How to Relieve Shoulder Blade Pain? Symptoms and Remedies!

The shoulders have two triangular bones that connect to the collarbones. These are called shoulder blades or scapulae.

The three attached muscle groups — the rhomboids and the middle and lower trapezius enable shoulder movements.

Any stress or trauma to the shoulder blade or the attached muscles can cause cramps, muscular strain, or sprains. Bad posture or muscle strain can cause throbbing shoulder blade pain.

Some medical conditions, such as a torn rotator cuff, arthritis, and disc herniation, also lead to constant shoulder pain and discomfort. Knowing how to relieve shoulder blade pain can help you find pain relief and reduce discomfort.

Symptoms of Shoulder Blade Pain

The shoulder blade has many nerves, muscles, and ligaments. These structures are important for shoulder and arm movement.

Any injury to shoulder muscles or ligaments around the shoulder blade causes pain and discomfort. The most common symptoms of shoulder blade pain are the following.

• Tenderness around the scapula
• Weakness in the arm
• Shoulder and arm fatigue
• Difficulty performing repetitive tasks
• Restricted movement
• Drooped posture
• Difficulty rolling the shoulder

How to Relieve Shoulder Blade Pain?

The area around your shoulder becomes sore and hurts. This pain may get worse when you reach for an object with your arm or turn your head as it restricts movement. Yet, shoulder pain doesn’t have to limit mobility.

Here are some ways to relieve shoulder blade pain and discomfort.

Gentle Exercises

It is no myth that exercise alleviates pain. Gentle exercises not only build strength to support the injury but also help relieve muscle tension and stiffness.

If you’re thinking about how to relieve shoulder blade pain through exercises, here are a few tips and tricks.

To bounce off shoulder blade pain, you should start with shoulder rolls. Slowly roll the shoulders forward and backward in circular motions.

Try shoulder stretches by crossing one arm over your chest and using the opposite hand to pull it closer. Hold the position for 20 seconds before repeating. These two exercises loosen the tight shoulder muscles that cause pain and discomfort.

Take a Break From Activities

Certain activities worsen shoulder blade pain. For example, a weightlifter’s shoulder is a condition that causes sharp pain and discomfort.

People who lift heavy weights get fractures around their acromioclavicular joint, where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade.

Resistance training and other such activities can lead to shoulder blade pain as they can cause muscle spasms, ruptured tendons, or pulled ligaments. You should take a break to rest if these activities worsen the pain.

Avoid activities for 24 to 48 hours as the pain could be the result of repetitive strain injury. Microtears in the muscles from repetitive movements also cause pain. Therefore, resting allows the body to heal, restoring optimal shoulder function.

Massage Therapy

An involuntary contraction of the shoulder muscles can cause pain around the shoulder or under the shoulder blades.

Overuse of the muscles, poor posture, or stress cause muscle spasms. The sudden tightening of muscles causes sharp pain in the shoulder blades, which limits mobility.

If your shoulder blade pain feels like a tight knot, you need massage therapy to loosen the muscles. Massage improves the blood flow to the area, reduces muscle tightness, and relieves discomfort.

If you cannot get a massage from a masseuse, certain self-massage techniques for pain relief may help. Roll a foam roller or a massage ball under the shoulder blade until you find the tender spot.

Slowly roll the massaging tool side to side and in a circular motion to relieve muscle tension. Initially, the massage should trigger a good pain that releases tensed muscles.

Use Warm and Cold Compresses

If a shoulder injury leaves you wondering how to relieve shoulder blade pain, immediately use warm and cold compresses to relieve acute pain. Heat and cold therapy reduces inflammation.

You should apply an ice pack to the shoulder area for 15 to 20 minutes immediately after an injury. Icing narrows the blood vessels and reduces swelling and pain.

Heat from warm compresses reduces muscle tension as heat increases the blood flow to the area. As a result, the muscles relax.

How to Prevent Shoulder Blade Pain?

While massage, heat and cold therapy, and gentle exercises are excellent ways to relieve shoulder blade pain, one should also focus on preventing the pain.

How do you prevent shoulder blade pain? Exercising, adjusting posture, and supporting your back are some practices that prevent shoulder pain.

Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly strengthens the muscles in your shoulder. Strengthening and stretching exercises also reduce muscle stiffness, stretch the ligaments, and relax your body.

The key to long-term pain relief is consistency. Try to exercise at least three days a week.

Support Your Back

When we work in front of a monitor or at a desk, we often hunch our shoulders forward, which causes pain. Using back support braces and using a neck pillow corrects the posture. Back support also aligns the spine, which reduces discomfort.

Adjust Your Posture

Muscle strain and sprains cause shoulder blade pain. Adjusting your posture relieves pain as your shoulder muscles don’t have to hold your arm weight in an unnatural position.

Small ergonomic changes such as purchasing back braces, neck pillows, and back support chairs reduce postural stress.

If you spend long periods working at a desk, avoid slouching and hunching your shoulders. Keeping the spine aligned relieves discomfort and pain in the shoulder blades.

Final Words

Most common types of shoulder blade pain resulting from sprains or strains can be managed at home. Massages, hot and cold therapy, gentle exercises, and resting relieve shoulder blade pain and discomfort.

However, you must remember that what works best for someone may not work for you. This is why the efficacy of treatment options varies from person to person.

If none of these home remedies work for you, it’s best to seek medical guidance to relieve shoulder blade pain, as it could be from underlying medical conditions.