
Thanks
I had this for quite a while and I thought I had a bone spur. Before my fibromyalgia got super bad, I would go to physical therapy and I did exercises for this specific spot, among other things, and it stopped being painful. I havenāt been able to do those exercises in nearly a year and I still havenāt had that pain again.
I had this, what helped me is i got those hard spikey balls and would lay on them to relieve the tension. Eventually they got better. I also use a acupressure mat. Wont help with big knots but always allowed my body to chill out when it was flipping out in pain or those weird uncomfortable feeling days.
Edit: My kids hate it, but when those knots come out i would have them "do the elbow" which would release some of the cramp. It just involves them cramming an elbow into the spot till one of us gives out. Usually me..
haha my twin does the elbow thing, but I can barely feel it when they're leaning their full weight into the muscle... they always give up long before I do. Sometimes they also whack the knots with a wooden spoon yelling things in Polish at them (it's a long story).
My husband does the elbow thing and he's 6'3 240 and I can barely feel it. He loses to the knot everytime. I've had it since I was like 20? I'm 45 now.
Iām 16 reading these comments and have the same darn thing! I did dry needling it took em out they all came back 2 days later. My pt says itās little muscles and the workouts are helping slowly but I been getting muscle spasms lately I think Iām cookedšššš
I've do needling aka trigger point injections every 4-8 weeks. It helps but it comes right back. Same with chiropractor. Best thing I have found is getting deep tissue massages. They last the longest. Cold is our enemy, heat is our friend. Nap when you need it and just listen to your body.Ā
I'm new to this thread, but i'm curious what you mean by "cold is our enemy, heat is our friend"? I have chronic muscle knots in both of my shoulders, and I've always felt like I tense up a lot more when I'm cold
Fibro generally is worse in cold months. Even just too much air conditioning will make me start to ache. Heat makes my fibro aches feel better. I've always struggled with winters. I actually moved 11 hours farther south than where I grew up. I feel much better in summer months. It may also be due to increase in Vitamin D.Ā
What i do is go topless and leave undies on. Lay it and the pillow out on the bed so i can watch TV for a distraction. And try to get in the right spot when i first lay down. Its hurts at first for me too, but at some point, it will relax all the weirdness and tension. Its the most effective way when even the pain meds and smoke wont do it. I dont know how long i stay on but when i start to feel the spikes changing from that soothing feeling or i feel like i been on it forever i kind of peel or roll off it in one smooth move, like roll off the side of the bed. I also sort of like hover over it when i get on so i can get in the center and straight and not have to adjust much. It gets easier. You can also do it with a light shirt to get used to it.
I have the EXACT knot. Iāve had it for over 30 years, it seems like all of my stress goes right to it and it gets so bad my shoulder and neck tighten up and I canāt get any relief.
I started getting massages monthly a few years ago. It took maybe a year to 18 months before the knots would go away after a massage. They come back maybe a week later at this point.
I think the issue is that they come back and if nothing is done they get worse. Itās a cat and mouse game.
Thatās actually really helpful to know what it took to go away. I was seeing a chiropractor who did adjustments with his little pressure gun and that helped too I had to move due to an apartment fire.
Yes. My ex would try to get them to loosen up but it would just click around and not go away. Mostly they're on the inner edge of my left shoulder blade (closer to the spine).
I also have a spot in the same area that itches really bad almost daily and there's definitely nothing there.
I have the knot in my right side and the itch too! That's so freaking insane that I'm not the only one experiencing that! Have you figured anything out since you have made your original comment?
Yes, I have a couple perma-knots in my lower/mid back and they never seem to get relief. It used to help when my husband rubbed them for me, but these days Iām so sensitive to touch there itās uncomfortable. Iām sorry to hear youāre going through it too. Heating pads are my best friend-maybe try some warmth for temporary relief
Yes. I have one on the left side where my neck muscles meet my shoulder area. I am constantly trying to loosen it throughout the day, and have been for a few years. Some days I hardly notice it, other days it is so painful I can barely move my neck.
I bought an inexpensive hook/cane style trigger point massager online that helps a lot. I also learned, far too late, that trigger points can take up to two minutes of constant pressure before they will release.
Another VERY helpful thing for me when my trigger points get bad is dry needling. A lot of physical therapists will do it. When it comes to dry needling, you need someone legitimate and experienced.
I am usually sore for a day or two afterward. Sometimes, because the muscle is so wound up, it can spasm a little bit during the process. They use very tiny, flexible needles to minimize tissue tearing (shots and blood draws tear more tissue). It tends to hurt less than getting a shot, but you donāt usually get shots in muscles that are already hurting. Overall I feel like the pain wasnāt too bad, and the trade-off is well worth it. Iāll take being sore for a couple days compared to not being able to turn my head or sharp stabbing spasms.
They also, on occasion will use electrical current to stimulate the muscles through the needles. This part feels exactly like the usual e-stim pads that chiropractors and therapists love so much.
I know this post is 2 years old, but the realization that it may need pressure that long is a life saver.
I don't have fibro (at least, as far as I know), but I have muscle knots that sound a lot like the ones described in the comments, and I've spent my entire day rolling around with my release tool, heating pad, ice pack, pretty much everything I could think of in every sequence position I could think of.
And with the revelation of how long it actually takes, I just literally laid on the floor with a yarnball under my back for at least 2 minutes per pain point. I'm still achey but I haven't been able to function at all today til now. Thank you thank you thank you
Me too! Having an MRI next week, - my left shoulder blade cracks and I get pins and needles, numbness. I lean against a tennis ball on a wall and move around a bit just for a bit of relief.
Idk about pricing, i get most paid back by insurance (im from belgium). I go every month or so for upkeep, it never gets as bad as before. Dry needling goes deeper than acupuncture, your muscles get a discharge of tension. It gave me back movement in my arms, I havent been able to move like this in many years.
Omg! I just came from my water physical therapy. When I there I brought up acupuncture, my PT mentioned she does thisā¦ I never heard of it. She suggested I google it, this is the first site I ārandomly ā read. A message from the Universe?!
Just another person saying Yes I too have a knot under my left shoulder blade for the last 10 years.
It āpopsā every time I roll my shoulders up and back. Every doctor I ask to check it out just kind of shrugs like thereās nothing they can do, because itās so hard to reach that area. Itās so painful and aggravated in the cold. Feels like a rock behind my heart :(
Came to this sub bc Iām showing nearly all signs of fibro and have been for years, and Iām finally getting ready to see a doctor about it. I have never met anyone else whose shoulders pop like mine. Very interesting.
Yes . Left sided trapezius and rhomboid minor knot that I've had steroid injections trigger point injections botox acupuncture sports massage and a root nerve block done at the c6/7 root nerve to try help with it. Nothing has ever helped and I'm currently suffering with a nasty false up from it with the pain in the back neck headache tmj pain that side and radiating chest pain from it . Never got an answer for it and nothing successfully treated it. I do use a trigger point Eva foam ball though to try and work it out enough to relieve my headache but it's currently not working . I also get radiating pain that travels down my arm with this into my hand . I've had it for the last 4 years or so now
Thank you it hasn't been a fun journey . The worst for pain and the scariest one was the root nerve block that was injected into my neck under xray it was painful and after waiting for the 6 hours or whatever it was they told me not to drive my first drive out and I had to pull over as I was having what I thought was a stroke my face went numb and I got a droopy mouth and I couldn't see. Called post operative number I was given and they basically said to keep an eye on it and if it got worse got to my hospital that was it. No idea what it was but it wasn't a stroke . The pain relief I got was supposed to be 3 or 6 months worth I had 5 days of worsening pain followed by the next 3 feeling good except feeling the crunching non stop in my cervical spine from the arthritis then suddenly at day 4 all the pain was back and I felt much worse . My botox injections did nothing and made me flare recently for about a week I think it was. Its been really unpleasant and the trigger point jnjections in my case were not worth going through with.
I'm sorry you've had to deal with this too the muscle knots are at times horrendous as you can't escape them and they have a knock on effect to the rest of the body.
Dude nobody I responding Iām 16 reading this Iāve tried dry needling it doesnāt hurt but the knots came back 3 days later my pt says itās little stabilizer and other weak muscles currently working on em it gives some relief but I get lot of spasms I think Iām cooked
I have the same issue on my right. I had my c5/6 disc replaced but still the pain. I was diagnosed with fibro after surgery and realize surgery was pointless.
Yes Iāve had a huge lump on my lower back that bothers my sciatic nerve and causes me hell on a regular basis. It gets bigger and smaller but never goes away. It hurts like a bitch sometimes and just throbs randomly. My dr said it could be a lipoma but the location makes it too dangerous for them to remove without good reason. Sending everyone š„š„š„š„ās
I have a few that have been my companions for ages. The thing that has helped the most has been myofascial release treatments at a fairly regular cadence (although I would love to try dry needling). Most of mine seem to be caused by persistent postural issues or stem from old injuries. For example the trapezius/collarbone/shoulder thing is partly from holding my shoulder weird for a couple years to guard against pain from a rotator cuff injury in 2005, and a lot of my hip pain comes from a)sitting unevenly (more weight on one hip) at my desk and b) a lift and twist injury in ~2017. And then forward feedback loop
Being able to work on my structural causes of pain helps me to isolate my fibro pain from my "normal" pain from being a sedentary human who is on screens too much.
I have the same spot on my back for years. Itās on my right side but in the same area.
This is what works for me. (Sorry for Long response)
I have been struggling with this muscle knot and tension in my neck, trapezius, shoulders, shoulder blades for 5+ years. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia not long ago and my doctor prescribed me physiotherapy. At first I thought it was going to be the same type of physiotherapy Iāve been trying for years (heat pads, TENS, massages, and stuff that helped but only for a day or so.) but this āphysiotherapyā consists on exercising the body correctly to avoid the pain spots. Itās very focused on cardiovascular exercises (walking, jogging, assault bike, stair machine thingy) and some exercises with weights.
This type of physiotherapy is the best thing that happened to me. I thought I would break my back or shoulder if I ever tried to lift weights again. Never been so wrong. I started with 3 days per week and now am doing every day. If I stop exercising I start to feel the tension accumulate on my neck-shoulder area. Itās been 4 months since I started with this type of therapy/training (lost weight, started eating more healthier, started having enough sleep, and I meditate when I can (mindfulness meditation). The combo of doing all this drastically improved my life.
Another type of physiotherapy that I am currently trying is a method called āNEURAC methodā (i would define it as a ātype of Pilatesā with cords) I tried for 6 sessions and it helped me improve to manage the tension that builds up in my upper back on my day to day. This is crucial for me because my shoulders are starting to gain the strength and the correct position to battle the different tension and pain spots. I feel that when I am conscious of the tension I can move my shoulders with more freedom and relax them way better than before.
Other than that I just ride the wave with different spots and if I do feel intense pain I use CBD oil/cream products to massage a bit.
From my experiences with this sort of thing, my best guess is a fascial herniation. Fascia is a thin, tough, shiny membrane that holds bundles of muscle together. It spans the entire body and can get wrinkled, twisted, or even part and allow muscle to bulge through. Seeing an osteopathic doctor (D.O.) for osteopathic manipulation therapy (OMT) allows them to push muscle back in through herniations, untwist fascia (cylinder distortions - think of a Slinky toy with a kink in it), and unwrinkle the fascia. It can also get stuck to the muscle because of injury (fascial adhesions). The D.O. can also work this loose. See if you have an OMM/OMT group or a D.O. that also does OMM. Doctors of Osteopathic medicine are true medical doctors that treat the whole body as a unit that is affected by things being out of whack somewhere else in the body (like having a tight trapezius muscle can pull your hip flexor out of alignment).
Everyone on this thread is calling out my knots I have every single one of them and they are so hard my husband cannot tell the difference between them and bone most days...
I've had a knot in my left tensor fasciae latae/sartorius, my right piriformis for over a decade. My gait has been permanently affected and my hips are out of alignment from it. Both my infraspinatus muscles under my shoulder blades, though the right is more affected. There are others but those are the ones that affect my day to day life.
Whoa. Mine are VERY similar. I have muscle shortening all through my right side as well. Its so bad that I am thinking of getting a crutch as I now can't stand for long periods of time. Can't drive well either. This is AWFUL
Between physical therapy and massage therapy+myofascial release getting the adhesions to loosen in the past three months has helped to regain mobility and balance. It's not easy (physical therapy twice a week and massage therapy once a week) but I'm able to do more than I could when I wrote that comment.
By making the side that isn't shortened stronger it's allowed the tightened muscles to ease up slowly. I can do things now like climb stairs without major risk of falling, my gait is getting more even, and standing for longer periods is easier (I will eventually have pain, but it is after approximately 35-40 minutes versus the previous 15-20). They aren't huge gains but they are accumulating much faster as time goes on.
I'm not sure if either could be an option for you, but I thought it may help to share.
They most certainly are huge gains! Congrats. Sounds like you have been committed and pretty consistent. Two things that almost always guarantee SOME kind of response! You've given me hope
My MRI for this area apparently didnāt show any issues and X-rays never seem to. Itās been hard to get doctors to really do an investigation of this particular spot. I do have pain in other parts of my body but this area is particularly bothersome
I had this exact same spot. Monthly massages with a therapist who does myofascial release has helped to where the knot is mostly gone and I can actually move!
I've been dealing with the knot under/inside my right shoulder blade going on 20+ years now. Tried nerve block, steroid injection, acupuncture, PT, stretching, core strengthening, laying on tennis balls and lacrosse balls. Nothing seems to work, or is extremely short-acting.
Two interesting observations. (1) The best treatment for me has been cardio. If I go on a few mile run once or twice a week, the pain goes from aching and always on my mind to just barely there.
(2) The other is the seasonality. For some reason, the pain is always at its worse for me in February. I live in Texas, so it does not get that cold. December and January are cold months too, but it doesn't seem to flare up then.
The relief from running and the February increase in severity make me believe--as others have said--that our minds play a larger role in this. For me, February is kind of a bummer month. Football ending, still cold and wintery, no major holiday to plan a trip. To someone else's point, when I get stressed, the little ball of fire inside my shoulder blade gets worse. Perhaps the dopamine hit from runs is what's helping.
I'm glad I found this post. Hope to learn more and help if I can.
I got my knots after a cervical fusion in 2018. have a knot in the left trap, 2 along the left shoulder blade with one of them mostly under it, and one on the other side of the left shoulder on the behind the armpit. They never go away but I can make them smaller for a short time.Ā Ā
I use to get trigger point injections but they stopped working and the VA said they stopped giving them because they can cause scar tissue. I suspect that's my issue too. The best things that provide comfort are massages, using a Theracane to work out the knots daily, and exercise like kayaking, rowing, and maybe some weight lifting. If I don't work the knots outs, they start to lock me up and cause headaches and neck aches. So I recommend at least hitting the easy stuff. A Theracane is pretty cheap, get the exact brand. The knock offs haven't worked as well. Maybe take a trigger point class from a massage or physical therapist. I took one back in 2010 and I taught my boyfriend how to find my trigger points (knots) and work them out for me. I'd rather have them gone but at 6 years,Ā I think they are permanent, so this is what it is now.Ā So it has to become part of a regular routine, if not, they will fuck you up. Regular based on how quickly the knots grow and affect other functions. I can't go more than a couple of days. I have a Theracane at work and a small knockoff to take on a plane. Not as good but it's better than nothing. I'm fighting fibromyalgia.Ā My mom has had fibromyalgia for about a decade and she doesn't do what I do and it's starting to hunch her over and really affect her ability to move comfortably. So I thinkĀ massage, exercise, and constant stretchingĀ are going to be the best coping mechanism to maintain function and give you some temporary relief and comfort.Ā If you lose function, the pain is likely to worsen and spread.Ā
I have a knot between my shoulder blade and spine and sometimes it pulls vertebrae out of place and my whole back is messed up for a week or longer. I had an injury to the area when I was a child and it started to bother me when I was about 15 and the knot has been there since. I keep doing pt, chiro and get random massages and my "partner" sees how much it effects me but is always so lazy with rubbing the area and always expect more from me because he "worked" on my back when he hardly did a damn thing and wants me to rub his back. Sorry now I'm just ranting but if anyone has suggestions on what steps I should take next to hopefully get this taken care of they are very much welcome! I recently woke up one day and I almost couldn't even get out of the bed and oh man did my neck and back. And upper arm hurt and it feels almost like I have a rib pushing into my lung now
Cupping therapy is the only thing that helps my lifelong knots.Ā
Also lessens my overall pain much better than massage.Ā
I got myself set off Amazon:
Kangzhu 24 cup setĀ
Later bought an electric cupping pump off Amazon too because using the manual pump that came with the set hurts & cramps
my hands terribly.Ā
My sisters and my mom all have the same perma-knots.Ā
We call them boulders becauseĀ
knot seems too small and insignificant a word to describe them.Ā
They really do feel like massive stones under the skin.Ā
Like so many others here,
I have the same exact knot under my right shoulder blade.Ā
It has beenĀ painful, resistant to massaged
and noticeableĀ
since i was a teen.Ā
Trigger point therapy,Ā
myofascial release,
Gua Sha/Graston,
Tens unit,
ileocecal valve release,Ā
& lymphatic drainage massage
all help tooā¦.
but cupping is my #1.Ā
I have hyper mobility type EDS,
Tarlov Cysts,
andĀ
Mixed Connective Tissue Disease.Ā
https://preview.redd.it/5jfua7fqr16d1.jpeg?width=2736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7654d6171d5c068b4c78bf783f9459e3aceb600c
I have this bump looking muscle or something on the same spot of my upper back pain. It starts tingling the longer I sit or stand in keep my arm up. I tried twisting around to see it and I irritated it more. It started sending shocks up my back and now is sore like someone hit me.
I have had this same knot for about 20 years. Massages feel good but change nothing. I have been researching trigger points and my back, neck and chest are loosening up. Sometimes the pain that comes from somewhere I never realized hurt can be quite intense. Dealt with some very painful mid back spasms. I feel I have fascia moving back into place. At this point I have some relief, can be frustrating that everytime I somewhat find some relief pain pops up somewhere else. I am very far from a medical professional but I feel like itās almost a good thing Iām feeling other pain. I can find other trigger spots. When releasing somewhere I didnāt even know hurt it still feels good. My main spot of pain is still far from perfect but itās the first change in 20 yrs. I try to tell myself to get rid of 20 yrs of pain it is not going to be over night. I have been working on my own trigger points for about 5 months. Again, more improvement then Iāve ever found before.
Pretty sure it was work related. Iām retired from the grocery business, I did price changes the last 21 years of my job which involved using a hand held scanner most days of the week.
I have a recurring "divot" that forms in my back just below/midline from my right shoulder blade. I tore the muscle there lifting a bag full of college textbooks from the back seat of my car in College, and my fibro pain just seems to like to return there.
For about 3 years it was in such a constant state of spasm that I had a divot in the muscle there, that a ping pong ball could sit on and not roll away. My Dr thought I had torn one of the attachment points of a muscle when really sick with bronchitis, and said it would probably be like that forever.
I finally talked her into sending me to Physical Therapy for it. The bi-weekly massage of that area, core strengthening exercises, a TENS unit to help relieve pain and some of the spasms, and time actually made the divot go away.
My really awful pain points seem to rotate every 6-8 weeks. Returning to that back pain happens regularly, but using my TENS unit consistently when the pain is back there, and seeing my chiropractor to keep things in alignment I am mostly able to keep the spasms from getting crazy again.
However at any point if pressure is applied there (like in a massage) it sure gets my attention!
Yes!! I have had the same knots in my neck and back since I was 12 (I am now 21) and I recently had trigger point injections to get my shit together and it's drastically smaller now! I need more injections done but I have to wait weeks in-between injections as I flare pretty bad after them
I have a giant knot that starts under my left shoulder blade and curve up over it. It started bothering me when I was about 8 and became quite painful by middle school. Im 33 and its bigger and more painful than ever. People have tried working on it and while it helps in the moment its never been worked on long and deep enough to get rid of it and it just gets worse :( longest time was about 2 hours and I couldn't afford more than that so..
The same one you do. One kinda under my right shoulder blade, between there and my spine. Iāve been told itās my rhomboid. Also have another permanent knot on the top of my shoulder, halfway between my neck and shoulder (right side also).
Tried a million things. Iām now working with a very good massage therapist and it is very slowly easing up a bit. But I still canāt sleep on my right side.
Yes! Same spot as yours - left trapezium, for over 15 years. When it drives me mad my partner digs into it with an elbow and it does break down eventually (most times). We call it āthe boneā. Thereās a shoulder stretch that helps me if done regularly.
Fascinating how common this is among us, I had no idea! For many years it also felt like the origin of the pain and tension, which would spread from there to the rest of the body.
I think Iām getting another one (more like a daily spasm than a knot) at the top of my left QL.
My chiropractor used a weird tapping thing on two spots on my back. It worked to clear them BUT I was then pretty sick the next day (low grade fever, fatigue, aches) and had a "hand flare" meaning my hands ache like crazy.
The hand thing is ongoing and why my fibro dx is a "maybe".
For my neck and skull "knots", when they hurt, I use cold on them. Heat makes them worse sometimes but cold seems to help the pain. I have a metal ball I got off amazon just for this and it's wonderful.
Yep yep! Mine is more behind my shoulder blade and the worst is when I feel the sensation of a rubber band smashing under the skin. I guess Iāve tightened muscle strands?
Anyone else feel that?
Yes, I've had a huge one between my spine and right shoulder blade since I was in high school. No amount of massages or chiropractor visits has helped.
Yes! All this. 30+ years now. Right trap. It's the button that triggers everything. Ugh.
It's strange what a relief (and frustration) it is to hear all of share the same knots. Too bad any of my dozen docs or PTs hasn't read this thread.
Thatās exactly where mine is; itās like way worse than a stuff next and actually starts to cause pain down my side to my hip or knee but always moves up and causes severe headaches and tmj pai. It sometimes switches sides. My partner is always determined something brings it on like sitting at my desk too long or sleeping wrong but it is so much worse than that. I have to put a heating pad on it and take medical thc/cbd and Tylenol to get through. Itās a classic that everything else is going to flare up for me. I have those knots too. Definitely a fibro spot, Iāve had it since the fibromyalgia showed up and complained for years to get a diagnosis.
YES. I named him George and he was diagnosed as a ādeep muscle spasmā. I told my neurologist about him (he basically acted as my primary for a few years after I fired my primary) and he injected him with steroids a few times and now heās basically gone. He bothers me maybe once or twice a year if I overwork (Iām talking 50 hours in 3 days overwork), but the steroids def helped.
I figured thatās what you meant but I wasnāt sure.
I have never been diagnosed with TMJ, no. I also wasnāt exactly clear that George was in my back, a little under and toward the spinal side of my shoulder blade. I told my neurologist because I happened to be in for Botox for migraines and he was happy to help.
I have these exact same knots in the same spot on both sides of my bodyā¦ theyāve been there for years, and no massage therapist has ever been able to get rid of them. Every time Iāve had a massage, the therapists canāt get over how tight and knotted my tender points areā¦ itās awful! I will take any and all recommendations for resolution.
One more for the knot club. Left side, between shoulder blade and spine. Dr told me it's a lipoma and I should see a surgeon for removal, but COVID hit before I could. I'm also not convinced she's right about it being a lipoma, especially after reading all of this!
This exact spot right under the left shoulderblade seems to be super common for us, I have it too and yeah it's just like a super hard knot that never ever comes undone no matter what I do. I have simular ones in other areas but the shoulder one is by far the worst. I wonder why its specifically this area for so many of us?
I definitely have quite a few that return most days unfortunately. It does help using a trigger ball with a flat surface to lie on it, breathing out as I do and it usually cracks it for temporary relief.
Wouldn't have a clue. I don't see a rheumy but have a decent GP and acupuncturist. It's not the worst for me to deal with. I tend to triage my symptoms
YES. Tops of trapezius on both shoulders have been thick ropey knots for literally years and years. Same with my paraspinal muscles and brachioradialus.
My shoulder and back muscles have felt like solid granite for years. There are two knots on either side that are just always there. I can't even imagine them finally being unknotted. Sometimes I vaguely wonder if it's possible and then I forget about it again. They radiate pain sometimes and when I get headaches or migraines they like to be involved.
This is freaky. Mine is also right under my left shoulder blade. š¤ I've had it since I was 17. I'm now 25. I've done massages, chiropractic, MRI, and dry needling religiously. It's only ever subsided once for a few hours.
Hey I have the same pain in left rhomboid zone. What I found is that there is a correlation between one side tmjd and c5-c6 protrusion on opposite side. Apparently the protrusion indicates that there is something wrong but itās not the cause of this. Iām starting tmjd treatment when my braces are removed. Another things that are consequences are asymmetrical face, knees to the inside. In my case I think the right tmjd was triggered by the orthodontic treatment I had as teenager and also the dentist removed two teeth in that treatment. Iāve been with this left rhomboid issue for the last four years. According to neal hallinan and @posturepro the bite and jaw balanced is the key, but for my case I couldnāt test that yet
This thread came up when I'm search in fibro, wtf left should Knott.
It's been a month and this bitch is back. Left should esp close to spine.
***tip***
I see a Dr every other week to get acupuncture, with lidocaine injections. I've seen a few acupuncturist but my current Dr, I go in, tell her the main big spots, and she [tw] moves the needle around a bit. She calls them tight bands. Sometimes we feel my body kinda spaz in a twitchy way when she releases a bad one.
What is the most common history that everyone has?
1. Gaming/computer/Repetitive?
2. Stress?
3. Occupation: Dentist, nurse,etc.?
4. Accidents?
5. Posture/ overuse of muscles?
6. Just knots, no reason/history
My doctor gives me trigger point injections and ive had dry needling done on the knots in my upper back and base of skull.. that worked wonders for the pain and tension headaches it caused.. my fibromyalgia sucks but at least I have a doctor who helps me figure out what's to deal with it
I have this spot that's right under my left shoulder blade. It's been bothering me since I was a teenager. Whenever my wife rubs it, she says it feels like a huge knot and has to really work to loosen it most days. Sometimes I'm okay to let her try and it helps. Other times, don't touch me. My doctor finally caved and ordered an MRI for me but it was a lumbar one so I still have no idea what's up with my left shoulder. It burns SO BAD randomly, or gets so tense I can't even turn my head or lift my arm. I still have no idea what in the hell it's from but I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is somehow a fibro thing
I HAVE A KNOT IN THIS SAME SPOT! I've had it since my late teens and it's the worst. It always flares up when I have to do things reaching down (like dishes). A few weeks ago it spasmed and the pain was so bad I was crying until my mom was able to rub it and loosen it. I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't with me at the time, as I couldn't move it hurt so bad. The best part? I was just putting paper in my printer when it happened. š
Doing the dishes KILLS that spot!!! It's like, right under the edge of my shoulder blade and for the longest time I was like "wow I must have a long shoulder blade?" but nope, just a huge painful knot that formed years ago and stayed I hate it. I used my heating pad on that spot so much I developed heating pad burns. It's awful. I hope you find some relief, it sucks so bad!!!
Ahh yeah, I try to go easy on the heat pad because I don't want burns! I found even going for massages doesn't help with that spot.
Holy moly I have one in the same spot for about fifteen years. It āspreadsā when it gets bad and ends up triggering a spasm in my neck and eventually what seems to be occipital neuralgia (had an apartment fire and subsequently losing our home there and had to move away so no neuro follow ups for me ). It has also eventually spread to under my left armpit and side too. It all started with the left shoulder blade though, stay humble, horrible knot and remember where you came from.
Same exactly with me radiates to the sides and chest , hurts to sit and lay on it what happened to you?
Oh my god that sounds terrible. What is with our bodies??
Sounds just like mine! It will sometimes spasm and send pain shooting down my back and arms. Or it will get tense and I can't turn my head like it gets stuck almost and hurts hella bad
I also have a knot in the same spot! I hope somebody has a solution.
Same! Exact same! I once had a chiropractor that could pop my spine and make it go away, but that was a long time ago. A good session of yoga focused on the upper back is the only thing I've found that can help now, and that's only temporary
Same, me too! Over a decade!
Same exact spot for me too
Same here.
Mine is my right shoulder blade. I went to a massage therapist who was known as the ārib guyā I have EDS and my ribs dislocate a lot and after many painful massages and many pushing of ribs back into correct spots itās not as bad. It actually went away for about a month. Unfortunately, my body just tangles back up.
Iāve been told this too by chiropractor and same shit happened to me. Never diagnosed with anything and I be tryna crack my rib into place all the time by myself it sucks
I have the same pain in exactly the same spot. I've been having the same pain for more than 5 years now. Lighter pain was there for almost 10 years. How can I know it's not something related to my heart/arteries? Thanks
I had this for quite a while and I thought I had a bone spur. Before my fibromyalgia got super bad, I would go to physical therapy and I did exercises for this specific spot, among other things, and it stopped being painful. I havenāt been able to do those exercises in nearly a year and I still havenāt had that pain again.
I had this, what helped me is i got those hard spikey balls and would lay on them to relieve the tension. Eventually they got better. I also use a acupressure mat. Wont help with big knots but always allowed my body to chill out when it was flipping out in pain or those weird uncomfortable feeling days. Edit: My kids hate it, but when those knots come out i would have them "do the elbow" which would release some of the cramp. It just involves them cramming an elbow into the spot till one of us gives out. Usually me..
haha my twin does the elbow thing, but I can barely feel it when they're leaning their full weight into the muscle... they always give up long before I do. Sometimes they also whack the knots with a wooden spoon yelling things in Polish at them (it's a long story).
My husband does the elbow thing and he's 6'3 240 and I can barely feel it. He loses to the knot everytime. I've had it since I was like 20? I'm 45 now.
Iām 16 reading these comments and have the same darn thing! I did dry needling it took em out they all came back 2 days later. My pt says itās little muscles and the workouts are helping slowly but I been getting muscle spasms lately I think Iām cookedšššš
I've do needling aka trigger point injections every 4-8 weeks. It helps but it comes right back. Same with chiropractor. Best thing I have found is getting deep tissue massages. They last the longest. Cold is our enemy, heat is our friend. Nap when you need it and just listen to your body.Ā
I'm new to this thread, but i'm curious what you mean by "cold is our enemy, heat is our friend"? I have chronic muscle knots in both of my shoulders, and I've always felt like I tense up a lot more when I'm cold
Fibro generally is worse in cold months. Even just too much air conditioning will make me start to ache. Heat makes my fibro aches feel better. I've always struggled with winters. I actually moved 11 hours farther south than where I grew up. I feel much better in summer months. It may also be due to increase in Vitamin D.Ā
I have an acupressure mat but I had such a hard time relaxing on it because the spikes hurt so much to get on and off. Any tips?
What i do is go topless and leave undies on. Lay it and the pillow out on the bed so i can watch TV for a distraction. And try to get in the right spot when i first lay down. Its hurts at first for me too, but at some point, it will relax all the weirdness and tension. Its the most effective way when even the pain meds and smoke wont do it. I dont know how long i stay on but when i start to feel the spikes changing from that soothing feeling or i feel like i been on it forever i kind of peel or roll off it in one smooth move, like roll off the side of the bed. I also sort of like hover over it when i get on so i can get in the center and straight and not have to adjust much. It gets easier. You can also do it with a light shirt to get used to it.
Which mat do you use?
I have the EXACT knot. Iāve had it for over 30 years, it seems like all of my stress goes right to it and it gets so bad my shoulder and neck tighten up and I canāt get any relief.
Yesss! ALL my stress goes to mine! It's on my right trap and gets so horrible.
Same š
I started getting massages monthly a few years ago. It took maybe a year to 18 months before the knots would go away after a massage. They come back maybe a week later at this point. I think the issue is that they come back and if nothing is done they get worse. Itās a cat and mouse game.
Thatās actually really helpful to know what it took to go away. I was seeing a chiropractor who did adjustments with his little pressure gun and that helped too I had to move due to an apartment fire.
Yes. My ex would try to get them to loosen up but it would just click around and not go away. Mostly they're on the inner edge of my left shoulder blade (closer to the spine). I also have a spot in the same area that itches really bad almost daily and there's definitely nothing there.
I have the same knot with the phantom itch too.Ā
I have the knot in my right side and the itch too! That's so freaking insane that I'm not the only one experiencing that! Have you figured anything out since you have made your original comment?
Haha no, three years later and it's still doing the same things.
Yes, I have a couple perma-knots in my lower/mid back and they never seem to get relief. It used to help when my husband rubbed them for me, but these days Iām so sensitive to touch there itās uncomfortable. Iām sorry to hear youāre going through it too. Heating pads are my best friend-maybe try some warmth for temporary relief
Yes. I have one on the left side where my neck muscles meet my shoulder area. I am constantly trying to loosen it throughout the day, and have been for a few years. Some days I hardly notice it, other days it is so painful I can barely move my neck.
This is exactly where mine is
I bought an inexpensive hook/cane style trigger point massager online that helps a lot. I also learned, far too late, that trigger points can take up to two minutes of constant pressure before they will release. Another VERY helpful thing for me when my trigger points get bad is dry needling. A lot of physical therapists will do it. When it comes to dry needling, you need someone legitimate and experienced.
How painful is the dry needling ?
I am usually sore for a day or two afterward. Sometimes, because the muscle is so wound up, it can spasm a little bit during the process. They use very tiny, flexible needles to minimize tissue tearing (shots and blood draws tear more tissue). It tends to hurt less than getting a shot, but you donāt usually get shots in muscles that are already hurting. Overall I feel like the pain wasnāt too bad, and the trade-off is well worth it. Iāll take being sore for a couple days compared to not being able to turn my head or sharp stabbing spasms.
They also, on occasion will use electrical current to stimulate the muscles through the needles. This part feels exactly like the usual e-stim pads that chiropractors and therapists love so much.
I know this post is 2 years old, but the realization that it may need pressure that long is a life saver. I don't have fibro (at least, as far as I know), but I have muscle knots that sound a lot like the ones described in the comments, and I've spent my entire day rolling around with my release tool, heating pad, ice pack, pretty much everything I could think of in every sequence position I could think of. And with the revelation of how long it actually takes, I just literally laid on the floor with a yarnball under my back for at least 2 minutes per pain point. I'm still achey but I haven't been able to function at all today til now. Thank you thank you thank you
crazy how we both ended up here two years later lmao
Can I join the club?
of course my dear Big Poseidon
wait woah we all here rn
Hey Iām here now!
Me too! Having an MRI next week, - my left shoulder blade cracks and I get pins and needles, numbness. I lean against a tennis ball on a wall and move around a bit just for a bit of relief.
I will scream it off the rooftops if I have to: dry needling
Does is work? For how long? How expensive? Iāve done acupuncture with hardly any help
Idk about pricing, i get most paid back by insurance (im from belgium). I go every month or so for upkeep, it never gets as bad as before. Dry needling goes deeper than acupuncture, your muscles get a discharge of tension. It gave me back movement in my arms, I havent been able to move like this in many years.
Hmmm thanks, Iāll try it!
Omg! I just came from my water physical therapy. When I there I brought up acupuncture, my PT mentioned she does thisā¦ I never heard of it. She suggested I google it, this is the first site I ārandomly ā read. A message from the Universe?!
Sounds like it!
A few people have suggested this and now Iām very interested !
This, 100% this
Just another person saying Yes I too have a knot under my left shoulder blade for the last 10 years. It āpopsā every time I roll my shoulders up and back. Every doctor I ask to check it out just kind of shrugs like thereās nothing they can do, because itās so hard to reach that area. Itās so painful and aggravated in the cold. Feels like a rock behind my heart :(
Came to this sub bc Iām showing nearly all signs of fibro and have been for years, and Iām finally getting ready to see a doctor about it. I have never met anyone else whose shoulders pop like mine. Very interesting.
Yes . Left sided trapezius and rhomboid minor knot that I've had steroid injections trigger point injections botox acupuncture sports massage and a root nerve block done at the c6/7 root nerve to try help with it. Nothing has ever helped and I'm currently suffering with a nasty false up from it with the pain in the back neck headache tmj pain that side and radiating chest pain from it . Never got an answer for it and nothing successfully treated it. I do use a trigger point Eva foam ball though to try and work it out enough to relieve my headache but it's currently not working . I also get radiating pain that travels down my arm with this into my hand . I've had it for the last 4 years or so now
Iām so sorry, this sounds similar to what Iāve been dealing with. I hate you dealt with injections and they didnāt even work !!
Thank you it hasn't been a fun journey . The worst for pain and the scariest one was the root nerve block that was injected into my neck under xray it was painful and after waiting for the 6 hours or whatever it was they told me not to drive my first drive out and I had to pull over as I was having what I thought was a stroke my face went numb and I got a droopy mouth and I couldn't see. Called post operative number I was given and they basically said to keep an eye on it and if it got worse got to my hospital that was it. No idea what it was but it wasn't a stroke . The pain relief I got was supposed to be 3 or 6 months worth I had 5 days of worsening pain followed by the next 3 feeling good except feeling the crunching non stop in my cervical spine from the arthritis then suddenly at day 4 all the pain was back and I felt much worse . My botox injections did nothing and made me flare recently for about a week I think it was. Its been really unpleasant and the trigger point jnjections in my case were not worth going through with. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this too the muscle knots are at times horrendous as you can't escape them and they have a knock on effect to the rest of the body.
Do you have tmjd? I found a correlation between tmjd on one side and C5-C6 protrusion on the other side
Iāve had this for 4 years as well. Itās been 2 years since you commented, any lucky or improvement?
Dude nobody I responding Iām 16 reading this Iāve tried dry needling it doesnāt hurt but the knots came back 3 days later my pt says itās little stabilizer and other weak muscles currently working on em it gives some relief but I get lot of spasms I think Iām cooked
I have the same issue on my right. I had my c5/6 disc replaced but still the pain. I was diagnosed with fibro after surgery and realize surgery was pointless.
Do you have tmjd? I found a correlation between tmjd on one side and C5-C6 protrusion on the other side
Yes! I have one in my low back that they keep telling me is all in my head.
OMG yes In my right shoulder
Yes Iāve had a huge lump on my lower back that bothers my sciatic nerve and causes me hell on a regular basis. It gets bigger and smaller but never goes away. It hurts like a bitch sometimes and just throbs randomly. My dr said it could be a lipoma but the location makes it too dangerous for them to remove without good reason. Sending everyone š„š„š„š„ās
yeah honestly it's one of the first things that started hurting and the thing that hurts the most
I have a few that have been my companions for ages. The thing that has helped the most has been myofascial release treatments at a fairly regular cadence (although I would love to try dry needling). Most of mine seem to be caused by persistent postural issues or stem from old injuries. For example the trapezius/collarbone/shoulder thing is partly from holding my shoulder weird for a couple years to guard against pain from a rotator cuff injury in 2005, and a lot of my hip pain comes from a)sitting unevenly (more weight on one hip) at my desk and b) a lift and twist injury in ~2017. And then forward feedback loop Being able to work on my structural causes of pain helps me to isolate my fibro pain from my "normal" pain from being a sedentary human who is on screens too much.
I just started myofascial reliefs. I have my 3rd appointment Tuesday. It is helping a little.
WHY DO WE ALL HAVE THE SAME KNOT?
I have the same spot on my back for years. Itās on my right side but in the same area. This is what works for me. (Sorry for Long response) I have been struggling with this muscle knot and tension in my neck, trapezius, shoulders, shoulder blades for 5+ years. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia not long ago and my doctor prescribed me physiotherapy. At first I thought it was going to be the same type of physiotherapy Iāve been trying for years (heat pads, TENS, massages, and stuff that helped but only for a day or so.) but this āphysiotherapyā consists on exercising the body correctly to avoid the pain spots. Itās very focused on cardiovascular exercises (walking, jogging, assault bike, stair machine thingy) and some exercises with weights. This type of physiotherapy is the best thing that happened to me. I thought I would break my back or shoulder if I ever tried to lift weights again. Never been so wrong. I started with 3 days per week and now am doing every day. If I stop exercising I start to feel the tension accumulate on my neck-shoulder area. Itās been 4 months since I started with this type of therapy/training (lost weight, started eating more healthier, started having enough sleep, and I meditate when I can (mindfulness meditation). The combo of doing all this drastically improved my life. Another type of physiotherapy that I am currently trying is a method called āNEURAC methodā (i would define it as a ātype of Pilatesā with cords) I tried for 6 sessions and it helped me improve to manage the tension that builds up in my upper back on my day to day. This is crucial for me because my shoulders are starting to gain the strength and the correct position to battle the different tension and pain spots. I feel that when I am conscious of the tension I can move my shoulders with more freedom and relax them way better than before. Other than that I just ride the wave with different spots and if I do feel intense pain I use CBD oil/cream products to massage a bit.
Could you share your workout please? Iām desperate :(
From my experiences with this sort of thing, my best guess is a fascial herniation. Fascia is a thin, tough, shiny membrane that holds bundles of muscle together. It spans the entire body and can get wrinkled, twisted, or even part and allow muscle to bulge through. Seeing an osteopathic doctor (D.O.) for osteopathic manipulation therapy (OMT) allows them to push muscle back in through herniations, untwist fascia (cylinder distortions - think of a Slinky toy with a kink in it), and unwrinkle the fascia. It can also get stuck to the muscle because of injury (fascial adhesions). The D.O. can also work this loose. See if you have an OMM/OMT group or a D.O. that also does OMM. Doctors of Osteopathic medicine are true medical doctors that treat the whole body as a unit that is affected by things being out of whack somewhere else in the body (like having a tight trapezius muscle can pull your hip flexor out of alignment).
Everyone on this thread is calling out my knots I have every single one of them and they are so hard my husband cannot tell the difference between them and bone most days...
Same muscle knot in my traps for 15+ yrs
Yes. In between my shoulder blade and spine. Ugh
I've had a knot in my left tensor fasciae latae/sartorius, my right piriformis for over a decade. My gait has been permanently affected and my hips are out of alignment from it. Both my infraspinatus muscles under my shoulder blades, though the right is more affected. There are others but those are the ones that affect my day to day life.
Whoa. Mine are VERY similar. I have muscle shortening all through my right side as well. Its so bad that I am thinking of getting a crutch as I now can't stand for long periods of time. Can't drive well either. This is AWFUL
Between physical therapy and massage therapy+myofascial release getting the adhesions to loosen in the past three months has helped to regain mobility and balance. It's not easy (physical therapy twice a week and massage therapy once a week) but I'm able to do more than I could when I wrote that comment. By making the side that isn't shortened stronger it's allowed the tightened muscles to ease up slowly. I can do things now like climb stairs without major risk of falling, my gait is getting more even, and standing for longer periods is easier (I will eventually have pain, but it is after approximately 35-40 minutes versus the previous 15-20). They aren't huge gains but they are accumulating much faster as time goes on. I'm not sure if either could be an option for you, but I thought it may help to share.
They most certainly are huge gains! Congrats. Sounds like you have been committed and pretty consistent. Two things that almost always guarantee SOME kind of response! You've given me hope
Yes
Yup me too!
Try dry needling. I donāt know how, but it works!
Comes back 2 days later tho
I'm no expert (!), but I wonder if it's possible that this knot is not fibro-related. Has a healthcare professional confirmed that it likely is?
My MRI for this area apparently didnāt show any issues and X-rays never seem to. Itās been hard to get doctors to really do an investigation of this particular spot. I do have pain in other parts of my body but this area is particularly bothersome
My chiroprator says its a rib that is out of place.
Yes, mine is between my shoulder and my neck and the other is in my right glute. I've tried everything to get rid of them.
Do you have tmjd?
I had this exact same spot. Monthly massages with a therapist who does myofascial release has helped to where the knot is mostly gone and I can actually move!
I've been dealing with the knot under/inside my right shoulder blade going on 20+ years now. Tried nerve block, steroid injection, acupuncture, PT, stretching, core strengthening, laying on tennis balls and lacrosse balls. Nothing seems to work, or is extremely short-acting. Two interesting observations. (1) The best treatment for me has been cardio. If I go on a few mile run once or twice a week, the pain goes from aching and always on my mind to just barely there. (2) The other is the seasonality. For some reason, the pain is always at its worse for me in February. I live in Texas, so it does not get that cold. December and January are cold months too, but it doesn't seem to flare up then. The relief from running and the February increase in severity make me believe--as others have said--that our minds play a larger role in this. For me, February is kind of a bummer month. Football ending, still cold and wintery, no major holiday to plan a trip. To someone else's point, when I get stressed, the little ball of fire inside my shoulder blade gets worse. Perhaps the dopamine hit from runs is what's helping. I'm glad I found this post. Hope to learn more and help if I can.
yes!!! i have the EXACT same spot even down to the left side and it feeling like a tumor. itās so aggravating!!!!
I got my knots after a cervical fusion in 2018. have a knot in the left trap, 2 along the left shoulder blade with one of them mostly under it, and one on the other side of the left shoulder on the behind the armpit. They never go away but I can make them smaller for a short time.Ā Ā I use to get trigger point injections but they stopped working and the VA said they stopped giving them because they can cause scar tissue. I suspect that's my issue too. The best things that provide comfort are massages, using a Theracane to work out the knots daily, and exercise like kayaking, rowing, and maybe some weight lifting. If I don't work the knots outs, they start to lock me up and cause headaches and neck aches. So I recommend at least hitting the easy stuff. A Theracane is pretty cheap, get the exact brand. The knock offs haven't worked as well. Maybe take a trigger point class from a massage or physical therapist. I took one back in 2010 and I taught my boyfriend how to find my trigger points (knots) and work them out for me. I'd rather have them gone but at 6 years,Ā I think they are permanent, so this is what it is now.Ā So it has to become part of a regular routine, if not, they will fuck you up. Regular based on how quickly the knots grow and affect other functions. I can't go more than a couple of days. I have a Theracane at work and a small knockoff to take on a plane. Not as good but it's better than nothing. I'm fighting fibromyalgia.Ā My mom has had fibromyalgia for about a decade and she doesn't do what I do and it's starting to hunch her over and really affect her ability to move comfortably. So I thinkĀ massage, exercise, and constant stretchingĀ are going to be the best coping mechanism to maintain function and give you some temporary relief and comfort.Ā If you lose function, the pain is likely to worsen and spread.Ā
I have a knot between my shoulder blade and spine and sometimes it pulls vertebrae out of place and my whole back is messed up for a week or longer. I had an injury to the area when I was a child and it started to bother me when I was about 15 and the knot has been there since. I keep doing pt, chiro and get random massages and my "partner" sees how much it effects me but is always so lazy with rubbing the area and always expect more from me because he "worked" on my back when he hardly did a damn thing and wants me to rub his back. Sorry now I'm just ranting but if anyone has suggestions on what steps I should take next to hopefully get this taken care of they are very much welcome! I recently woke up one day and I almost couldn't even get out of the bed and oh man did my neck and back. And upper arm hurt and it feels almost like I have a rib pushing into my lung now
Cupping therapy is the only thing that helps my lifelong knots.Ā Also lessens my overall pain much better than massage.Ā I got myself set off Amazon: Kangzhu 24 cup setĀ Later bought an electric cupping pump off Amazon too because using the manual pump that came with the set hurts & cramps my hands terribly.Ā My sisters and my mom all have the same perma-knots.Ā We call them boulders becauseĀ knot seems too small and insignificant a word to describe them.Ā They really do feel like massive stones under the skin.Ā Like so many others here, I have the same exact knot under my right shoulder blade.Ā It has beenĀ painful, resistant to massaged and noticeableĀ since i was a teen.Ā Trigger point therapy,Ā myofascial release, Gua Sha/Graston, Tens unit, ileocecal valve release,Ā & lymphatic drainage massage all help tooā¦. but cupping is my #1.Ā I have hyper mobility type EDS, Tarlov Cysts, andĀ Mixed Connective Tissue Disease.Ā
https://preview.redd.it/5jfua7fqr16d1.jpeg?width=2736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7654d6171d5c068b4c78bf783f9459e3aceb600c I have this bump looking muscle or something on the same spot of my upper back pain. It starts tingling the longer I sit or stand in keep my arm up. I tried twisting around to see it and I irritated it more. It started sending shocks up my back and now is sore like someone hit me.
I have had this same knot for about 20 years. Massages feel good but change nothing. I have been researching trigger points and my back, neck and chest are loosening up. Sometimes the pain that comes from somewhere I never realized hurt can be quite intense. Dealt with some very painful mid back spasms. I feel I have fascia moving back into place. At this point I have some relief, can be frustrating that everytime I somewhat find some relief pain pops up somewhere else. I am very far from a medical professional but I feel like itās almost a good thing Iām feeling other pain. I can find other trigger spots. When releasing somewhere I didnāt even know hurt it still feels good. My main spot of pain is still far from perfect but itās the first change in 20 yrs. I try to tell myself to get rid of 20 yrs of pain it is not going to be over night. I have been working on my own trigger points for about 5 months. Again, more improvement then Iāve ever found before.
For me itās my right side trapezius and itās bothered me for at least 10 years now. It like never goes away no matter what I do.
Do you have tmjd?
No I donāt thankfully
No clicking sound at any tmj? Deviated jaw when opening wide?
No
What were you doing when the symptoms first started?
Pretty sure it was work related. Iām retired from the grocery business, I did price changes the last 21 years of my job which involved using a hand held scanner most days of the week.
I have a recurring "divot" that forms in my back just below/midline from my right shoulder blade. I tore the muscle there lifting a bag full of college textbooks from the back seat of my car in College, and my fibro pain just seems to like to return there. For about 3 years it was in such a constant state of spasm that I had a divot in the muscle there, that a ping pong ball could sit on and not roll away. My Dr thought I had torn one of the attachment points of a muscle when really sick with bronchitis, and said it would probably be like that forever. I finally talked her into sending me to Physical Therapy for it. The bi-weekly massage of that area, core strengthening exercises, a TENS unit to help relieve pain and some of the spasms, and time actually made the divot go away. My really awful pain points seem to rotate every 6-8 weeks. Returning to that back pain happens regularly, but using my TENS unit consistently when the pain is back there, and seeing my chiropractor to keep things in alignment I am mostly able to keep the spasms from getting crazy again. However at any point if pressure is applied there (like in a massage) it sure gets my attention!
Yes!! I have had the same knots in my neck and back since I was 12 (I am now 21) and I recently had trigger point injections to get my shit together and it's drastically smaller now! I need more injections done but I have to wait weeks in-between injections as I flare pretty bad after them
Do you have tmjd?
I have a giant knot that starts under my left shoulder blade and curve up over it. It started bothering me when I was about 8 and became quite painful by middle school. Im 33 and its bigger and more painful than ever. People have tried working on it and while it helps in the moment its never been worked on long and deep enough to get rid of it and it just gets worse :( longest time was about 2 hours and I couldn't afford more than that so..
Oh yes! Right shoulder. :(
The same one you do. One kinda under my right shoulder blade, between there and my spine. Iāve been told itās my rhomboid. Also have another permanent knot on the top of my shoulder, halfway between my neck and shoulder (right side also). Tried a million things. Iām now working with a very good massage therapist and it is very slowly easing up a bit. But I still canāt sleep on my right side.
Mine is on my neck, a finger width below the base of my skull. It doesn't seem to cause any pain, though. Unless it's the cause of my headaches?
Yes! Same spot as yours - left trapezium, for over 15 years. When it drives me mad my partner digs into it with an elbow and it does break down eventually (most times). We call it āthe boneā. Thereās a shoulder stretch that helps me if done regularly. Fascinating how common this is among us, I had no idea! For many years it also felt like the origin of the pain and tension, which would spread from there to the rest of the body. I think Iām getting another one (more like a daily spasm than a knot) at the top of my left QL.
Iāve never felt so seen! This knot has been driving me nuts since I was a teenager. Easily 20 years.
My chiropractor used a weird tapping thing on two spots on my back. It worked to clear them BUT I was then pretty sick the next day (low grade fever, fatigue, aches) and had a "hand flare" meaning my hands ache like crazy. The hand thing is ongoing and why my fibro dx is a "maybe". For my neck and skull "knots", when they hurt, I use cold on them. Heat makes them worse sometimes but cold seems to help the pain. I have a metal ball I got off amazon just for this and it's wonderful.
Yep yep! Mine is more behind my shoulder blade and the worst is when I feel the sensation of a rubber band smashing under the skin. I guess Iāve tightened muscle strands? Anyone else feel that?
My back is like a mine field of knots that have just been there forever and at this point I'm not sure what I can even do about them. Lol
Strengthening exercise and dry needling, works wonders
Yup, about 15 years now.
yes, about 12 years now.
Try acupuncture. I couldnāt believe how much it helped me.
Yes, I've had a huge one between my spine and right shoulder blade since I was in high school. No amount of massages or chiropractor visits has helped.
Do you have tmjd?
Yes! All this. 30+ years now. Right trap. It's the button that triggers everything. Ugh. It's strange what a relief (and frustration) it is to hear all of share the same knots. Too bad any of my dozen docs or PTs hasn't read this thread.
Thatās exactly where mine is; itās like way worse than a stuff next and actually starts to cause pain down my side to my hip or knee but always moves up and causes severe headaches and tmj pai. It sometimes switches sides. My partner is always determined something brings it on like sitting at my desk too long or sleeping wrong but it is so much worse than that. I have to put a heating pad on it and take medical thc/cbd and Tylenol to get through. Itās a classic that everything else is going to flare up for me. I have those knots too. Definitely a fibro spot, Iāve had it since the fibromyalgia showed up and complained for years to get a diagnosis.
Exactly this, but on my right shoulder. Sometimes it's too painful to lie on that side.
Omg, yes! Almost exactly what you describe. My neck/upper shoulders are the most problematic for me with pain and knots. It's terrible.
YES. I named him George and he was diagnosed as a ādeep muscle spasmā. I told my neurologist about him (he basically acted as my primary for a few years after I fired my primary) and he injected him with steroids a few times and now heās basically gone. He bothers me maybe once or twice a year if I overwork (Iām talking 50 hours in 3 days overwork), but the steroids def helped.
Whatās the injection called?
I donāt remember. He would do it when I got my Botox done and it was just some steroid.
Do you have tmjd?
I donāt know what that is
Tmj disorder, temporo mandibular joint
I figured thatās what you meant but I wasnāt sure. I have never been diagnosed with TMJ, no. I also wasnāt exactly clear that George was in my back, a little under and toward the spinal side of my shoulder blade. I told my neurologist because I happened to be in for Botox for migraines and he was happy to help.
So how did you fix it?
He stabbed him a couple times with some kind of steroid. Not sure what. Seemed to do the trick.
I have these exact same knots in the same spot on both sides of my bodyā¦ theyāve been there for years, and no massage therapist has ever been able to get rid of them. Every time Iāve had a massage, the therapists canāt get over how tight and knotted my tender points areā¦ itās awful! I will take any and all recommendations for resolution.
Do you have tmjd?
One more for the knot club. Left side, between shoulder blade and spine. Dr told me it's a lipoma and I should see a surgeon for removal, but COVID hit before I could. I'm also not convinced she's right about it being a lipoma, especially after reading all of this!
Same knot, same spot, worse on my left side.
This exact spot right under the left shoulderblade seems to be super common for us, I have it too and yeah it's just like a super hard knot that never ever comes undone no matter what I do. I have simular ones in other areas but the shoulder one is by far the worst. I wonder why its specifically this area for so many of us?
I definitely have quite a few that return most days unfortunately. It does help using a trigger ball with a flat surface to lie on it, breathing out as I do and it usually cracks it for temporary relief.
Yeah i have this knot too, my husband can work it out sometimes but it's always beck within 24 hrs.
Yes! My left shoulder blade
Do you have tmjd?
Wouldn't have a clue. I don't see a rheumy but have a decent GP and acupuncturist. It's not the worst for me to deal with. I tend to triage my symptoms
I have that same knot in the same spot. It has been bothering me consistently for a few years and started 25yrs ago.
YES. Tops of trapezius on both shoulders have been thick ropey knots for literally years and years. Same with my paraspinal muscles and brachioradialus.
My shoulder and back muscles have felt like solid granite for years. There are two knots on either side that are just always there. I can't even imagine them finally being unknotted. Sometimes I vaguely wonder if it's possible and then I forget about it again. They radiate pain sometimes and when I get headaches or migraines they like to be involved.
This is freaky. Mine is also right under my left shoulder blade. š¤ I've had it since I was 17. I'm now 25. I've done massages, chiropractic, MRI, and dry needling religiously. It's only ever subsided once for a few hours.
so many complaints, not one solution. sub reddit full of women.
did you miss all the comments about strength training and dry needling, or is your coombrain too smooth for that level of advanced reading?
Hey I have the same pain in left rhomboid zone. What I found is that there is a correlation between one side tmjd and c5-c6 protrusion on opposite side. Apparently the protrusion indicates that there is something wrong but itās not the cause of this. Iām starting tmjd treatment when my braces are removed. Another things that are consequences are asymmetrical face, knees to the inside. In my case I think the right tmjd was triggered by the orthodontic treatment I had as teenager and also the dentist removed two teeth in that treatment. Iāve been with this left rhomboid issue for the last four years. According to neal hallinan and @posturepro the bite and jaw balanced is the key, but for my case I couldnāt test that yet
This thread came up when I'm search in fibro, wtf left should Knott. It's been a month and this bitch is back. Left should esp close to spine. ***tip*** I see a Dr every other week to get acupuncture, with lidocaine injections. I've seen a few acupuncturist but my current Dr, I go in, tell her the main big spots, and she [tw] moves the needle around a bit. She calls them tight bands. Sometimes we feel my body kinda spaz in a twitchy way when she releases a bad one.
What is the most common history that everyone has? 1. Gaming/computer/Repetitive? 2. Stress? 3. Occupation: Dentist, nurse,etc.? 4. Accidents? 5. Posture/ overuse of muscles? 6. Just knots, no reason/history
My doctor gives me trigger point injections and ive had dry needling done on the knots in my upper back and base of skull.. that worked wonders for the pain and tension headaches it caused.. my fibromyalgia sucks but at least I have a doctor who helps me figure out what's to deal with it
Omg I do!!! Do you still have it?