Rhomboid Muscle Pain

As the name suggests, rhomboid muscles are shaped like a rhombus or diamond. These muscles are located in the upper part of the back. Basically, it is a thin skeletal muscle, which is connected to the bones in the area and its movements can be controlled voluntarily. Rhomboids connect the spine with the inner edges of the shoulder blades. They undergo contraction and relaxation during the movements of the shoulder blades and help to maintain correct posture of the shoulders. Rhomboid muscle pain can be felt, mainly in the upper back area and the shoulder blades.

Rhomboid Muscle Pain Causes

The main cause behind the muscle pain is either a spasm or strain in them. Spasm can be described as a knot or tightness in the muscle. This results from an involuntary twitch and the muscle becomes tender. Excessive use of shoulders and arms often trigger this problem. This kind of overuse happens during certain sports activities like playing tennis or rowing. Sometimes, sitting with a bad posture for a long time can make the back muscles fatigued and induce spasms. Weak or fatigued rhomboids may stiffen up all of a sudden while doing overhead exercises or reaching out to objects kept on a higher shelf or bending.

When there is a strain in a muscle, it means a few of its fibers are either torn or overstretched. Rhomboids get stretched after carrying heavy backpack on the shoulders. In this condition, one experiences sharp pain and discomfort in between the spine and the shoulder blades. The pain tends to get aggravated with body movements. In case of a bad strain in the rhomboid muscle, even breathing can cause severe upper back pain. Mental stress is another cause that can lead to a chronic rhomboid muscle pain.

Rhomboid Muscle Pain Treatment

As we have already discussed, the pain in the rhomboid muscle tends to intensify with back movements. Therefore, if you have painful rhomboids, you must give maximum rest to the back. It should be accompanied by cold therapy which is nothing but application of ice on the injury site. In the first few days, ice has to be applied for 15 - 20 minutes, after a gap of every 4 or 5 hours. Wrap up some crushed pieces of ice in a plastic bag and keep it on the floor. Now, lie down on the floor in such a way that the upper back is placed exactly on the ice pack.

After 3 days of rest and ice treatment, the pain should subside. If it does not, then you can start applying heat in the area for half an hour. However, do not apply the heat overnight on your back. To relieve the muscle pain temporarily, anti-inflammatory medicines can be taken, after consulting the doctor. However, these medicines should not be used for a long time as they have side effects. In those cases where the back pain refuses to go down with all these treatments, doctors recommend physical therapy. Some people have found massage therapy highly beneficial for rhomboid pain. Once the back and shoulder pain is alleviated, you must do some back stretching exercises regularly, before resuming normal activities. This will improve the improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles, and reduce chances of any further injury.

The recovery time for rhomboid muscle pain depends on the severity of the injury, age and overall health condition of the patient. If the injury is a minor one, it usually takes a few weeks to heal. However, a more severe pain may take more than six weeks. One can prevent recurrence of rhomboid pain, if proper warm up exercises are done before starting any strenuous physical activity.