Thank you so much for watching! Make sure you check out our newest Rhomboid Pain video here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oLVmdLGFzKe5fIk.html You can also read the blog here: e3rehab.com/blog/rhomboidpain

To everyone who is having this pain, hope you heal.

Have had just about every type of pain in this area for almost 20 years now. Unbelievable this popped up

I really appreciate how you say there’s no perfect sleeping position for your neck and shoulders and that we should try it out. And same for sitting at the desk. Trying so hard to do it “the right way” just adds stress and makes things worse! So thanks for the more reasonable and practical advice here.

This is such an empathetic approach. No one has done this before. Thank you.

"stress, sleep, and prolonged inactivity" Ahhhhh you got me

5:07 Exercise #1 - Side lying thoracic rotation 5:20 Exercise #1 Progression - Half kneeling against the wall 5:31 Exercise #2 - Cat-Cow 5:47 Exercise #2 Progression - Slowed down and sitting on heels 6:03 Exercise #3 - Serratus wall slide 6:14 Exercise #3 Progression - Dolphin pose

I am blown away and beyond grateful by how in depth and digestible this video is

I've been in pain for 7 years and no doctor even mentioned this.... I was starting to give up on stopping the pain. And not working but you've given me some hope... Thankyou

For me it's more like a constant urge to stretch this area than pain.

You have just described something I’ve struggled with for YEARS. Thank you so f-ing much

Can confirm - I have a cervical issue at my c5-c6 that triggers rhomboid pain down my left side. Physical therapist had me doing cat cows, downward dogs, open books etc. This video aligns perfectly with what I've learned from other sources. Nice work

litteraly cried watching this. its this small irritating presistant pain that numbs me through out my life. Your approach for not having a perfect solution is so freeing! i feel so seen, thank you! im highly motivated to change things up 🥰🥰🥰🥰

I have seen a million videos about shoulder pain and this one is the most informative, honest, and actionable. Thank you for tying it back to peer review literature and for not trying to sell a quick fix!

I was so impressed when you cited research, and blown away when you cited the repetitions of the experiment--thank you so much for this video! It has quality information and actionable solutions

I've had that pain under my shoulder blade for almost 15 years, I followed these exercises and I was blown away at the relief I felt just after an hour or so being very particular about the form. That rhomboid pain is so annoying because it's so difficult to pin point where exactly it's coming from but at times it would be so bad I'd feel like I couldn't breathe. Also, my back would make nasty popping and tearing noises if I leaned to the right. Stress definitely makes it worse, so does caffeine - I feel like this video was made for me specifically. Thank you so much to you all!

I absolutely love how he quotes and discusses several published scientific papers. That's professional

i've been dealing with this since i was 16 but no one would ever take me seriously. it's gotten to the point where i can't be on my feet for more than two hours without feeling like there's battery acid on me. i was actually considering disability! this is going to change my life, thank you!

This video really helped me alleviate the concerns I had about the chronic pains I had on my upper back. Before watching this video, I always thought that the pain and soreness was some kind of back pain that I unfortunately just had to "deal" with. The fact that I was able to properly learn possible true origin of the discomfort and learn some simple and effective exercise to alleviate it is a tremendous weight (which probably also contributed to my chronic pain) off my back. Most importantly, the way he emphasized the difference between causes of the pain that I CAN control and those that are beyond it really made the problem seem more manageable.

WOW.. This is me exactly and I did the exercises and it was almost instant relief after a whole day of pain. Really helpful. I subscribed, Thanks!

As a new grad physical therapist, this gave me new perspective on some the patients that present like this. Thanks for the video!!!

This is such a good video. Lack of sleep and elevated stress always makes this pain worse for me.

Instant relief with a tennis ball and continued improvement with specifically outlined exercises and they're more in depth form. I've had this exact pain for a long time, and I really appreciate all the effort that went into this.

I have had this pain for years due to indoor painting. My physical therapist told me to lay on my back and touch the back of my neck to the bed and hold it and to do sets of these. Oh my god it helps so much!! I do it every time I get that stabbing pain in my shoulder blade!

Finally, I found something I’ve been searching for. I’ve been having this pain for the last 3 years @ the age of 35. There’s day I can’t get out of bed and it’s frustrating. My husband just don’t understand what I deal with on a daily basic. This sharp ache pain is no joke!

Wow i have it now for 3 years because of stress and panic attacks...Good to know that i'm not alone. I was never taken seriously by anyone. Difficult breathing, pain in left arm/ fingers and so on. After i wake up in the morning everything is gone for a moment. I wish everyone who is struggling with this some relief. (Thanks for all the comments and likes btw 05/05/24) i still hope everyone gets trough it

I was suffering from my this point 📍pain for 2 hour since i woke up in the morning... I can't say how much thankful i am towards your video. I did the exercise as you say and i feel super relax now.i can study now. Thank you so much ❤love from 🇮🇳INDIA

This is perfect information for me. Don't know how KZfaq algorithm got it into my list, but the information is soo useful. Having a very active lifestyle, from morning long distance runs, to flair bartending, with years I've come across these types of upper body pains. Nice to have such understandable information about what's going on🙏

This exercise really works! I have suffered for years from pain in this area. After two sets of this exercise the pain was gone and still hasn't returned. Amazing.

I’m very happy to find this video, as it confirmed what I suspected. I dealt with severe, debilitating rhomboid pain for months before I bought some ergonomic, neck supporting pillows. They changed my life. The pain is gone.

This video was super helpful! I have had such bad pain in this area, I like that you said not to try to be in “perfect posture” All the time, I find it does aggravate when I am trying to sit with my shoulders back for too long. Looking forward to doing these exercises. Thank you!

I've been living with chronic flareups of pain for 18 years until I saw this video. Finally realized it was an issue with my spine, went to the chiropractor and my life has changed. He released a pinched nerve in my cervical spine which cured my intense neck/ upper back pain like magic. Taught me the prayer stretch and some basic head/ shoulder motions to keep it from coming back and I've been symptom free to the point where I was finally able to take my first amateur fight recently. Feels like I"m 17 years old again before the pain all started..

Feels sharp. Like someone’s strumming a tendon in my shoulder with an ice pick or there’s a tiny gremlin scraping my scapula with their claws, feels like it’s in the bone marrow

Great video with great recommendations! It really is a breath of fresh air to hear a health professional say that there are somethings that we can't control and perfection is not what the patient should strive to. It is very discouraging when health professionals speak about solutions as an all-or-nothing and leave no space for well, life! life happens and sometimes people are just not able to follow a regime. I truly appreciate how you handle your advice; this type of tone, personally, gives me more hope and desire to help my body feel better. Thank you!

The only problem there is only like button and not love button to this video..have exact pain for years..i kept blaming my two wheeler driving for this..thank you so much..

I’m going to start doing some of these exercises TODAY. For almost a year now I’ve been having very bad back pain and/or tension/muscle aches. All localized to my upper back/shoulders. Some of those LOOKED comfortable 🤗

The most friendly suggestions I ever heard from an expert... His way of talking is so assuring and comforting... I have been suffering from this for the last 3 years .. I am already doing few exercises he had shown... Will implement the other also..

I can't believe this video was randomly in my youtube recommendations. I've been dealing with this kind of pain for 15 years and I was always told it's because of scoliosis. I'm for sure going to try those exercises. Hope they help me, that would be a blessing.

I've had this exact dull pain in my right top back area the same area that the girl is rolling on the tennis ball. When it first hit me in December 2014, the pain ended up causing me to lose 24 hours of movement to my right arm and sent me to urgent care the next day, but taking Ibuprofen for a few days and getting a nice back massage within 1 week helped a lot. When I started doing yoga in January 2016, the yoga immensity helped reduce the pain from like a 7 to a 3. It took from 2016 to 2019 to get the pain from a 3 to a 2 or 1. When the Covid shutdowns came in March 2020, I stopped going to my once per week Saturday yoga class and haven't resumed yoga since. The pain has come back in March 2022 back up to a 3 or 4, so I just started going to a chiropractor on April 13th (twice session so far over two weeks) which has helped a bit. I'm scheduled to go to the chiropractor roughly 6 more visits over the next 6 weeks. I plan to get back to doing yoga the classes next week. Started on a completely vegan diet 8 days ago which I hear helps eliminate inflammation in the body over time as a vegan, like in about 1 year's time on a vegan diet (Ancient Rome wasn't built in a week), I know it will take time. I hear that folks who went vegan got rid of a majority or all of their health problems and pain over time; like allergies, back and joint pain, skin problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol issues, digestive problems, kidney issues, sleep apnea issues, weight issues, etc. Let's see how much I improved as a vegan this time next year.

Thank you for stressing how important it is to alternate positions and find what’s best for you. I did so much more damage by spending years trying to force my shoulders back and down and my body into the “right” posture when some of the “wrong” ways it was naturally landing were really my body compensating for my weak-ass ligaments. Now I’m trying to unlearn the habit of subconsciously forcing myself into rigid “good” posture and letting my body do what it needs to depending on what joints are acting up that day. It’s such a hard habit to unlearn. I have a friend who had some lumbar vertebrae fused in an ultimately botched surgery and his physical therapists were relentless about making him bend over to touch his toes anyway even though his bones literally could not move like that. My mom had surgery on her wrist as a kid and it can’t rotate the same as a normal one and they still made her do pull-ups in gym with them in the position she physically could not use, refusing to let her modify her grip on the bar. One size fits all advice for stuff like this causes so, so much damage. It’s always encouraging to see people acknowledge the fact that we’re all gonna be a little different and that not holding one position for too long at a time is more important than making sure you’re in the “right” one. I’ll be unlearning that dangerous lesson for years to come. The more people get advice like -this- early, the better

As a fellow PT, that was really good. Nice explanation.

Foam roller on the wall was a game charger for me, it help rehab of my shoulders after major rotator cuff repair, and a year later I still do them for excellent maintenance!

My neck has been in bad shape for decades. This pain gets so bad. I used to imagine cutting under my shoulder blade to release tiny metal beads. Thank you for this video. There are a few I definately can't do, but some I can. I've had health issues since I was a kid. Knee problem at 12, major surgery at 19. My doctor excused me from gym from 7th through graduation. I'm now 66 and finally have a diagnosis, Ehlers Danlose Syndrome. My daughter was diagnosed with it.

Thanks for the video! I am a Dr, and i have my first patient of my career (Graduated last year) that i am 100% sure have Rhomboid Myalgia. She was at my office with shoulder/back pain. Shoulder was negative in findings, but obviously palpable pain of rhomboids (between medial border of scapula and the spine, kinda easy clinical Diagnosis) She also came to me as a urgent appointment due to worsening of the pain. Important differential is aortic dissection/aneurism, and pericarditis. So its always important to do an ECG in these patients, as well as Pulse ox, and blood pressure. Imo these patients must be referred from physiotherapist/chiropractic to a Dr for exclusion of these conditions. Well, her ECG and BP, pulse and O2 sat was normal so my diagnosis still stands; Rhomboid Myalgia. So i came here to see what to do. I didn't know what else to do, that to recommend rest and painkillers.

It's been 13 years now and progressively gotten worse but this pain is exactly what you're explaining and whenever I asked for help I was told back pain is normal... started when I was 15

Thank you! I am a practicing spine surgeon in NYC and I’ve often seen periscapular pain misdiagnosed as an intrinsic scapular issue or a shoulder issue. I will often reference the same paper by Tanaka et al (Spine 2006) and use their cervical spine MRI to lead patient counseling and discussions. In my experience, This same periscapular pain most often originates from C6 or C7 nerve issues and will cause referred pain to the back of the arm pit as well as the chest in some cases. Again, Thank you for the video. I will be Sharing it with my patients.

I am 30 years old and I have had this problem for as long as I can remember. I have gone to several doctors and gone through x-rays, and no one ever gives me any answers to why I'm I feeling this pain. All they do is give me narcotics for when I'm in pain. My whole right arm starts to hurt really bad all the way down to my hand. It's always the right side. My arm starts to hurt so bad that sometimes it scares me because I feel like something bad is going to happen. I will be trying these exercises! I'm so glad this popped up on my KZfaq.

I'm a truck driver so spend as many if not more hours in the sitting position as an office worker. After the first couple years I would CONSTANTLY develop knots in this exact region so to get relief I would pay for 30-60 min deep tissue massages to work out the knots. And while this worked, I had to realize that the regular return of these painful muscle knots meant that I was only putting a band-aid on the real problem. I started doing yoga in an attempt to be more flexible for my "planned" return to the gym which never happened bc of Covid however what I DID find was that the Thread the Needle pose gave me great relief from these return knots of years of inactivity in a seated position! I haven't had these knots return since and all I do is 10-15 minutes of yoga each morning. There was some lower back pain too that responded really well to laying twists so in general just some beginner level yoga done semi regularly can easily help people as it has done for me and there are plenty of free online yoga classes right here on YT that can help you out for such a minimal effort.

this is exactly where i have consistant pain, gonna try these excercises when i wake up, thanks in advance!

Been suffering for years and realised only recently it is so connected to stress. Thank you for this. Will try them all!

I’ve had that burning pain around my left shoulder blade for over 20 years now. Having worked as a cocktail server for almost a decade really did a number on that muscle. I have tried massage, stem therapy, acupuncture, and cupping, but all in vain. I also did the tennis ball, but I would often end up popping them from the excess pressure. So I moved it up a notch and began using baseballs inside along sock. That technique feels like heaven but often ended in 2-3 hour massages, sometimes til the sun came up. The down side to that was the severe soaring of the muscle the following day.. Oftentimes when the pain is so severe, I feel like my heart will pop out from my chest and it makes me want to rip the nerve out from my shoulder blade!

No way man you just showed up in my KZfaq recommended. Clicked on it not knowing it was you. God bless 🙏🏼

I'm dealing with this pain since years. One PT told me I am dealing with a "flat back" in the upper spine. I'll try to perform your exercises a couple of times per day from now on. Oh and... kudos for underlining your video with a scientific background. Very nicely done!

Thank you for this, I’ve been struggling with this pain for so long and I was unaware of the cervical spine connection - it almost seems counterintuitive! I will try these exercises today!

This has helped me get rid of pain I've been having for a year - amazing thank you!

What I found helps me every time, after I have my right side Rhomboid Pain... is to use a firm plastic or wooden massage "tool", and find a trigger point on my left SI Joint, moving with the "tool" from my SI Joint to the outer hip. Once I find the trigger, I hold the tool for 30 seconds at a time, until I no longer feel the pain in my Rhomboid. If I have left side Rhomboid Pain... I do the same on my right SI Joint to the outer hip, and works every time. In addition to my Rhomboid Pain, I will get heel, outer toes, pain... using the same technique will relive those pains, too. Just my experience, and yours may vary.

This is fucking weird. I've been having pain in this area the past few days, haven't googled anything remotely pertaining to it, haven't even talked about it. My phone now knows when my body hurts and where...

Been there done that got the tee shirt and lost my career due to gross negligence by my doctor. He continued to tell me I had pulled a muscle for 18 months and refused to refer me or write me a sick note. I was having partial blackouts and when you are an operational fire officer that is not a good thing. I refused to move out of his surgery after I had had enough until he referred me to a specialist. I saw a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon but he looked at my cervical scans and told me he could do nothing for me as the damage was too far gone. He referred me to a Consultant Neurosurgeon. That was my last day in the job at the age of 46. The Neurosurgeon took one look at my scans and said 'good grief, you are a mess you need surgery at three levels'. He told to go home and his secretary would ring me. She did later that day, Friday. I was admitted on the Monday and surgery took place the following day. There were complications so only one level was done with a dowel. Two further operations took place the third resulting in nerve damage which affected one side of my face necessitating 14 days in hospital. Never went back to my 25 year fire service career sadly and after 7 months working in another job the disc originally operated on collapsed. Surgery was just not possible by this stage and my working life was over at age 48. Shortly after that I started with back pain which got more and more severe and needed surgery to relieve the pressure on my spinal cord. Now people say if you aren't working the NHS treats you as a second class citizen. I can tell you now that is true. Surgery never took place and the whole of my lumbar spine has now collapsed. I can no longer stand comfortably let alone walk and the neuropathy in my feet is absolutely agonising. Never, ever ignore persistent pain and if your doctor is letting you down seek a second or even third opinion. The NHS failed me badly.

Really nice to finally having a KZfaq videos showing papers as sources and giving them direclty in the video

Yup dealing with cervical instability and experiencing this and a whole lot of other issues. Yes severe stress was a big part in onset and progression.

I had this exact same pain for years. I was recently diagnosed as having degenerative disks in my neck; C5 and C6. I wore a neck brace when I felt fatigued, massaging my jaw in combination with regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy diet has helped my condition.

Been suffering for years. From GP's to Chiropractors, none of them could help. Thank you for this. I will try this out.

I don’t understand how the YT algorithm knew that I needed this after 15yrs of upper and lower back pain. Cheers mate 🔥💪🏻😊

About two weeks ago I hurt my shoulder and I decided to try to just let it heal. After a week it had just got worse. Thankfully I ran into this video and tried out the exercises. A week later my shoulder is feeling good as new. Thank you soooo much for the video. It really works for all those watching.

WOW! HAVE BEEN HAVING SEVERE PAIN IN THIS AREA FOR OVER THREE YEARS NOW! THANKS FOR THE SHORT TO THE POINT INFO. STAY ENCOURAGED.

When I found this video, it felt like you were talking directly to me! After so many treatments, my neck and back pain does now goa way, leaving me with persistent pain in my shoulder and arm. You are right! Local massage and stretch is not the answer. I will continue on wit these movements throughout the day.

How did KZfaq know I needed this? Literally popped on my recommendations the day the ache started

Great video. I’m a massage therapist and 60% of my clients ask me to jam my elbow here! Insanity is common in my profession. I always suggest the exercises that you shared, Hannah Somatics and the pull apart with a resistance band. I just subscribed to your KZfaq channel and will definitely be following. I like evidence based facts.

Thank you! I have been experiencing pain in this exact area for years! And I’ve been to physical therapy which helped. But what I like is that you explained this to me. The doctor said nothing and the physical therapist said nothing. I like to know what’s going on. I don’t like it when they just tell you to do things and they don’t explain what’s really happening and the source of what’s happening. This has really really helped me tremendously!

Oh man may you live long with heathy and wealthy. It was bunch of pain that can't holds. With first two three minute of video it was recovered. Thanks a lot. May triple gem bless you. ✌️ 🇱🇰

had a car accident back in 2017, had this pain ever since. thanks for the vid

This was an incredibly helpful video. I really appreciated the proof of the science and the kindness in suggesting life changes but not giving up on you if you cannot make them.

I’ve been dealing with this for 3 years. I have some tingling on that right shoulder too. I was doing bi monthly massages that gave some relief but it always came back. I figured it was bad posture and overworked from my repetitive computer that required overtime. Took a few months from work and felt better but now that I’m back to work it’s acting up again. I will definitely try these stretches. Thank you so much!

Hi, LMT with 17 years of practice here Do not lay down on top of the lacrosse ball, unless you want to put way too much pressure on a trigger point and cause it to activate.

How did KZfaq know the pain that I’m having, which I haven’t even said it out loud to anyone or even searched for any remedies on google 😱

I can't tell you enough how much i appreciate this video. This weird pain bothers me a lot and nothing seems to help but surely these exercises have helped me deal with it. Thank you.

Lying in bed at 1am watching this video 👌

my pain in that area was absolutely diagnosed and traced to my bulging disc in my neck

Very well put together, thorough video. Wow, I'm so impressed. Big thumbs up, I wish all YT videos were to this degree professional. Good job

This is exactly what my pain is. Thank you ❤️

I find it very synchronistic that this was recommended to me because I’ve been having some pain in that area and I’ve been wondering what that is thank you for these helpful tips cause I really really needed it

Using a small/fine grater, grate some fresh horseradish, after you’ve cleaned/peeled it. Put the grated horseradish on a baking paper, gauze on top of that and lie on it (make sure that the painful area is in contact with the horseradish through the gauze) for 5-7 mins. Do that once a day, for about 6-7 days. It’ll feel like it’s burning, but you need to endure. I lie on the same grated horseradish 2-3 times per session but with different back/neck areas to avoid causing a burn. This treats even repetitive back dislocations

The best thing is that you show the evidence and research paper which can help us more detailly.

Had this pain for 7 years. Came a few years after hurting my hip. Always wondered if it was related (right hip, left rhomboid). Only relief I've found is not to tense up from stress, stretch, and work out the whole body (legs in particular make it feel better for whatever reason). Lots of back exercises to equal out the chest. I don't think it's ever gonna go, but I've learnt to live with it. Doc said that my discs are all ruptured and firing off disc juice that is aggravating my nerves. Also, this pain at it's worst is the whole of the left hand side of my body, not just my back. RIP!

I've had this pain for 20 years. Over more recent years I now have clavicle ( osteoarthritis ) and neck pain. I've had physio but it didn't help and some exercises made it worse. I've had 9 injections in one go and it didn't help. The pain consult said it was nervous and muscle damage from osteoarthritis in the thoracic region. It's also started in the other scapular region. I'm happy to give these exercises ago. Anything is worth a try. Thank you for this straight forward and interesting video, much appreciated.

My doctor is so busy he doesnt have time for his patients. I have this pain just beginning. My doctor recommended i get a urine test and exray for kidney stones. So you've done more to help me than my ex doctor. Thank you very much

Thank you, I have more than 3 part of my body that hurts and all of your videos are the best ever I found from all videos that exist on youtube, it's really helping me a lot as an athlete

I have been doing the tennis ball thing for a while now and it helps sometimes, I have started to get scared because my arm would start feeling weird and start to feel it it’s going numb and getting warm and I’m glad that I found this video to help me and put my mind at ease

Honestly cannot wait to try these when I get off work. I've been dealing with this pain for 5 years now after it randomly started while in the army and every PT I went to just said "back pain is a part of the job" and sent me on my way. It's been a huge limiting factor in my life and I have searched for so long and just randomly got this video recommended and when I saw the highlighted area to show the location of the pain I immediately knew I needed to watch this. Thank you for the informative and science backed knowledge my man

This is so magical, i was suffering huge pain in my back and spinal line after just 3 exercises of 10 minutes its gone. Blessings from India 🚀🎊🎉❤️

I recently started getting this back pain after a back injury. Seems odd how KZfaq recommended this video like it knew about my back issue but I'm grateful it did. I have been massaging my back against corners of walls but it's only temporary relief. I thought it would go away on it's own but it hasnt. Thank you sir for sharing this knowledge.

HEY DOC, THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THOSE WHO STRUGGLE MAINTAINING THEIR HEALTH DUE TO THEIR UNFORTUNATE ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCE. YOU'RE A REAL ONE.

I've been experiencing this pain frequently since I started driving for Uber. Irritating burning, scratching that I feel like I need to stretch out. Thank you so much for this. I'm hopeful these stretches will help.

I don't know how KZfaq suggested me this video!! have had this pain for long time i ignored it and that resulted to c5 disc Pressure and nerve damage, i can confirm all of that was said in the video specially the seating part. this video was awesome change!!! your life style people and stay healthy

Istg whenever this video pops up in my feed, i get the pain 2-3 days later. Its like a message.

Man this is soo spot-on what I’ve been experiencing for years now. Definitely have thought it to be the muscles,. but symptoms definitely increase with stress so was interesting to hear about nerve sensitivity. Only thing I’ve found to give lasting relief so far has been strength training. Excited to start implementing the excercises. Thank you for an excellent video.

Thanks for being so positive and motivating. This really helps us feel hopeful!

This happened to me last week and is still persisting. But I went to a chiropractor last week and it is much better. Pinky is still a little numb but this video has given me much more ease of mind. Thank you!!

spot on. I have that rhomboid pain, on and off not too serve for years. then one day, I got this shooting pain down in my arms and numbness in my fingers. i also have the muscles around my ribs on the same side just hurt bad. it's all from the neck. Luckily, in Beijing, there are many Chinese doctors and many different kind of treatment. now it's been a month, and I can live again by doing similar exercises shown in your video. it's really helpful to understand rhomboid pain. I wish I knew earlier that it's related to my neck. I still experience weak muscle strength on the affect sided compared to my right arm strength. hopefully I can get it back some time

Love your “to the point” video! I have struggled with this pain for a few years and have found that serious movement away from my computer or reading a book helps, but I like seeing my thoughts validated.