The Shoulder blade is also known as Scapula. It is a large triangular bone in the upper back and is responsible for the full range of motion at the shoulder especially during overhead activities. It provides a stable base for the mobility of the shoulder joint. The shoulder blade in our upper back connects the upper arm to the collar bone and the upper arm to the trunk. Shoulder blade pain limits the arm movement and results from the following reasons-

1. Muscle Strain resulting from sudden heavy lifting, overuse injury, or muscular weakness. Muscular imbalance from prolonged poor posture alters the resting position of the scapula. Avoid forward head posture and hunching of your back while sitting. Strengthening and stretching of shoulder and scapular muscles is crucial for restoring the scapular position and motion with shoulder movements.
2. Snapping Scapula-Pain is accompanied by cracking and popping sensation of the scapula on to the chest wall or thoracic spine with shoulder movement. Its a relatively rare condition.
3. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by chronic pain, stiffness, tender points in muscles, fatigue, and sleep problems.
4. Degenerative disc disease in the cervical or thoracic area with nerve compression can radiate pain to the shoulder blade. Symptoms include sharp, burning pain with numbness and tingling from the neck to the shoulder, as well as weakness and numbness into the arm and hand.
5. Rotator cuff tendinitis or tear can also lead to shoulder blade pain.
6. Myofascial pain syndrome -It causes scar tissue or adhesions to form in the muscles. These points are known as trigger points. It’s a localized disorder.
7. Some serious conditions like a heart attack or angina, gall bladder disease and, Lung cancer also lead to referred pain to the shoulder blade. Heart condition causes pain the left shoulder blade and gall bladder diseases cause pain in the right shoulder blade.

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• Neck and Shoulder Conditions