[gingermyr]

Hi, Its been 2 days now that I've been feeling a bit of pain on my right shoulder blade when I breath deelply (close to the spine), and it only hurts when breathing deeply. Might it just be a muscular thing? Thanks!

[bodyinbalancemn]

Sounds likely. I am not a Dr. and not qualified to make a judgement about your health specifically but I can tell you non-specific pain in this area is a common result of desk work, cell phone use, reading with the head bent forward and other repetitive daily activities. I see it all the time in my orthopedic massage practice. Are your shoulders rounded forward? Do you spend a lot of time at a desk with your head and neck forward? Over time rounded shoulders can cause spasms and muscle/tendon strain in the posterior shoulder muscles between the shoulder blades. Longstanding malfunction (overstretching) of theses muscles will cause the deeper layers of muscles involved with breathing to be affected as well. I see clients complain of similar symptoms which can be resolved with effective structural massage on the opposing muscle groups (chest and anterior neck) followed by cross fiber friction and trigger point work or mayofascial release in your posterior shoulder (upper back area). It is important that you see a massage therapist that understands the importance of addressing the root cause (shortened pectoralis and anterior neck muscles) before doing any work directly on the area where you have pain (your upper back near your spine and shoulder blade). I would look for a therapist trained in Myofascial Release or Neuromuscular Therapy in your area. OR, try stretching your pecs and biceps.

Katrina Koller, CMT
Orthopedic Massage Therapist