Question
Hello, my name is Robert.

I just started with 2 personal trainers 3 months ago.  I go 3 times a week and do high intensity cardio about 4 times a week on my own.  About 1 month ago, the left side of my neck started to hurt.  It's like a pulling sensation from the inside of my neck down into the start of my shoulder.  It hurts the most when I lift my head up and back and slightly to the left.  

One of my trainers believes it is my trapezius muscle (I believe it is specifically my levator scapulae from research I've done).  We only worked on areas that seemed to not hurt for him when he had a similar injury.  We stayed away from most shoulder, back, and certain arm exercises.  It seemed to get much better over the next week, only a slight twinge of a reminder it was still strained.  So we started to do our regimen again the next week.  After the 3rd (last) session of the week, I was feeling it again.  

I have started to ice it and we're back to working around it for weight training again.  It is starting to hurt again just sitting still.  I'm using a gelpack that gets warm rather quickly, so real ice in a little garbage bag works best.  What can I do?  I'm really ready to start jumping off the walls, it won't go away!  

I really don't want to give up my weight training (I know it can be modified) for now, I've already lost so much weight and inches!  By the way, I do have a chronice "forward head" and rounded shoulders, which unfortunately, even with more proper posture, do not easily correct themselves due to them developing this way as a child/teen.  I've never had this diagnosed or looked at, but my left shoulder is like permanently rounded forward.  This dominant shoulder/arm could also be part of the problem.

Please help!  

Answer
Robert,

Rule #1:  Don't be diagnosed by a personal trainer.

Your symptoms are classic for one of two conditions: cervical disc protrusion and/or irritation, cervical facet joint strain/sprain.  Both will refer to the border of your shoulder blade.  When it gets really bad it will go into your arm and hand, sometimes with numbness or tingling.   Extending and rotating your neck jams the interlocking facet joints, and if they are irritated it will hurt in your neck and refer down in a "half-coathanger" pattern.  Neck rotation and extension also further presses on the back side of the intervertebral disc.  If it is protruded in to the back an side (usually that's where it protrudes) then it will get compressed by the vertebra and refer into the shoulder blade.  If the disc touches any portion of the nerve or nerve sheath that exits your spine in between the vertebra, then you will feel it in your arm/hand/fingers.   This is called cervical radiculitis.   
My suggestion is to avoid any overhead lifting, e.g. military press.   Also avoid upright rows (a dumb exercise) and be careful with heavy bench pressing, especially when you overexert yourself and recruit neck muscles during the lift.  Almost everyone has a forward head posture in our society.  Look around and you'll see.  We don't know how much this affects health.  Everyone has a hunch and an opinion, but there's little data to prove anything.   I would suggest, however, to include bent-over rows, bent over reverse fly's, and "superman" on a gym ball (just hold the position of "superman" and don't do a bunch of rep's).  If the Superman position provokes shoulder blade pain, then you must abandon it.  Do any cardio circuits or cardio machines that do not provoke your shoulder blade pain, and then give it some time.   If you're not better in a week, then find a good chiropractor (see my web site, "Info/How-To's" on www.drgillman.com).  

'Hope this was helpful,

Dr. G