Question
I am a 25 yr old female w/ no prior health problems/no family hx of health problems.  Back in 2005 I developed severe left shoulder blade pain. This pain would radiate down my left arm. I had my gallbladder removed, as a dr I saw thought this may be the problem as it was sudden. I felt fine for almost 6 months after that procedure and the exact pain came back. It was so severe that it seemed to radiate thru to my chest. I have been in the er several times and have had everything from tests to ck my heart, to xrays, to mri's of my head, neck, back. None of these mri's showed anything. I started to develope tingling/pins and needles sensations in my neck, upper back, arms and even my legs. I have been told by several health care providers that this is "just myofacial muscle pain" and there is nothing I can do about it. The pins and needles are gone, however, I get extreme pain in my shoulder blade and whole entire upper back. It is sometimes so painful that the only thing that helps is to press up against a wall as hard as I can. I sleep w/ a heating pad every night and alternate that and an ice pack. If it were not for that, I would get no relief. The pain is only relieved by massage, (only temporarily during the massage) or w/ heat so I also take alot of HOT baths. Can you pls give me any insight that you have on why this "muscle" pain would be lasting THIS long? I forgot to say, for the last 5 yrs I have worked at a computer 8 hrs per day, 5 days per week, therefore, I know this is the culprit. HOwever, I do not know what to do about this! It is comprimising my quality of life. It is hard to be a nice/kind/happy person when you are in pain daily. I also have had cortisone shots, which did not help. I have had trigger point injections, which also did not help. Would this shoulder pain cause nerve entrapment where I would have this parasthesia like this also? thank you for any help/advice that you can give me...including what type of provider I should see next and any tests/medicines/injections you would advise me to have!!!

Answer
I answered a similar question earlier, and my response was this:

It sounds like you might have a peripheral nerve entrapment - possibly from scar tissue formation post injury (in your case from the chronic stresses placed on your body from prolonged seated postures). I'm assuming you've had an MRI done to rule out any rotator cuff tears, cervical disc herniations, etc. If everything is "normal" on imaging, there is a good likelihood that you may have a problem with a peripheral nerve. A visit to the neurologist along with some nerve conduction tests would rule this out. I would suggest you also see a doctor or therapist that does ART (Active Release Techniques) who can treat nerve entrapment syndromes. Go to www.activerelease.com to find a certified provider near you.

If your aren't already doing so, I would also suggest you take up some type of regular exercise and stretching program that emphasizes good postures. Sitting in front of the computer all day long is by far the most common cause of chronic myofascial pain. Switch positions throughout the day, take frequent short breaks, and make sure your workplace is set up with good ergonomics in mind.