Pulled muscles between shoulder blades!! OUCH!!

danaf694
danaf694 Posts: 10 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For some reason, I am always pulling the muscles between my shoulder blades! This last time, I was sleeping, went to stretch and roll over and POW! those muscles cramped and literally "popped". So, now I'm in recovery mode (again). Heat, attempting to stretch them (which is difficult considering the muscles' location), hot showers, icy hot etc.
Does anyone know why the heck I keep doing this?? It has happened when sleeping, towel drying my hair, stretching at work. It's ridiculous and extremely painful. Any good advice is much appreciated.

Replies

  • NikkiSmo
    NikkiSmo Posts: 180 Member
    Sounds like they just don't heal completely and you turn ever so slightly and re-injure them. I have been looking into muscle tape for a strain calf muscle there are a lot of how to apply videos on YouTube.
  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 318 Member
    Sounds like your muscles like to knot up back there. Massage it out with a pro, a foam roller or a ball. Google "myofascial release" for more massage ideas.
  • danaf694
    danaf694 Posts: 10 Member
    Thanks! I will give that a try tonight. :smile:
  • AR1973
    AR1973 Posts: 10
    do you cooldown after workouts?
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited April 2015
    This use to happen to me quite a bit for decades. It wasn't so much physical things, but awkward positions I happen to have my body in while extending cold muscles. I do believe foam rolling will help with circulating blood to the area which will help heal quicker. As crazy as it sounds I would swing a golf club very slowly for a couple minutes to loosen the muscles as well. You also might want to look into mobility issues & muscle imbalances in your back as well as hamstrings.
  • shinisize
    shinisize Posts: 105 Member
    You may feel the pain in one place, but the source of the problem could be elsewhere. I worked as a massage practitioner for almost 6yrs, most of the time in clinics where Drs referred with an actual prescription and we billed directly to health insurance companies, and almost all long-term aggrivations like you are describing are caused by overly-tight antagonistic muscles (the ones that make the opposite movements on a joint). Most likely, if you looked at your posture in the mirror you would notice your shoulders are curled forward and you may be hunching your upper back forward (like you are giving a bear hug to someone much shorter than you) . You might not think it's much, but your muscles are telling you otherwise! The constant cramping in your rhomboids/lower traps is usually caused by them trying to fight back against being stretched 24/7. Stretch your pecs, teres major/minor, and upper traps really well several times a day. A good quality massage can be a huge help, but if you aren't actively working to rehab yourself it will help significantly less. Also, make sure you are really working on your posture when lifting!
  • exoticpumpkin
    exoticpumpkin Posts: 24 Member
    Go see a physical therapist.
  • neaneacc
    neaneacc Posts: 224 Member
    Don't forget that you may have inflammation there and try 20 min icing to see if that helps too. The ball roll out trick works too. The best I have found are those hard solid rubber bouncy balls found in the quarter machines ( the ones that are just smaller than a baseball work best). Then find a wall and self massage by leaning against the ball trapping it between you and the wall. It will hurt but I have yet to find a more effective way to get the knots out.
  • danaf694
    danaf694 Posts: 10 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    This use to happen to me quite a bit for decades. It wasn't so much physical things, but awkward positions I happen to have my body in while extending cold muscles. I do believe foam rolling will help with circulating blood to the area which will help heal quicker. As crazy as it sounds I would swing a golf club very slowly for a couple minutes to loosen the muscles as well. You also might want to look into mobility issues & muscle imbalances in your back as well as hamstrings.
    Yes! Exactly what happens. I am going to try the ball thing tonight. I haven't slept well in days. Here's another weird thing, I think I'm sleeping tense too. Soon as I get up my collar bone area is so tight and sore it's ridiculous. Like I've been hugging something for hours at a time...must have too much stress going on or something.

Categories