[kymk]

#32343

Hello Dr.
I am going on 11 weeks of pain from an injury at work. Lifting 5-gallon jugs from floor to above head which also required a turn with the body. Hundreds of times done, and one time tweaked. Here I am. The injury point is just below my left shoulder blade right beside the spine. I have been in very holistic PT, and one recent visit to the osteopath, for all of these weeks and have only had 3 days pain free. Had an MRI done yesterday and they didn’t find any thoracic abnormalities. They did find mild cervical disc bulging C4-C7, but that was not the location of the initial injury, so feel it is possibly irrelevant. I have continued “pointed” pain at the initial injury location, though there were some weeks that almost all I felt was the rib referred pain, but it came back after seeing the osteopath, along with continued referred pain in my ribs, and some left arm numbness that is present whenever the injury point is triggered. A few days after my visit to the osteopath, I have spread pain through my shoulders(now to the right side as well), pointed pain at the injury point, and though referred pain in ribs minimized for a few days, is now fully returned.
My PT believes there is something missed, but the PA wants to trust the cervical and thoracic MRI and is throwing her hands up. I need help.

Thank you.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#32368

“The injury point is just below my left shoulder blade right beside the spine….A few days after my visit to the osteopath, I have spread pain through my shoulders(now to the right side as well), pointed pain at the injury point, and though referred pain in ribs minimized for a few days, is now fully returned”.

Your symptoms could be anything from shoulder pathology, scapulothoracic origin or muscle injury pain (latissimus dorsi or serrates anterior). I assume your MRI of the thoracic spine notes no herniation in the lower regions. The cervical spine will not refer that low to the spine.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

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