I have had a sharp burning sensation under my left shoulder blade for about 2 months now. It was intermittent at first but over the last three days it has become almost constant. It feels like a charlie horse or heartburn but under my shoulder blade. The pain is intense I would say a 7 or 8. Nothing I do seems to relieve it. I have tried rest, ice, heat, epsom salts, stretching muscle rub and pain relievers to no avail. I just want relief and possible an explanation. I am hoping it is a strain of something. I do not have med. Insurance so I an hoping to avoid a trip into the doctors.

I would say go see your doctor... those sound exactly like the symptoms I had when I had a partially torn rotator cuff tendon years ago.

And that happened in my sleep. Because of a bone spur. But MRI's are expensive when you aren't insured.

Was there anything you did in the previous day or two that could have explained a sprain or strain?

I am a nurse's assistant and I work in a nursing home. I am constantly lifting people. I didn't have any apparent injury, or do anything unusual. I have been doing this job for about 4 years. I did sprain my lower back in January of last year however. I am wondering if I could have been using my back differently to protect my lower back and as a result put extra strain on my upper back. I am worried because It hasn't been this painful ever and it seemed to all of a sudden get worse. It is torture. I am also having numbness in my arm and a fluttering sensation in my lower abdomen. I have been told that can indicate nerves being pinched.

If you are constantly lifting weight.. its easy to do it from the wrong position and strain something, particularly if you are trying to favor something else that was sore... was the numbness steady or does it come and go?

It comes and goes. It is only on the side affected by the shoulder blade and predominantly in my hand/wrist. I am going to make an appointment with my doctor for Tuesday. I really hope this won't lead to more PT... It was a crock last time.