tadmanny, I've been dealing with scapular pain and clunking for ten years now. Last January I had a scapulothoracic bursectomy. The bursa were thickened and inflamed and there was quite a bit of calcification. Surgery reduced the pain in half, but the rhomboids were still chronically inflamed and I never achieved normal scapular rhythm or muscle strength. About two months after being discharged from PT I was back to having serious burning and numbness along with the pain, and the clunking was back. When the pain gets bad, the traps get tight and spasm.

The only symptom down the arm I've ever had is some twitching in the thumb, which seems to happen only when the traps start spasming. The neck has been ruled out several times as the cause.

The surgeon is hoping my recent surgery to correct my shoulder problems will take the stress off the scapular stabilizers. In fact, he now thinks he should've fixed that first after finding out just how bad the shoulder joint was. I've been warned it will be months of strengthening before we know if it's working, and I may need to have the area cleaned out again as it's now been over a year since the initial surgery. It's possible (trying to hope against hope that this isn't it) that I have nerve damage that will prevent me from ever fully recovering (there was an initial accident that started this all...not sure what your story is_)

hope this helps you some..

Mine started with one initial accident as well. It was a weight lifting accident, doing military press. My arm subluxated and now everythings been in limbo for like 8-9 months. I had a bankart repair, but nothing else got better since the surgery. Ive had two cortisone shots into the clicking area, which havent helped. My pain isnt in the scapular region moves around. This is why I think it could be a nerve issue. Somtimes there's discomfort on the inside of the shoulder blade, sometimes outside, sometimes top and bottom. The only consistent pain I have is the supraspinatus/trap/levator scap area. If I'm sitting still, the pain is minimal and bearable, but my lifestyle isn't just a sitting still one. I like to lift weights and play sports. Every time I do something that is weight bearing, like a pushup or something overhead. This area hurts. I dont know if this is comparable to the problem you have. Do anti-inflams work for you? Let me know if this is similar and thanks for the info to you both.

Tad, anti-inflammatories don't do a darn thing for this pain Cortisone shots into the area only work as long as the numbing stuff is active; it gives no long-term relief. As for the pain moving, mine has always started at the inside edge, usually near the top corner. It will progress and spread from there. Right now I wish I could remove the whole upper left quadrant of my back-I've started the strength training part of recovery from the surgery and it's really irritating it!

My PT has been able to find me temporary relief in the past with some funky thing he does with the scapula while I'm on my side. Not sure exactly what he's doing or why, but I love him for it Laying flat on my back and doing nothing helps with the pain, too, but who wants to sit around and do nothing all the time?

I don't know if this sounds similar to what you've experienced or not, but I certainly understand how frustrating something like this can be!

how did you hurt your arm? Also, what is the pain on a scale of 1-10? and do you have irritation in your trap/neck area?

also, how active does it allow you to be? can you use it for everyday things? when does it hurt? how is your ROM?

I hurt my arm while carrying mail on foot. I had a mailbag that weighed a guesstimated 30-40 pounds hanging from the shoulder, and I reached the arm up to put mail in a box that was over my head. There was an audible pop and mild pain from the back of the shoulder/scapula area, and the next morning it was hot, swollen, and I could barely move the arm due to the pain. I spent almost two years being treated through worker's comp, but they denied an MRI, denied more PT, and only agreed to having part of my shoulder blade removed (and I refused). So I spent the next several years unable to be treated, until worker's comp closed out my case and enough time had lapsed that something else could possibly be the cause.

Yes, I have irritation in the neck/trap area. At its worst I have gotten migraines and dizziness, but since starting PT last year it hasn't happened.

Right now I'm about 8 weeks out from my latest surgery, so I can't do much of anything Before the surgery, I had way too much ROM and scapular winging. Everyday things DID hurt-when I initially started PT it was because I had lost so much strength in the arm from not using it. I was sent to the orthopedist when the strengthening exercises were too painful. The pain at its worst is a 7, with it normally a 3. The worse has always been folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher, swinging a bat or golf club, or pushing anything. I also have a lot of trouble sitting up straight or standing for long periods. During activity it's a mildly painful snapping/crunching, but afterwards it gets worse.

I had NO pain at all while in the sling after this latest surgery. It was a welcome relief.

About 1990 I popped my right shoulder from a softball throw, did all the rehab, stretching, anti inflams, cortizone, finally surgery for impingement syndrome. During rehab, tore the left shoulder while weight lifting. Same surgery 2 years later. Now a mail carrier and about 3 years ago, a mail box started to fall after I placed mail in it and made a quick lunging move with left arm as an automatic reaction. Felt a pop and numbness in left arm. Put up with this for 2 years, went to doctor, he suspected torn cuff, therapist said posture. After several weeks of stretches, numbness/asleep feeling gone, but pain and knots in back of shoulder persisted. Now 15 months after therapy, shoulder pain in trap area is unbearable, constant pain level around 5, typing this message is about a 7 and any load on arm fluctuates from 7 to 8. It is a steady pain and any load or placing body weight on arm while stretching for mail in back of truck increases pain. I have had accupuncture, massage therapy out of pocket, but I believe I tore my trap several years ago while making this sudden move. I have finally broken down and made an appointment with my primary care manager.